Idylls

The reflection of the moon

in a wet petal

the first honey of the day

for a hummingbird in love.

A drop of dew

the wing of a beetle

the top of the mountain

looking up at it.

That's you and by far

the most beautiful inspiration

the dream of desires

the most precious smile.

The gleam of a tender eye

a ray of sunshine singing

the echo of a faithful sigh

a thread of a shining voice.

The smell of the earth

after the first downpour

and a cartridge of the lily

toasting with a star.

The ledge of a rock

to climb the mountain

a clean space

in the middle of the tangle.

 

Alfredo Mires Ortiz

"Resuellos" (Breaths)

Welcome, to keep on walking

The arrival of a loved one, the birth of a child, is for our families and communities a cause for hope and celebration.

A few days ago, three new books arrived in the network; two of them as reprints - at the request of our readers - and one, completely new, authored by our brother Alfredo Mires: his legacy is endless.

The new members of the library family are full of charm and wisdom; tales and stories about musical instruments in the Cajamarca tradition; games and guidelines for the care and rehabilitation of our beloved Juanitos -children with "disabilities", cared for by the volunteers of the Community Programme, and our dear ñaupas organised in mandalas to help us with motor skills and the hundreds of benefits of painting.

May these new children and great companions encourage our wanderings and strengthen the commitment of the whole library family to continue being.

Ñaupa in Colombia

Yesterday I received a picture of a painted little Ñaupa. It was one of the pages of the El Ñaupa colouring book designed by Alfredo Mires in 2021. He did it because, from the Community Programme, we had asked him for a colouring book with cultural motifs from Andean culture.

When I took a good look at the photo of this little Ñaupa, I realised that it had much more detail than the original: it had been filled with images that looked like they had come from the walls of some cave painting or from some lover's dream. It is full of designs and little things that invite you to let your imagination fly and get lost in fantasy. Our friend Mateo Oquendo has done it. Our daughter Mara has brought him a Ñaupa colouring book to Medellín, to try to draw a smile on Mateo's face. And the result is spectacular.

Thank you, Mateo, for your encouragement from Colombia. You are fantastic. And I know that Alfredo is smiling at you from where he is now.

Rita Mocker

Learning together

One of the principles of the Rural Library Network is the permanent training of all of us who are part of this family. And one of the best ways to learn is when we get together to read, talk, exchange experiences and listen to what others have to share with us. So, a few days ago, we met with the volunteer coordinators of the Network's Community Programme. At this training meeting we had the always pleasant visit of Professor María Trinidad Arana, who shared with us the importance of family participation in the rehabilitation of children with projectable capacities. Mara Mires, a volunteer as well, helped us to understand more about the world of technology, teaching us how to make better use of a tablet. We shared a reading circle led by don Sergio Díaz, volunteer coordinator of the Programme. And it was also necessary to dedicate a time for homeopathic medicine preparation, led by Rita Mocker, responsible for these tasks. And, of course, we always give ourselves a space to remember, commemorate and be grateful for the presence and wise legacy of our brother Alfredo Mires. We are well aware that it is he who continues to guide this work.

For us, these training meetings are very important because not only do we learn more, we are encouraged to meet, to talk to each other to find out how we are doing and to plan new actions that will allow us to move forward. We greatly appreciate the presence of the volunteer coordinators who make the effort to travel from their communities to our headquarters, and the support of our fellow volunteers of the Network for their constant help in the logistical details.

Murals

My husband, Alfredo Mires, was fascinated by the murals, these immense paintings that adorn walls and that inspire us to think. I think that was one of the reasons why he travelled and walked the hills of Cajamarca to recover try to decipher the cave paintings and the messages that the ancient inhabitants of these lands have left us.

And I have witnessed many moments when Alfredo stopped in front of a graffiti to take a photo or write down the text in his notebook; also his computer is full of files with these graffiti notes. Sometimes, over an afternoon coffee together, he would talk to me about his projects of decorating the Rural Libraries' premises with graffiti and murals, of adorning our house with his texts and paintings or of convincing people of some beautiful place to draw and write the stories of the Encyclopaedia Campesina in the walls of their houses, making it even more beautiful.

