The memory of trees

My life definitely changed during the Summer I spent in the Philippines. I went there because I won a scholarship to do an internship in a cooperation program. While based in Cagayan de Oro, Mindanao, I worked in several development programs around the island, such as sustainable agriculture, renewable energies in rural areas and so on. But for me the most beautiful project was one implemented in an indigenous community. We spent 2 weeks living with them. There was no electricity, no signal, no roads, no running water, but instead of all these things I found plenty of old stories about gods, spirits and nature, amazing landscapes, the generosity of women, delicious fruits, the happiness, curiosity and innocence of the children who eat once a day, the ancestral medical knowledge that cured one of my legs, the kindness of the elders, who, despite my lack of understanding, insisted in telling me stories in an ancestral almost forgotten language… The leader of this community was a young man. Actually, that’s not really usual but he is the only person within the community who had finished high school. He is really committed to the development and fate of his people. One day, I told him I would like to give them back at least a little art of what they had given to me. He told me: “Just go back to your country and tell people there what you have seen here. Let them know about us, about our situation and our problems. To make us visible is the best thing you can do for us”. So I went back to Spain and I entered in a Political Science PhD. Today, my doctoral thesis is about the rights of indigenous peoples in Southeast Asia.