Life

What is life but fire 

of scorned ashes 

and of fathoms that began 

in forgotten sparks. 

What is life but light 

that shines, creates and recreates 

and that sometimes just passes by 

without anyone seeing it. 

What is life but brightness 

like a star petal 

that only shines in the distance

like the most beautiful thing. 

What is life but water 

impregnating the whole earth 

making the grass sprout 

where no one expects it.

What is life but loving you 

with the magic of this world 

with the feeling that you have sown

in the deepest furrow. 

Alfredo Mires Ortiz 

"Resuellos" 

Reading with the taste of coffee

 

Alfredo Mires lives in the mountains, in our memories, in the Rural Libraries and in every little corner where there is a book born from the land, from the people, from the history of each community where Alfredo left a legacy and love of what is ours. And here, in Jaén, together with some friends who were infected with the spirit of promoting reading, a space called "Reading with the taste of coffee" was created with texts from the Rural Libraries of Cajamarca. The name came about because I remembered that Alfredo loved to drink coffee and, besides, coffee is the flagship product of Jaén. So both ideas merged perfectly, because reading is like tasting an exquisite coffee.  Now, many schools will have the initiative to have a similar space so that reading continues to travel like a gentle wind in the mind and heart of every child, adolescent, young person, adult, teacher, mother and father. Only by reading can we forge strong roots so that the winds of life do not tear us away from our ideals.  

Greetings to all our brothers and sisters in the Rural Libraries of Cajamarca, and we hope to see you soon. Hugs from all arms, as Alfredo Mires would say.

Romance in Switzerland

A few days ago I received an email from Monika Pfändler. We met Monika from Switzerland in 1995 and since then we have a wonderful friendship - as a family and with the Rural Libraries Network. 

Monika sent me a letter for the death of Alfredo. I share, from my heart and with Monika's permission, some lines from her letter and her beautiful photos, as a tribute to my husband Alfredo. Monika and her husband Urs accompanied Alfredo in their thoughts and prayers during the whole time of his illness. They are those friendships that add sunshine and light to our lives in difficult times. 

Here is Monika's little text from Switzerland: 

"The 16th of October 2022 was one of those golden autumn days, when nature gives us all its splendour of colour: no longer the scorching heat of summer, nor even the cold blue colour of winter, but those soft, warm colours of life as it ages, as it slowly says goodbye. 

A few days earlier I had received Alfredo's book Romance de la montaña (Romance of the mountain) and took it with me on my hike up the mountain. As I read, I felt his ñuqanchik (we) in every line. For me, Romance de la montaña is an ode to the two of you, to Alfredo and to you, Rita, and to your journey. You have left footprints in this life.  

When I got home in the afternoon, I found the note of Alfredo's passing in my email inbox. It touched me in a strange and miraculous way.

I went back up the mountain, with the camera, to my favourite little bench and the water fountain that I love so much, to take these two photos that I enclose - as a souvenir, for you, for you all."

Thank you, dear Monika, for this beautiful gift. Thank you for your beautiful friendship. Thank you, always. 

Rita Mocker.

Training in family

On 5th February we went to the city of Pacasmayo for a training meeting of the Community Programme. It seems that our little land, to whom we owe our lives, our protective Apus (sacred mountains) and our deceased who are always there to guide us, conspired to reward us - perhaps we were doing something good in these parts. 

Pacasmayo welcomed us in the warmth of its land, with the sea breeze and the kindness of its people who made us feel at home. There we received training from great friends: Miguel Rojas in administrative matters, Geraldine García and Ivonne De La Vega in physical therapy and Wálter Pachas encouraging us with the theme of managing emotions.  

Our thanks to Amanda and Esther Díaz Chávez for all their valuable coordination and contacts. As a friend of ours would say: we need more people like this in our lives. 

Our gratitude always to those who make these meetings possible, which not only allow us to train and improve our accompaniment of our beloved Juanitos, but which are also opportunities to share, discuss, agree, remember, cry and laugh. And to always continue to strengthen us as a family and to reaffirm our commitment.