That is why I was not surprised when our daughter Mara a couple of weeks ago asked me if she could decorate the walls, doors, steps and other spaces in our house with drawings, paintings and texts of her father.

That is what we are doing: painting, drawing and writing in different spaces in the heart of our ayllu.I believe that this is Mara's way of transforming the house so that it no longer reminds us so much and in every corner of  Alfredo's absence, but also to follow in his footsteps, to capture his memory and honour his legacy. For Forever, Alfredo

Rita Mocker

The Community Programme in Chota

In July,  the head of the Community Programme, Rita Mocker, and Mara Mires went out to visit children with projectable capacities and their families in Chota. It was the first long outing after the pandemic. Although we had already resumed our work, for personal reasons Rita had not been able to make these visits, which require a lot of time away from Cajamarca. 

The children and families welcomed us with open arms. There was a lot to talk about after such a long absence, after missing us for so long. But it was also very encouraging to see that all the children who have been in the Community Programme for so long have improved their personal conditions. This is due to the careful attention given by the programme coordinators, in this case Dona Guevara and Sergio Diaz, who have been able to carry on with the work, despite the absence of the responsible. But it is also due to the commitment of the parents in the rehabilitation process of their children. 

We met several children who have just entered the Community Programme. We talk with them, adjust individual recovery plans, we teach them exercises and new therapy techniques.

It is very gratifying to feel the interest, the affection, the dedication and the effort of the children and their families to get ahead. We return with a happy heart and with the hope that we have contributed a little bit to make the lives of these children easier and for them to be happier. 

Comforting visits

I want to begin as simply and naturally as I would begin a piece of writing, but with nerves and many ideas that are difficult to weigh in the letters written here. For more than two months a very natural conversation arose with the beautiful Nathalia Quintero, a professor at the School of Librarianship of the University of Antioquia, in which she expressed to me her desire to come and visit us and get to know, with her students, the Corporation "Laboratory of the Spirit", located in El Retiro, Antioquia, Colombia. Recognising how important it is to listen to each other, to tell each other, to ask each other about what we do in our places, is essential to understand if this is our way or if it is necessary to deviate our path slightly in order to strengthen it.

The time came to welcome them and, with all the love and dedication to make this visit a memorable one for them and for us, with a smile on our faces we began to talk about how it had gone on the way there and to introduce ourselves. And oh, surprise! I met the beautiful wife and daughter of Alfredo Mires, an exceptional being that I remember and admire deeply. I spoke with him in several places and he shared with me that the simple, the kind, the ineffable is the most beautiful thing we can have.

The whole morning was filled with smiles, questions and answers and a very special moment that, as the Laboratory of the Spirit, we always offer to those who visit us, sharing also in a reading and creative writing workshop. To experience a space for reflection on reading aloud and that from the book we can recognise ourselves and understand the situations that occur in our lives: let the blank pages be our greatest listeners of what we feel and think, for there they take shape; in words that become phrases that give meaning to the moment we are living. And, finally, to thank life for these wonderful new people that I was able to meet and that I will always carry in my memory.

Luz Mirella Bedoya - Member of the Corporation "Laboratorio del Espíritu".

 

Community Wisdom II

Snooping through the socials, we found this poster that reminds us of so many phrases we use to say here in our Network of Rural Libraries: in the books, on posters encouraging reading, on the walls of our house.

Alfredo had the ability to create expressions that left us enchanted, he also played a lot with words and the result was some great combinations of poetry, good humour, tongue twisters and reflections which sometimes even left us with the task of thinking, reading and re-reading until we understood.

And we are also left with the legacy of the sapience that our predecessors have left behind in the publications of the Network.

"Thinking is a job,

The group of readers is the farm,

The books are tools,

What is learned is the harvest."

Raymundo Silva Ch., from Cortegana

Somos nosotros. Tomo 10. Serie Nosotros los Cajamarquinos.

