Fishing and Capacity Building March 2, 2009
Posted by Ken Newton in : Life in Panama , trackbackI have been away a lot and when home in Potrerillos, trying hard to keep up with Steve and Paul for their never ending ideas and energy. If I ever thought life would be lots of reading in a comfortable hammock, I have quickly discovered that those moments will be both magic and infrequent.
This past week I was with Paul and Steve on the Caribbean coast. Yes, it included some fishing, and yes, I was the one who lost the big one. I learned a new term called “horsing”. Apparently it is not a good idea to pull hard on the line when the fish is jumping 5 feet out of the water. For a horse, pulling hard on the rein works. For a fish, the line breaks. There were no words of kindness or compassion from my fellow fishermen on that note.
It was strange to be away from civilization as we know it. No means of communication, no electricity. Travel in a cayuga that felt like it would tip over at any moment but never did. Treks in the dense tropical forest with no idea of where you were headed or where you were. All so comfortable to the indigenous people in whose village we stayed. But nonetheless, very isolated, and with no way to talk to Lynda, very lonely and insecure.
And – an episode in my life that most people I know will never experience for themselves.
This week, Andrea Martinsen will be commencing her assignment in Llano Nopo. I have mentioned her in prior blogs as a new member of Dead Wheat who will pursue a capacity building approach for the village of Llano Nopo. Dead Wheat is evolving in its purposes and approach to be that of empowering people in the Comarca through sustainable community development. One of the unfolding projects of Dead Wheat is its hydroponic farm, and the capability of constructing and operating similar farms in the Comarca. Andrea speaks Spanish and Gnobe, and has spent the past 3 years working to help the Peace Corp develop an effective strategy for working with the Ngabe-Bugle people. She understands the importance of capacity building alongside cultural pride.
A point on capacity building. Maria Ruiz is a family member of Ruiz Coffee, which produces some of the best coffee in the world. Marie lives nearby in Boquete, and is also highly educated on matters of social function. She is quoted in an earlier blog of Dead Wheat as saying, “we always look at the Indians and are quick to point out what they are doing wrong. But they have been in existence for over 400 documented years and probably over 1000 total, so why are we not recognizing what they are doing right?” We agree, and see the extreme value of studying the culture first, then building on it. Empowerment and ownership, not intrusion and dependency.
On Friday, we will be going with Andrea to Llano Nopo to get her settled. The first order of business will probably be to construct a home for her. After that, Andrea will begin the process of integration and assessment. And that will not be a 1-week statistical gathering effort. It will be at least one year of study. After that, we take the next step in capacity building.
It is very exciting!
Next blog I will try to give you a better insight into the Comarca, with more detail on the village of Llano Nopo. And over the next couple of weeks, I will also try to weave in some more of Lynda’s and my continuing experiences and personal adjustment to life in Panama.
Talk soon….
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