Reading with the heart

In an age as detached from reading as the one we are living in, in which screens have absorbed time, existence and the means of entertainment, and in which, moreover, official educational parameters argue that "the use of technology is the means that allows the true development of students' abilities" - especially the youngest ones - it is truly not a light, but a fire of hope to find someone under the age of 45 who, of their own free will, reads outside the parameters demanded by school or the academic world - which, by the way, do not include as many texts as one would expect - thus making the act of reading something not only scarce, but also strange in today's society. 

In this context, the attitude of Paula Mikaela and Rafaella Ariadna Seclén Gamarra, two sisters aged 10 and 9, friends of the Network, who after a visit to our house last September by their parents and grandmother -José Seclén, Milagros Gamarra and Maruja Mires, relatives and friends of ours- was particularly pleasing and uplifting. 

Acts like these definitely inspire us not only to continue with our work - especially in these times - but they are also a clear and convincing demonstration that the readers of the heart, the globetrotters of pages, the dreamers of ink and the imaginers of paper - that is to say, the genuine readers - will never die.

Rumi Mires

As good as new

A heavy hailstorm in the city of Cajamarca swept away the corrugated iron roof on the patio of our house. At first we thought we would leave it like that until the rainy season is over; also for budgetary reasons.

But one fine day our great friend José Huamán, a reader from the community of Alto Perú of Bambamarca, passed by. He, concerned about the situation, began to take measures, to do the maths, to look for cheap (but good) materials, to square and cure the wood that was getting damaged. And so, with dedication, affection and committing his brother and son, he left our roof as good as new. 

Thank you don José for fixing up the little house, for encouraging us.

 

Thank you

Three years ago I returned to live in the community house of the Rural Libraries, volunteering as part of the Peasant Encyclopedia Project and at the same time finishing my last years of study at the University. This time was full of sharing, emotions and experiences. 

I have always considered the Rural Libraries as a family, because of the extraordinary welcome that characterises it and because of what it means to many of us as peasant readers. 

I have learned a lot during my time here, getting involved with the activities. Not only fulfilling the duties of the PEC (Proyecto Enciclopedia Campesina - Peasant Encyclopedia Project) and the ATOC (Archivo de la Tradición Oral Cajamarquina - Archive of the Cajamarcan Oral Tradition), or taking care of the house; in the mingas (working as a team on a particular task) too, in the Exchange Centre, in the preparation of materials and when the assemblies were coming up. I continue on this path of learning to work in community, to value and respect our Andean knowledge. 

Demonstrating my dedication and commitment, in spite of my timetable at the busiest times of my studies, I have always been on hand to support the Network's activities.

I have always said that life is full of experiences and this is one of my best experiences for my development as a person and in my professional life. It was an honour to accompany Maestro Alfredo in this task, as he said: "it is a living way of learning". The fact of sharing and recognising the honourable work that librarians do, of not allowing the memory of our ancestors to be lost and of always keeping in mind the sense of community. 

I am now in a new phase of my profession. I finished my studies at university and now I am facing new professional and personal challenges. Although I no longer live in the community house, I have committed myself to collaborate with the network whenever possible and whenever my help is needed. 

My infinite gratitude for the welcome and willingness as always.  

Thank you, family of Rural Libraries. 

Zelma Valeria

Volunteering

Being a volunteer in Rural Libraries means committing oneself to the proposal, identifying oneself with the cause, taking initiative, doing the work with enthusiasm, with love, and, fundamentally, to always be ready to lend a hand when we are most needed and in whatever we are needed for. We have been learning this on a day-to-day basis in the family and with the guidance of our brother Alfredo Mires.

A few days ago we launched a call for volunteers and, as the saying goes: "The one who sows the seed, reaps the harvest". We were thrilled with the uptake, young people came willing to learn and to share what they know. We also received former volunteers willing to rejoin us.

Today, many of them are, true to our style, quietly, like little ants and with the best spirit, working hard to continue with this great proposal; always for the good of our reading communities.

