Intermundos

From our outpost, here in Colombia, we have observed that in general terms, cultural globalization is taking place unilaterally, that is from “north” (Western cultures / Europe / USA) to “south” (Africa, Latin America, most of Asia). Therefor, the important values and knowledge that are traditional to, or arise from marginal cultures form the south are not being integrated into the process of creating our future global society, for example; Africans learns to drink coca cola and make houses out of cement but Europeans do not learn about how the kola nut was traditionally used as medicine in Africa or how to make houses out of earth. Unfortunately, most of what western society from the “north” has promoted, distributed, exported, communicated has been technologies, ideas, morals that serve to impoverish the natural environment and most of humanity. Therefor we deem important to identify, re discover, translate and diffuse the positive voices, ideas, traditions, knowledges of marginalized groups that exist on the edge of the global community. A few examples of these valuables but marginalized cultures or movements would be; millinery indigenous cultures from the five continents; rural and urban afro American culture; the diversity of youth subcultures worldwide, etc.

Objective:

To find and spread ideas, words, dreams, works of art, concepts, songs, technologies, images, melodies from Colombia to the world in order that these may multiply, mutate, and contribute to the construction of a more communal sustainable world society.

Background:

Our principal experience has been working with young people in the lower income neighborhoods of Colombia’s principal cities; Bogotá, Medellin, Barranquilla and Cartagena. We started by working with the Colombian hip hop movement, organizing festivals, giving workshops and by producing two documentaries and a compilation CD based on Colombian hip hop culture. We have also worked extensively with the electronic music and art scene, having been involved co-producing festivals such as Bogotrax in Bogotá and producing Pixelazo in Medellin in conjunction with Pixelache festival from Finland. We have made possible most of our activities through collective support and collaboration together with dozens of Colombian and international grassroots collectives. Networking has been our major tool for success. Today our offices have merged from the cities to the Caribbean coast of Colombia, and our present projects involve work with the traditional musicians of the region and indigenous tribes.

Method:

Colombian people are very lucky; we live in one of the wealthiest countries of the world; It is the second most biologically diverse worldwide after Brazil and is made up of a multiplicity of cultural enclaves, including some 64 indigenous tribes as well as many afro and Hispanic regions and communities; the land is mostly virgin jungle and mountain; thriving with infinite natural resources and water…all nested between the amazon, central America and two oceans. With this in mind , as Intermundos we have always worked to highlight, acknowledge and strengthen local identity and the construction of autonomous projects and communities.

We have made possible several educational festivals and events where western tools / technologies / knowledges have been made accessible to people who normally would not have access to these . We consider many art forms, movements, ideas from the ” north” to be valuable and important to integrate at our local level, but we always feature as part of our programs examples technologies or knowledges that are local (through conferences or the participation of traditional art forms or examples of fusion).

We develop our projects on a flexible long term basis and build open organic relationships with the participants of our programs.

Our workshops most often result in a direct application by participants of what has been learned in a public event or situation. We stress practice over theory.

Most of our events are organized in public spaces and involve some form of participation form the public.

We work with music, urban art, new technology, traditional knowledge, innovation, dance, communication, young people, small communities, the unusual, laughter and nature.

Through national and global grassroots networks we foment events, products and exchanges which aim at building the presence and projecting the voice of the diverse cultural groups that we work with at a communal, national and international level.