We are us. Volume 10. Series We the Cajamarcans.

"By reading we drive away the darkness".

"I like it when you read because you are as if you were present".

Alfredo Mires Ortiz

Posters to encourage reading

To keep moving forward

"From the undefferable commitment to conceive regional development taking into account the particularities of local development, it is appropriate to ask ourselves what a library means or what image people have of it; what message it communicates and how it affects the daily lives of the neglected; where the books and the information they contain come from; what the library contains and what services it can provide that the population really receives to satisfy their needs, entertain and vitalise themselves".

Alfredo Mires Ortiz

Extract from his lecture presented on 17 April 2008 at the Teatro Parque Biblioteca Belén in Medellín, Colombia.

Community wisdom

Reading, as we sometimes take advantage of moments of rest, we find some thoughts, proverbs, old phrases, sayings.

Some of them catch our attention in a very special way because they remind us of the legacy of the peasant communities and of our elders, who, in a simple way, share their wisdom, the journey of all their years.

The elders hold nothing back, they give everything. It doesn't matter if their name is registered somewhere or not, because the important thing is that we know what they lived through.

That is why we find many anonymous phrases for which we can only be eternally grateful.

The daydreaming of Ñaupa

Among the many books written by our brother Alfredo Mires, we always find one or another that catches our attention, that we like the most, for some reason, some knowledge or some affinity. 

The daydreaming of Ñaupa, one of Alfredo's latest creations, is a beautiful book with short but very profound texts. 

It can be read by a child who is just beginning to learn to read as well as by an old man, who will find much wisdom about life in these simple and humble texts.

It is a book that invites us to fight for the dreams of Ñaupa to come true. Here. And now.

With gratitude, we share an excerpt.

As they are made of love

dreams are sought

and found.

A dream with another dream

get together

and they have little dreams

that are born,

grow,

reproduce

and dream.

Today I met Alfredo Mires

On 26th May, I was at the Piloto Public Library in Medellín, Colombia, at a conversation about the Rural Libraries Network of Cajamarca and the legacy of Alfredo Mires Ortiz. It felt like one of those family conversations where the whole family gathers to listen to the wisest person tell stories about those who are now in a better place, but who accompany us still in soul and spirit. In this case the wise person who had the floor was Rita Mocker, accompanied and supported by Mara Mires Mocker, her daughter.

Rita told us about volunteering, which more than volunteering. She told us the story of the origin of a family: from how it all began with the strong ideals of an English priest who came to Peru with all the desire to make this a better world for those who had no voice or visibility, through reading and "those bricks that speak". Learning how books are tools to show the world that our rural people also have a lot to teach and show. Even how the legacy of this beautiful mission was left in the hands of Alfredo Mires, together with Rita and her children and all the people who have helped since then. 

The way these stories were told felt almost as if you were in conversation with Alfredo himself, and that, in every word spoken, you felt a deep empathy and admiration for all his work: his commitment, his hobbies, his work, his ideals, his love for his family and people, and for all that he was, is and will be, through time. 

Rita also shared with us part of her story. A strong woman who, in the same way, felt the call to want to help people. And full of love she ventured from Germany to Peru to fulfil her calling. She is that motherly figure who maintains a warm and friendly atmosphere. It is thanks to her and her way of expressing herself that this talk felt the way it did: like a talk at home. 

In gratitude for all that we can be grateful for, Mara and Rita shared with us the Andean ritual, the offering to the earth, practised in the landscapes and traditions of Cajamarca, in order to thank Mother Nature, and the people around us who had made this meeting possible. It was a moment in which all the spectators of the conversation became participants and, in a way, we connected with each other through a common feeling: gratitude. 

Finally, Mara, together with her friends from dance and from life, shared an artistic display in the form of a dance, which felt like a summary and materialisation of everything that I believe all of us present at the event thought throughout the conversation: a dance that expressed the essence of Alfredo very well. From the colours in the costumes of the dancers, to the moments and situations they presented; at the same time, the dance that demonstrated the great talent of the dancers and Mara, which is in itself an illustration of how wonderful the Mires Mocker family is.