Thank you, family.

The clothes of the wind

- Brother wind,

how do you manage to keep

your suit so beautiful always?

- The sky cleans it

the rain washes it

the sun shines it.

- And it also looks so nice!

- It's that it also shines bright, brother,

from the light of your gaze.

Romance of the mountain

Alfredo Mires Ortiz

Sentimental people

Dear Alfredo,

22 years ago we met. You had just turned 40 at the time. Today would be your 62nd birthday.

If someone were ever to ask me what kind of friendships are most important to me, what kind of people I prefer to spend my life with, what people I like to have by my side - in good times and in bad - what characters I trust almost blindly, what friends I never want to lose; then I would hear the words of the wonderful Eduardo Galeano who once said:

"I like sentimental people, who do not separate reason from the heart. Who feel and think at the same time. Without divorcing the head from the body, or emotion from reason".

I also like courageous people. People who go their way with serenity and dignity, full of strength. Who touch others. Who radiate warmth and strength. Who are attentive to the outside, but never betray their inner compass. Not for reasons of ideology, but because they simply cannot do otherwise. Who are not afraid; just sometimes a little. Who, perhaps, do not know their source, but can guess the size of it. Who, therefore, know how small we are and how big the worlds of worlds are. Who are always learning new things, because life beats within them and no end can ever be definitive. Who know how to feel love and pain and still remain open. Who understand nature as part of themselves and let its beauty take their breath away. Who use their humour in a contagious way, because life is incredibly beautiful and they never doubt it.

In other words:

I would describe you.

Feel embraced and rest assured: we will drink a toast to you, wherever you are, there is always a place for you near us.

You are very much missed here.

Kyra...

Today I return to you

Today I return to you, to your embrace brother Alfredo, that morning when I saw you flying among the hummingbird flowers, while my heart was filled with canyons and emotions like a furious storm, I thought of you in the mountain, in the infinite "Qayaqpuma". 

Here remained your poncho, your hat, your little bag of coca, your sweet wine and that nurturing love that you sowed in each one of us. If you could see those looks, those hugs; that love that your departure created, in all of us who listened to your voice and felt your word.

That day we gathered your flowers, your fragrances, your earth poncho and we set off towards that altar to honour you, which you earned with your impulse, with your heart. As we approached that space sown at the base of your Apu, we remembered you, we dreamed of you and we walked along that little piece of land, feeling your presence in the immensity of the mountain.

Finally we arrived at a shelter, a small plateau that we felt would be to your liking Alfredo, we arranged your flowers and spirit, we prayed to you with our laughter and tears, your brother Javier shared his dream with us: where he had seen you mounted, on a white horse with a spot of earth on its forehead, riding along and around "Qayaqpuma", this is how we honour you dear brother. 

Now every time I am on your Apu, you greet me from the earth and the firmament and we, humble and joyful, are left with only "Gratitude" in our souls.

Mauricio.

Gathered together

In October last year, during the wake and in the midst of our deep sorrow for Alfredo's departure, we received the news that the new Bishop of Cajamarca, Monsignor Isaac Martínez, wanted to get to know the Rural Libraries. For this reason, on the 25th of January we had an extraordinary meeting with the participation of Monsignor Isaac, Fathers Manuel Salazar and Miguel Garnett, Marco Arana and the central team.

We remember that Rural Libraries came about as a proposal by Father Juan Medcalf, who arrived in Peru in the midst of the Latin American process of Liberation Theology. Alfredo was very aware of that and always urged us to keep in mind that we are not a mere book lending institution. He used to say something like this:

"What we seek in Rural Libraries, what we have always sought, since our beginnings in 1971, is the forging of the new man - who expresses solidarity, who is loving, critical, humble - and of the community. Both are principles that are manifested and reflected in the life of Jesus.

The roots of Rural Libraries have a close relationship with the Church of Cajamarca, in the person of Monsignor Dammert Bellido, with Liberation Theology, and in the person of Juan Medcalf. 

