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