23 February

On 23 February, Alfredo Mires would have turned 65. His subtle humour, his storytelling ability, and the way he drew me into the fascination of his thoughts made me see the world through different eyes. It is something I miss deeply. That is why, so often, I read and reread his writings. Today I would like to share an excerpt from one of Alfredo’s many lectures with you.

Memory lies at the nucleus of a people’s identity, but that nucleus must be opened up, for the legal record is like a shell that suffocates it. Hence the value of maieutics, the art of helping to give birth, of bringing forth what is dearest to the heart. For memory need not be subject to domination when it possesses the independence of a committed heart and the vigour of an indomitable spirit (let me take this opportunity to pay public tribute to squirrels: it seems they do indeed possess a fruitful forgetfulness, for as they do not always remember where they have buried their nuts, they are responsible, year after year, for the birth of hundreds of thousands of trees).

Thank you, Alfredo, for your teachings, for your presence amongst us, for accompanying us on our journey, always.

Rita