Campaign 2004

THE ANDES WANTS TO GROW

Broederlijk Delen supports 250 partner organisations in 30 countries and as such 250 interesting stories about people in the South who realise their own plans. Because real changes take place within local communities, based on their inspiration, vision, expertise and local possibilities.
This Broederlijk Delen campaign shows you how Indians, farmers, women, children and youngsters in the Andes realise this change. They take the future into their own hands, they work on sustainable development and deal with the consequences of globalisation.

La Fiesta 

La Fiesta is the name of a painting showing a group of dancing Indians from the Andes. It’s a peculiar work of art. Its semi-abstract style leads you straight to its essence: in a timeless framework of earth, clouds and light, all that exists, is that dance. Each movement seems to be attracted to the central light. As such the painting radiates a certain dignity. This ‘fiesta’ is more than just a party. It’s a ritual confirming the relation between man and Mother Earth, la Pachamama by Andes tradition. Life and the strength to grow are drawn from the Pachamama. Life itself is celebrated here. This dance symbolises the spirituality, power, dynamism and vitality of indigenous communities.

The painting is by the hand of Walter Solón Romero. This passionate artist made a name for himself in Bolivia in the fifties with his socially-inspired murals.
Walter Solón died in 1999. He lives on in Fundación Solón, one of the Broederlijk Delen partners in the Andes.

Fundación Solón is one of the 7 partners we will introduce to you during our campaign. Like all our other partners, they too search for a working method which provides the strength, dynamism and vitality needed to guarantee any chance of success. Only if people are allowed to realise their own plans, if they are able to turn their own dreams, visions, values and choices into actions, only then will we witness the small and big steps necessary to introduce sustainable changes.

Development takes place according to plan. Their plan.

Walter Sólon’s painting illustrates the way Broederlijk Delen has gotten to know the people in the South: they are not pathetic, unable to express themselves, dismayed or powerless, but powerful, professional and creative.
After more than 40 years we’re still not tired of repeating the following: Broederlijk Delen does not set up any projects in the South. Our partners do not implement our plans but their own. After all, sustainable changes cannot be imposed, enforced or introduced. They’re based on people’s choices and possibilities, on their culture, knowledge, experience and rhythm.

Let us take a look at Manthoc, an organisation of working children and youngsters in Peru. Community building and belief in the children’s capabilities are its key principles. Manthoc has devoted itself to the right to worthy labour for many years now: ‘In our culture children are a full part of community. They perform various tasks, since poverty forces them to. Many families have no choice but to make their children additional breadwinners. Working children have a lot of capacities. We see the kind of responsibility they take up every day, for each other and for their families. In fact, they play a leading part in their own development. But due to the liberalisation, they often become victims of child labour. We have to fight this with all our strength. Government is largely responsible for it. As long as child labour is illegal, the disgraceful exploitation of children will continue.

Children who make a living by cleaning shoes or selling all sorts of products on the streets are not regarded as victims. Manthoc looks upon them as young workers who think about the plans they want to realise, taking into account their own expertise. The children find others like them at  Manthoc. They can group together and decide by mutual agreement what kind of support they need. Those who can read and write, are less cheated by clients. Those who have a save place to leave their wares behind at night, are better protected against violence. The risk of inflammation is smaller for those who can dress their own wounds. Manthoc is a lever for working children, which they themselves control and which helps them tackle the future.

Development takes place in a community 

When people work together, they achieve results. Manthoc proves this. Our cooperation with our partners in the South has convinced us throughout the years that collaboration is an efficient way to fight poverty. What is not supported by a community, is not sustainable. This is a controversial way of thinking. It goes against the principles of liberalisation (‘the best thing for an individual to do, is to take care of oneself’).

