Tribute

There are few people who combine so many qualities in the same person; we are talking about Alfredo Mires Ortiz, one of the most emblematic librarians of the Network of Rural Libraries of Cajamarca. Although we know him as the Executive Advisor of the Network, we all know that he is not only advisor-consultant, he is also creator and soul, connoisseur and teacher, guide and companion. He is also an expert and experienced reader, writer, storyteller and "tamer" of tales and stories; he is a listener, voice and singer; he is a couplet and joke, drawing and theatre; letters and sounds, oral tradition, musical instrument, natural and cultural heritage; he is heart and earth: hill, plant, hummingbird and water. Alfredo embodies all the beings of the Pacha.

Perhaps many do not know the quantity, diversity, quality and depth of the lyrics Alfredo writes. From notes on little pieces of paper full of phrases, diagrams or words; field and travel notes, notebooks full of drawings and brilliant ideas, through magazine articles, inaugural lectures, papers and speeches; workshops and educational and cultural proposals; essays, poems, poetry, aphorisms, correspondence..

On each page, in each book, in each medium, Alfredo shapes a world to imagine and dream, a commitment to the dignity and tenacity of the peasant populations, of the marginalised and excluded. He always offers a renewed and revolutionary way of looking at reading and books, libraries and the knowledge of the world. He sows light and reasons to rebel against the oppression of colonialism; to know who we are and where we want to go.

For this reason, we cannot fail to celebrate the distinctions, recognition and prizes that Alfredo has been awarded throughout these 50 years in which he has stood shoulder to shoulder with the peasant families of Cajamarca under the motto "With books on the ground".

For him all the affection and admiration, all the embrace and the beating heart of his family, which is all of us.

Nathalia Quintero

Medellín, Colombia

Community prayer

A peasant girl crosses the courtyard of her school, takes the hand of teacher Manuela ─Coordinator of our Network─ and says to her:

─ Professor, we now have to pray for our friend Alfredo, so that he recovers soon and is with us.

And all those little angels got together and prayed to accompany Alfredo in the enormous ─personal, family and community─ struggle that he has to face relentlessly to survive and continue his journey.

Rebuilding the Core Team

It has been two years of uncertainty in the face of the COVID-19 situation, moments of anguish and pain. It was a few days before the pandemic began that we held our last face-to-face meeting with the coordinators and librarians of the rural communities of Cajamarca. 

We still remember the sorrow of those moments and the fact that we were not sure how long we would be away from our people. In the face of this, we have been able to adapt. In the face of these biosecurity measures, it is necessary to recognise all the efforts of our brothers and sisters who make up the Core Team. We are very encouraged to continue with this work and we value their presence, their commitment and their community support.

As a Core Team we are reconstituting ourselves. We have already resumed internal meetings to strengthen the new projects we have been working on in order to continue with our movement and, at the same time, we are very excited to be able to reach more families with the books of the Rural Libraries Network.

Books that tell...

Our brother Javier Huamán Lara visited several communities in the Peruvian jungle, representing our brother Alfredo Mires, who was invited by native communities who have shown their interest in learning about the proposal of the Rural Libraries Network of Cajamarca.

Javier told them about our journey in different meetings and left our books to continue on their way, carrying the wise words of our beloved grandparents.

Today these children of the Network must surely have already entered the jungle and be doing their thing; "Cosmovivencia" and the booklets of the Peasant Library, will already be telling part of our culture; "Resuellos", will be encouraging them to sing, to declaim, to be critical; "El duende del laberinto", will be the accomplice of the little ones; ... how not to imagine the work of each one; they all tell our stories, they are all part of us and they all carry our culture.

Have a good trip, brothers and sisters, and encourage our brothers and sisters in the Selva to continue telling their stories too.

The elf in the labyrinth

I am not in favour of the Reading Plan in schools. Experiences with our children have shown me that it is better to leave the freedom to choose which books one wants to read. But I do believe that there are books that one should read - at some point in one's life.

El duende del laberinto y otros cuentos medulares (The elf in the labyrinth and other cornerstone stories), published by our Rural Library Network in 2016 is definitely one of those books.

And it is not just my opinion: many readers from different parts of the world have confirmed it; many teachers are using this book in their classes and many people have described to us their delight in holding this little book in their hands.

This elf invites you to think, to imagine, to give your opinion, to dream... and also to see the world in a different way. Some call it "criticality", although I think it is, rather, a way of encouraging us to be surprised and to consider other ways of reflecting.

I share with you one of my favourite stories from this book:

The Wig

With so much sorrow life became bald.

She was ashamed of being bald.

So she gathered fluff of joy and made herself a false wig.

Life is beautiful when she has hair done up like that.

But there's a lot of wind in the world.

Rita Mocker.

Emotions and memories

On 11 February our brother Alfredo Mires received the House of Peruvian Literature Award 2021, in recognition of his innovative vision of books, reading and literature in dialogue with the needs of the community - work associated with the Network of Rural Libraries of Cajamarca.

As members of a single family and complying with the respective security measures, we gathered to join Alfredo and participate in the virtual ceremony. We prepared in a different way than usual, but always with the same affection and enthusiasm that characterises us.

Thus, we also began to feel many emotions: joy for this well-deserved award, longing for not being together with our other companions from the different communities around the joijona, sorry for not being together on a night of rescue, in short. But the greatest thing we felt was the hope of knowing that soon we will be able to meet again and continue our journey together.

That night was also a time to remember the more than 50 years of our journey, to remember our companions who are no longer with us yet whose presence always is.

And the image that symbolises this award says a lot about all these memories that are also the hope for what is to come.

Harvesting the water

A few years ago, our brother Alfredo designed ─for the Network─ house, benches and seats that, at the same time, serve to harvest rainwater. This proposal was implemented through a system of gutters, pipes and pools that were also adapted as reading spaces.

This proposal is already being replicated by many members of the Network and is one more lesson to continue appreciating the goodness of nature.

Now we not only greet and celebrate the rain, because with it the hope of life is reborn, but we are also grateful because we are reciprocating its care.