Marco Beltrán Pérez

In good company

"A friend is a brother in times of distress", our elders tell us in the book "Dichos y refranes" (sayings and proverbs).

Having friends who are determined to continue accompanying us, to put their shoulder to the wheel to continue with the proposal of the Rural Libraries Network, the great legacy of our dear Alfredo Mires and Juan Medcalf, encourages us, comforts us and makes us feel more and more committed.

Recently we had the pleasant visit of Alain and Myriam Laigneaux, members of Esperanza Association TM, with whom we shared memories, teachings, achievements and challenges. We were touched by their appreciation and interest in the Network's productions. Their looks as they contemplated each of the books on the shelves said it all. 

It was also good for us to feel the appreciation and respect they show for our elders, such as Don Pascualito Sánchez, from the community of Chuco in San Marcos, whom they also admire for all his wisdom.

Thank you Alain and Miriam for the conversation, your love and appreciation.

Meetings and conversations

Thanks to the coordination of our colleague Nathalia Quintero, as a member of the Inter-American School of Librarianship, Rita Mocker and Mara Mires participated in the event meetings and conversations: popular, community, rural and academic links on the 16th and 17th of June at the premises of the Inter-American School of Librarianship, at the University of Antioquia, Medellín - Colombia. 

Rita shared the conception, objectives, programmes and actions of the Network of Rural Libraries of Cajamarca, and also participated in a circle of the word in which she talked with other people representing institutions related to reading, books, community, popular and academic work. There was also a dynamic of 'blind and tied people' coordinated by Rita, as well as an offering to the earth and our emblematic joijona.

Mara made it possible for many people to acquire books from the Network of Rural Libraries of Cajamarca and Alfredo Mires Ortiz.

This meeting is the seed for volunteering agreements, internships, and training to strengthen us as a great Andean rural and popular Latin American community.

Libraries in Colombia

On behalf of the Network of Rural Libraries of Cajamarca I was fortunate to be able to travel to Medellin, Colombia in June 2023. I wanted to find out more about the range of books, libraries and reading promotion that this country has to offer - and I was impressed!

In the central square of many small towns you can find small spaces, like little booths, which offer a book lending service. You can find books in public transport vehicles or small publications free of charge at book fairs. There are Book Festivals, where librarians offer their reading skills to young and old and even in some restaurants they lend or sell books. Reading and tintico - as Colombians call this exquisite coffee served in a small cup - are everywhere.

There are also libraries as such, large spaces with a great variety of books and a wide range of reading spaces. Some of these libraries belong to the "Cajas de Compensación", private entities created to improve the quality of life of workers and their families. These entities provide health, education, recreation, culture and other programmes designed to bring welfare to the population.

Because of my work with children with projectable capacities and the programme of Reading for Others of the Cajamarca Rural Library Network, I was particularly interested in visiting a 'bebeteca'. They took me to the Belén Library Park - and I am emphasizing "Park" because it is a really impressive space.

Baby libraries are - as you probably already guessed - libraries for babies. And, indeed, babies go there, from newborns to six years of age, always in the company of their parents. But expectant mothers also go there and it is not uncommon to see a librarian reading "to the belly" of a mother-to-be.

There are specific books for each age group, although it is often adults who read or borrow the children's books. And for each age group there are adapted reading promotion activities: lullabies, trips to space, explorers following in the footsteps of Moby Dick, poems written by children, handicrafts made by parents, rhymes, poems, stories, children's novels... everything you can imagine.

There are water mirrors, trees and vegetable gardens, small tables and chairs, but also hammocks, mattresses and cushions in the shape of dinosaurs or gigantic butterflies hanging from the ceiling. In the land of Gabriel García Márquez, the imagination has no limits and Macondo can be built in any corner.

Rita Mocker

Walls will only be erected

to draw,

to write poems

and for the wind to play.

Alfredo Mires

"The dreaming of Ñaupa".