Community building is an important method in fighting social exclusion (which generates poverty). Arariwa also believes this. Arariwa is a Broederlijk Delen partner specialised in regional development in Cusco, Peru. The indigenous people of Cusco look upon the ‘comunidad’ or community as the centre of their lives. Sustainable rural development takes place in these communities through a whole range of activities. The community is the epicentre of agriculture, of environmental management, of small-scale companies that process agricultural products. The discussion on how to cooperate with local politicians to promote the region’s development also takes place within the community. The indigenous people of Cusco are convinced: their efforts for liveable rural areas are successful only because they are rooted in the community.

Development seen through the eyes of the poorest

Organisations like Manthoc and Arariwa each fight the poverty spiral in their own way. Nevertheless, their working method might seem questionable at first sight. Doesn’t Manthoc turn things upside down? Aren’t children too vulnerable in the harsh world of the informal economy? Shouldn’t they be tutored and protected until they are old enough to face the real world? Isn’t Arariwa destined to loose the unequal fight against the open market and large economic giants?

Broederlijk Delen and its partners are convinced that initiatives like these can achieve results, simply because they don’t tutor. In becoming an ally of the poorest, one should be prepared to respect their choices and solutions.

In many cases this requires a radical retraining of our thoughts. We need to set aside our prejudices, since they tell us that people stay poor because they are ignorant, powerless, incompetent or unwilling. We should avoid thinking that we have a ready-made solution: ‘If only they were willing to do so, or so, …’

Together with its partners in the South Broederlijk Delen looks at the world through the eyes of  the poor. We don’t consider them to be victims unable to express themselves. On the contrary, we believe and discover that they’re the ones who have the energy and resilience to put fundamental social changes on the right track. That is why we give priority to those groups that suffer because of the globalisation process and to those living in rural areas, which are stricken by globalisation world-wide.

Development encloses the whole human being

Energy and resilience are drawn from a living culture and a deep-seated spirituality. People do not live on bread alone. A people without an utopian dream bewilders, development without inspiration derails. It’s no coincidence that our partners in the South pay attention to all dimensions of life, and that spirituality is an important part of their activities. The element of harmony has a central place in the world view of the Andes people. All opposites need to be reconciled, everything should be well-balanced. The indigenous people from the Andes believe that development which only focuses on economy, material improvement and technical modernisation, is not realistic.
Broederlijk Delen also believes this. From our Christian roots, but open to all that strengthens and inspires people, we find inspiration to create a way of life that gives the earth a new breath and that allows the South to grow.

Development requires a structural and global approach
To give people the opportunity to realise their own plans, in a community, with attention to the energy and resilience of the poorest and to the whole human being. This could give the impression that only small-scale, local initiatives lead to sustainable changes.
The opposite is true. For local initiatives, now more than ever, cooperation and dialogue is needed. Local groups become stronger by joining forces.

Furthermore, development processes do not take place on an island. There are other processes in progress that endanger the plans of our partners and the local population. Globalisation, the global market and free trade reduce the results people have reached so far in the Andes. That’s why our partners become more and more involved in political actions and international lobby work.

There are two main themes: ‘sustainable rural development’ and ‘human rights and democratisation’.

Sustainable rural development

In last year’s campaign ‘When I grow up I want to be a farmer, not a beggar’ we said: ‘Our partners’ efforts are threatened, undermined or destroyed by the perverse effects of globalisation. The fight our partner organisations and so many other groups in the South have been engaged in for years, is one of David versus Goliath. A battle that has to prevent a further exodus from the rural areas thus reducing more farmers to beggary.’

This is also the fight of CIOEC, the national lead agency of economic farmer organisations in Bolivia. This Broederlijk Delen partner has played a leading part in increasing the country’s quality of life.
The local farmer organisations focus on sustainable agriculture, testing new cultivations, improving production, developing a small-scale processing industry. But how do their products reach the buyers in the city or foreign countries? This is where CIOEC comes in. CIOEC does market research, provides economic information and negotiates with important customers or the government.

