In 2013 , we realized that we need to look at the world around us through a longer view, where everything is connected and in relationship with one another.
We realized that we were in a battle of values. On one side is a story about the ongoing process of accumulation that seeks to make all individuals believe that a person is only here for one’s self. Another story is the story of community, reciprocity, and collective work. This is the story of who we truly are as humans, that the dominant story tries to make us forget.
Colonialism attempts to make us forget our connection with the past, which is why it is imperative for us to dig deep into our rich legacy of belonging to tribes, and our connection with the multiplicity of species that live on earth. Here at the Ayni Institute we believe that Memory is alive, that it’s in our bodies, in our oldest temples, in the highlands of the Andes, in the coasts of Africa, in the seas of Asia, and the forests of Europe. For some, Memory speaks in words, for others, it speaks a language we still have but is often overlooked, the language of symbols.
Our stories have not been erased; the living past, our indigenous communities across the world, they are still here and by being in relationship with them, we can begin to remember who we truly are, and in that process our values will emerge.