Submitted by Other Worlds on Fri, 08/20/2010 - 14:18
The amazing thing about gift economies is that once people begin to give freely, we discover incredible abundance - even in the most cash-poor communities. Two community projects tap into the abundance in their communities in order to ensure that everyone has access to fresh, healthy, and delicious fruits and vegetables.
Submitted by Other Worlds on Fri, 03/19/2010 - 08:32
Perhaps more than anything today, Haiti needs a new macro-economy, one based above all on meeting the needs of its citizens. Post-earthquake economic restructuring could include equitable distribution of resources, high levels of employment with fair compensation, local production, and provision of social services.
In the meantime, what saved many during the earthquake, and what is keeping them alive today, is a culture and economy of solidarity, or mutual aid. Solidarity is an essential strategy through which on-the-margins communities, and their individual members, can survive and thrive. Today the generosity is on overdrive.
Other Worlds partnered with the National Radio Project to produce the first piece in an ongoing radio series about alternatives. Our first program, Gifting in Mali and India: A Way of Life explores how giving traditions transcend geographic and cultural boundaries, while strengthening communities.
You can listen to the piece, together with segments on time banks, gifting at burning man, and community support vs. charity, on the website of Making Contact.
Submitted by Other Worlds on Tue, 01/05/2010 - 10:06
By Coumba Touré. “African values” refers to a universal positive way of life. We are African, but we share our values with all those who want to share the dignity of the human being.
A word that we use a lot in Bamana is maaya, or humanity. When you say that somebody has maaya, you mean they are human and they are connected to humanity. There is a song that says that what makes us human is a cord that we all hold. Every time someone breaks it, it is broken for all human beings. Each of us has to make sure that that cord doesn’t break in our name.
Submitted by Other Worlds on Wed, 07/22/2009 - 12:00
In the red-dust town of Kati, Mali, a meeting is underway between the leaders of the local Institute for Popular Education, who have just called out the chant, and a group of Western visitors who came to the West African nation for the 2007 World Social Forum.
Submitted by Other Worlds on Fri, 05/29/2009 - 12:00
Reclaiming the Gift Culture is an expansive report exploring gifting traditions and innovations around the world. With tales of gifting from areas as diverse as Mali, India, and South America, this report broadens our view of what we can create by giving.
The amazing thing about gift economies is that once people begin to give freely, we discover incredible abundance - even in the most cash-poor communities. Two community projects tap into the abundance in their communities in order to ensure that everyone has access to fresh, healthy, and delicious fruits and vegetables.
Perhaps more than anything today, Haiti needs a new macro-economy, one based above all on meeting the needs of its citizens. Post-earthquake economic restructuring could include equitable distribution of resources, high levels of employment with fair compensation, local production, and provision of social services.
By Coumba Touré. “African values” refers to a universal positive way of life. We are African, but we share our values with all those who want to share the dignity of the human being.
In the red-dust town of Kati, Mali, a meeting is underway between the leaders of the local Institute for Popular Education, who have just called out the chant, and a group of Western visitors who came to the West African nation for the 2007 World Social Forum.