Small indigenous producers are more powerful if a national lead agency protects their interests. Together they brace themselves; they feel free trade breathing down their neck. CIOEC negotiated with the Bolivian government in 2000, which resulted in a law giving small producers a preferential treatment. Today this protection of the indigenous sustainable agriculture is being cut back, and the market is opened up large multinationals. CIOEC’s reaction is bitter.
‘We include over ten million farmer families, organised in about 700 economic farmer groups. Our production feeds our country. We create jobs in the rural areas, thus preventing a further migration to the city. We have searched for new markets for our products resulting in export activities. But it seems that our government is blind to our efforts, since they have never done anything to increase the farmers’ production or to improve their lives. The opposite is true: just when we had hopes of an improved situation, government strikes back with its new decrees.’

Human rights and democratisation

May 15, 2003. In the Broederlijk Delen offices a meeting of OIDHACO takes place. OIDHACO is the European department for human rights in Colombia. Among those present is José Domingo Calderón of the CRIC (Consejo Regional Indígena del Cauca), an Indian movement in the department of Cauca in Colombia. Broederlijk Delen has supported this organisation for years.
José Domingo is very pleased to hear that Broederlijk Delen draws attention to the work in the Andes. The attention from Flanders is quite welcome. For ages the CRIC has been a pioneer in the democratisation of Colombia, which is torn apart by violence. José Domingo’s analysis is sharp: ‘In the 2000 elections the Indian movement managed to have a number of their leaders elected in local councils and in parliament. But because of the worsening war situation the population and the Indian communities of Cauca saw a whole number of last years’ achievements disappear. Since the new constitution of 1991 the Indian communities have the right to their own territory, their own traditional jurisdiction and their own authorities. The CRIC is recognised as ‘Autoridad Tradicional’. Today, signed agreements with the government are no longer observed. The ‘Plan Colombia’, which gives the US free play in their so called fight against drug trade, causes violence to escalate. In addition, government is heavily in favour of the neoliberal developing model and free trade. The pressure on social organisations rises. Indigenous leaders are killed or threatened.’

Today the CRIC has to work in the extreme conditions of a conflict area. Communities find themselves between warring parties – army, paramilitaries, guerrilla, political and economic leaders. Still the movement stubbornly persists in its fight for human rights, democratisation and peace.

Not only Colombia, but several other countries in the Andes have encountered many difficulties in their evolution towards more human rights and democracy. Still, there have been some great achievements. Ten years ago, with the commemoration of the 500th  anniversary of Columbus’ invasion in America, the whole Latin American continent saw the rise of a strong Indian movement. It fought for the recognition of cultural rights, claims for land and participation in national and international politics. Today, various partner organisations are involved in a dialogue with local administration for a joint approach of regional development, several countries have Indian representatives and Ecuador even has Indian ministers. A number of these new politicians are familiar faces for Broederlijk Delen. They took the plunge from our partner organisations to politics and gained the confidence of an emancipated electorate. Evolutions like these are of no mean importance. They prove that the chosen road towards a better future bears fruit.

The threat of the FTAA

Like the rest of the world, the Andes falls under the spell of free trade and globalisation. The idea to turn the whole American continent into one free trade zone extending from the South Pole to the North Pole, troubles everybody.
The ‘Free Trade Area of the Americas’ (FTAA) is to be the most far-reaching free trade agreement in history. The US gathered 34 countries in North- and South-America to negotiate this agreement at present. The year 2005 is their deadline. The plan only features a small number of social objectives. Founded on the dogma of the free market’s blessings, it will – if it is to be carried out – drastically change people’s lives all over the continent. Consequently it causes great anxiety and the number of anti-FTAA actions is uncountable.

Nearly all Broederlijk Delen partners in the Andes share this concern. The FTAA is not a plan on a human scale, but on the scale of multinationals and powerful economic groups. Those who dedicate themselves to sustainable agriculture or rural development, to small-scale trade, with Indians or farmer organisations, know that it will endanger their activities, the rights and future of these vulnerable communities.

