Grandfather's dream

I remember Don Dionisio Lobato, a farmer from the community of Pallán, in Cajamarca, whose grandfather had told him that, long ago, while working in the fields in the rain, lightning struck near him and knocked him unconscious.

Then, the grandfather dreamed that God was healing his head and giving him a little water and bread to drink. In that room where God was healing him, there were all the sick people on earth, but there were not only humans, there were also all the plants, all the animals and all the stones.

There he understood that everything had life: Don Dionisio's grandfather saw a bloody grain of wheat arrive, he saw potatoes with injured eyes, a corn cob complaining of being lame, a burnt blade of grass, a swallow arrived crying, and a tree also arrived dragging its sorrow.

That was what Don Dionisio's grandfather could now see in the sky, but it was what was happening here on earth.

Then God said to him:

'Now I will heal you and you will leave for a while.

The grandfather woke up remembering everything he had seen in his dreams. And then he advised everyone that we should treat the earth and everything that lives on it with the utmost delicacy, and that we should not throw grains or fruits on the road, because they get run over and burst, and then they go crying to God.

Alfredo Mires Ortiz, in El libro entre los hijos de Atahualpa (The Book Among the Children of Atahualpa)

We thank our coordinators Lino Gálvez, from El Ahijadero, Bambamarca, and Silverio Herrera, from Cutaxi, Chota, for continuing to work the land with all the care it deserves, using their hands and traditional tools, in true partnership with the entire ayllu, because, as we know, in this corner of the world, "everything is a person."

We also thank them for sharing these photos of their dedicated work as dignified farmers and peasants.

Here we are

It was in Cajamarca where the conquistador Francisco Pizarro and the Inca Atahualpa met on the afternoon of 16 November 1532. It was there that the oft-told incident occurred in which the Inca threw down the Bible, unleashing the barbarity that resulted in the deaths of ten thousand Indians on that afternoon alone, including men, women, the elderly and children.

We do not believe that the Andean people felt repulsion towards the book or the written word. Other factors were involved in the events of 16 November that triggered the events as we know them. It is even more likely that Atahualpa threw the book at Valverde and not on the ground. Likewise, it can be assumed that he would have thrown a parchment, a tablet or whatever else, given the circumstances. But, at the end of the day, with or without a book thrown to the ground, the massacre would have taken place anyway.

Alfredo Mires Ortiz in: El libro entre los hijos de Atahualpa (The Book Among the Children of Atahualpa); BNP, 2021

That is why, at Bibliotecas Rurales, we began many years ago to commemorate 16th November as the day of 'Aquí estamos' (Here we are); we remember this tragic and painful day by reading with the peasants of Cajamarca, with offerings to the earth and other ceremonies in public and in silence; to remind us that, despite everything, we are still standing and still on our path.

Enclosing nature

Years ago, several years ago, during the summer season, it was common to take school children on walks in the countryside "to breathe fresh air," as we used to say. Over time, green spaces have become scarce. In Cajamarca, the few remaining natural spaces have been converted into private sports fields. Parks and gardens are almost always littered with dog excrement, plastic bags, empty bottles and other rubbish.

Nowadays, if we want to take the children to a different, pleasant place, we have to travel and pay a hefty fee to enjoy a beautiful environment, where we can find small forests, gardens with lots of flowers, small farms, cobbled paths and other attractions.

In other words, what we used to find in many places in our beloved town is now only accessible if we pay to enter, because the most beautiful of nature is enclosed within high walls.

Hot off the press

A few days ago, the Rural Libraries calendar for next year came out, just in time for our general assembly. This meant that coordinators could take it back to their libraries and communities.

This time it features a photo taken by Jorge Camacho at one of our sectoral meetings and a text from a presentation by Alfredo:

"Before being librarians, we are human beings. And we are a collective, we are the other, we are the rest."

A beautiful message for a beautiful new year.

Simply... Uncle Lino

Amidst much nostalgia, a beautiful gift from our brother Alfredo Mires appears: Uncle Lino's book. 

And Uncle Lino arrives to continue telling stories and enchanting us, to make us smile even when life gets difficult. He tells us picaresque stories, full of traditions, customs and beliefs and, as Abelina says in the first pages, rather than reading with our eyes, we should learn to read with our hearts.

Let us try to read this great book with our hearts, so that we can hear the voices of our grandparents, of those who always saw the light in the darkest of times, and discover the sparks of hope captured in the illustrations by the children of Contumazá and Cajamarca.

Quite simply, Uncle Lino's book has a lot to teach us.

Our gratitude goes to those who made this publication possible.

A Blind Date

The Rural Library in Educational Institutions (BRIE) at the Víctor Andrés Belaunde Public Teacher Training College in Jaén held a Blind Date event with the Rural Library Network books on 20 October at the college, with the aim of strengthening identities and reading practices. We conceive of our rural library as a living space for encountering others and books, as a place where coexistence and rural culture are present. 

For this activity, eighth-cycle students in the Citizenship and Social Sciences Programme, accompanied by teacher Sara Moreno, had covered 185 books from the Network with recycled paper. They also placed a phrase alluding to the content of each book on each book cover.

Then, students and teachers from nine Study Programmes at the School of Education freely chose one of these books, registered it in the library with a commitment to read it.

Now, the organisers of the Citizenship and Social Sciences Programme are attentive to reading and exchanging with other BRIE books.

From the Central Office of the Rural Libraries Network of Cajamarca, we congratulate this wonderful activity to promote reading.

Network Assembly

On 24 and 25 October, we held our second Network Training Assembly, with the valuable participation of librarians, coordinators, representatives of BRIE (Rural Libraries in Educational Institutions) and the central office team.

It was a pleasure to reconnect, share, renew the relationships that unite us as Network volunteers, and feel the spirit of collaboration and mutual support that continues to be at the heart of our work.

The main purpose of this assembly was to analyse the progress made, reflect on current challenges, and define new goals and projects that will continue to strengthen and encourage reading in rural communities.

Active participation in our assemblies is essential, as this is where we learn new methodologies and strategies that inspire us to promote reading in our communities.

Shared reading fills us with motivation to continue working with commitment and affection.

In addition, the assemblies offer an excellent opportunity to exchange books, thus allowing us to renew the titles available in each library, share the wisdom of our grandparents, and renew our cultural identity. 

The goals we have set for ourselves on this occasion can only be achieved together. We say goodbye with hearts full of gratitude, hope, and a commitment to continue bringing reading to every corner of the countryside, where a book always finds hands willing to open it and hearts ready to learn.

Rosa Rumay

Responsible for the Network Exchange Centre