So many jungles, yet so few trees

What is wild, and who are the savages?

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So many jungles, yet so few trees.

In Pachaysana we spend a lot of time moving between the city of Quito and the Amazon Rainforest, and during such back and forth we cannot help but wonder about the dominant perspectives the majority of us have of each site. We are reminded of a statement once shared by a local Amazon participant in our Rehearsing Change program, “Who gets to say that the jungle is the wild place inhabited by savages? To me, it makes more sense to say our cities are the "wild jungles", yet with so few trees.”

In this month’s newsletter, we ask you to look around and reconsider the very nature of knowledge itself. How were you educated? What do you immediately accept or deny as knowledge, or even universal truth, simply based on the way in which you were educated or raised? What is wild and savage? What is primitive, what is backward?

One thing we Pachaysana believes after years of working with local communities, many of which are ancestral (or indigenous), is that there is no universal truth; rather, there are pluri-versal truths that intersect. And one of our jobs is to raise awareness of the diversity of thought and being, not to mention provide opportunities for the “alternative” perspectives to thrive.

Image: Local counterparts from Quito and Pintag reconsider the impact of modernity on the Amazon Rainforest during our Rehearsing Change Toxic Tour.

Pachaysana to offer Decolonial Education / Fair Trade Learning Presentations and Workshops in the USA this winter and spring

At the heart of what we do in Pachaysana is the development of new educational models that practice “decolonial education” and “fair trade learning”, both of which reflect the pluri-versal truths mentioned above. In response to requests for sharing our model and lessons learned with others, Daniel Bryan will offer presentations and workshops during an extended visit to the USA this coming spring semester. Let us know if you would like him to stop by your college, university or organization. Presentations are more academically inclined, sharing existing epistemological research to support model creation/adaptation at your institutions, while workshops are geared toward interactive exploration of the themes. Write Daniel directly if you have questions or would like to arrange a visit.

Image: Images of workshops that apply decolonial education and fair trade learning with partner communities in Ecuador (from our current semester's work in Pintag and Quito).

Recent blog entries look at the (concrete) jungle and the nature of trees

We encourage you to take a look at some recent blog entries, one in English and one in Spanish, which explore themes related to the overarching focus of this newsletter. Aliana Ruxin shares an impactful sestina poem reflecting on her summer research experience with Pachaysana, and Caroline Garrison writes a lovely exploration of the tree itself. Thank you both for your contributions. Here is a small excerpt from Aliana’s blog…

“and although, yes, there is oil, no hay luz. This is the jungle, that proves its strength as fresh grasses rise, bursting through the sidewalks in the millennial city. This is the jungle that keeps me company with its chicha and sweet oritos and people open to a gringa barely qualified to machetear. This is the (concrete) jungle.”

Image: A concrete jungle within a jungle... The millennial city of Pañacocha where Aliana interned for a Pachaysana research project.

You can support alternative ways of being and knowing.

We are happy to announce that we now have a mechanism to receive your tax-deductible donation in the United States. Via a new partnership with the 501c3 La Poderosa Media Project, you can direct funds to one of many projects/programs. The most popular of destinations for your donations are:

1) Local project implementation. We already redirect Rehearsing Change funds to execute projects in our partner communities, but additional funds translate into greater impact and sustainability.
2) International student scholarships to the Rehearsing Change program. Many students interested in our program are lower-income and don’t have the funds to travel internationally or cover associated costs.
3) Special projects. Each year we engage in small projects to further our relationships with the many communities who request our collaboration. These have included community murals, intercultural leadership projects, small capital campaigns for immediate community needs, among others.

The steps to donate are:

1) Write Pachaysana and say you want to make a contribution.
2) Together, we decide where you want your donation to go and we send you the various forms of payment.
3) After payment is received, we send you an official letter recognizing your donation to be filed with your taxes!

For those who make yearly contributions, there are only a few weeks left before the end of the year! We hope you will think of us.

Special thanks to Alejandra Zambrano and everyone at La Poderosa for their support!

Image of the community of Tzawata, marching to inaugurate the greenhouse created as part of "The Jungle is my Pharmacy" project.

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