Fundación Solón is the Broederlijk Delen partner who was one of the driving forces behind the current anti-FTAA movement. In the meanwhile several other partners have gotten involved in these lobby activities. From 7 till 13 March 2004, the Latin-American Social Forum will take place in Quito, Ecuador. It will largely be devoted to the fight against the current FTAA plans. Many of our partners will meet each other there. But they often are already in contact, or participate in seminaries. They interchange ideas about the consequences of globalisation, and about strategies to face up to this problem.

Broederlijk Delen explicitly chooses to support our partners’ lobby activities. Together we create networks and draw the public’s and politicians’ attention to the problems caused by free trade. This political action arises from our work with our partners and our permanent international dialogue with them. The fact that our support is welcome, is illustrated by a reaction of Jaime H. Diaz, the responsible of Podion, an advisory body of Broederlijk Delen in Colombia: ‘We are pleased to hear that Broederlijk Delen will bring up the FTAA issue during its campaign. This is undoubtedly the topical matter that dominates the whole of America. It constitutes an actual threat both for small producers and their organisations. We are especially concerned about the repercussions the FTAA will have on the lives of the rural population in South-America.’

Broederlijk Delen, because the South has plans

It’s no coincidence that we talked about our partners as well as about Broederlijk Delen itself. After all, it are these choices that have determined our organisation’s work for years now. We want to be a partner of the South. Because the South has plans: by respecting their choices and supporting their plans.
Supporting our partners means more than financing their activities. A number of partners requested and now have a development worker at their disposal. Two Broederlijk Delen co-workers work in the Andes as local representatives. They keep the network alive and give partners the opportunity to meet and interchange. The partners are strongly involved in our campaign, and are present in Flanders during this period. Thanks to the Flemish public’s support we strengthen their political actions by lobbying in national and international networks. We’re proud that our partners regard our modest yet actual contribution as a real partnership.

Murales de los Andes: a colourful action model

Murals - ‘murales’ in Spanish – are a typical Latin-American art form. For decades artists have expressed their dreams and choices in these murals.

This campaign wants to turn this Andes tradition into an action model. We challenge groups and schools to make their own mural in a real contest. Not only as a way of supporting our partners’ lobby work against the FTAA, but also as a declaration of support to their organisation as a whole, from the solidarity work in Flanders.

Obviously this is not free of commitment. Our campaign demonstrates that our partners catalyse the sustainable processes of change, which depart from the choices of indigenous people. But as always this campaign is not only about them. It’s also about ourselves. About our place in this world, about the dreams we share, about the choices we make, about the steps we take, and about the inspiration that drives us to change the world from within.

Everyone is invited to think about it, to interchange ideas and to transform them creatively into a mural. You can send us a picture of that mural and we will place it in our virtual gallery, on the Broederlijk Delen website.

40 days of breaking superficiality – making a lifelong future

There’s only one world. There’s only one future. Each year our campaign invites us to take new steps towards the ‘globalisation of solidarity’. Our partners from the South regularly express their respect and appreciation for our campaign. Those who visit Flanders during our campaign, often are impressed by the persisted efforts of our volunteers. They gather people in schools, (youth) movements, parishes and solidarity groups, assist in political actions, collect funds and promote a solidary way of life.   

Each year the campaign is the ideal period to look for a ‘new breath’ for our solidarity work. We can find it in our own biblical roots and with the lecturers that guided the Christians in their 40-day journey through the desert to Easter. In this campaign we also want to look for the spiritual sources of the Andes people: respect for Mother Earth and harmony between all living creatures and man who is part of a living community.

We need to realise that it’s not only about problems that require a solution, but about everything that concerns life. The whole richness of life is involved: celebration, music, art, humour, dance, poetry, play, dinner, reflection, astonishment and silence. Solidarity involves all six senses.
And this brings us back to La Fiesta, the painting by Walter Solón.         

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