The Option for the Poor, which the Latin American church propagated and promoted in the 1960s, as a result of poverty and repression of the dictatorships in our continent, has always been the driving force and motive for our work.

The lending of books as access to knowledge of the immediate and universal context, the reading circles and also the publication of our own books are only tools for our journey and commitment to fight for the equality and dignity of peasants and for the integral liberation of every human being".

In memory of our founders, Juan Medcalf and Alfredo Mires, and our rural community members, we reiterate this commitment as the principle and cause of our work. If it is possible to re-establish a link with the Church of Cajamarca in any of its manifestations, we welcome it. To regain awareness of this commitment strengthens us spiritually and in our concrete tasks from, with and for the rural communities of Cajamarca. And we will do it, like everything else, happily, with courage and in memory of Juan and Alfredo.

Always reading...

We are walking..., trying to follow the path that our brother Alfredo showed us.

Alfredo sowed the seed of love for reading and always took care of it with affection; he took every opportunity to read us a story, to share a topic with us or to ask us what we were reading or what we would like to read.

And that little seed that fell on fertile soil is bearing fruit. On a painful day for all of us, his words comforted us: he spoke to us through his books, he transmitted peace and hope. And he continues to speak to us today.

We continue to read about you Alfredo in Piedras vivas, pueblos vivos, in Pedro Urdemales in Cajamarca ...

We hope that your memory will help us to keep our spirits alive and to continue with your legacy.

Here we are - again!

The year 2022 has left us with a lot of tears, a lot of feelings, a lot of missing, goodbyes and also nostalgia for the arrival of new books. The absence of our brother and teacher Alfredo Mires opened a huge wound and while we tried to heal this wound, we put our blog on pause. Now we are, once again, in Alfredo's spirit, continuing his legacy.

On 16 November 2022 we celebrate the Day of Here We Are, the memory of Atahualpa's capture in 1532, in Cajamarca. On this occasion we presented three books of the Network: Resuellos, Romance de la montaña and La Ensoñación del Ñaupa; written in the handwriting of Alfredo Mires, who continues to be our guide on this path of rescuing and recovering the words of our communities.

The brothers and sisters of the Rural Libraries Network were present at this event, they came from far away carrying their books for the exchange and their contribution to the common pot,  our gratitude to them for their effort and commitment in accompanying us. In the days that followed we met with our family to celebrate the II General Assembly of 2022. Some of us had not seen each other since before the pandemic, and the reunion allowed us to relive many memories.

In the Encyclopaedia Campesina Project we continue with the processing and editing of materials, in the Archive of Cajamarcan Oral Tradition with the digitalisation and transcription of the texts of oral tradition and the re-editions of the volumes of the Biblioteca Campesina.

We are getting back on track, moving forward with the aim of continuing to share and disseminate our culture through reading.

Welcome, Kyra

We have a long relationship and friendship with some people. Although they do not live in Cajamarca, nor in our country or continent, they maintain a very close, supportive and loving relationship with the Rural Library Network.

Kyra Grewe, a German teacher and friend for more than twenty years, is one of those special people. In one way or another, she is always present in the work of the Network.

Kyra was originally a friend of Alfredo. And we believe that it is he who, from where he is now, has called her to join our team of volunteers. Kyra accepted this legacy: since this year she offered to help us with the translation of our German blog.

We are very happy about that, because up to now, due to a lack of volunteers, our German blog had been resting. We are very happy to be able to revive it with your help and presence: welcome, Kyra.

Wordsmithing is human

And we go on...

Some years after having published the accidental and very jocular changes that the titles of some of our publications and the books of other authors have undergone, this time, it was the turn of the name of our Network itself.

It happened a few days ago, when picking up a package with materials sent from Lima, instead of writing "Bibliotecas Rurales" on the address, someone wrote "Bibliotecas Perales".

For us, who have had to shed many tears during this time, these anecdotes make us smile and think of what our dear Alfredo would say: "Girls, we have to write a little note about this, even to make people laugh".

And so we did it.