Making peace with nature? A matter of urgency
© photo credit: Petitas – Camille Fabbro
The Kogi delegation, whose simple and straightforward words have shed light on the confusion and disorientation of our modern societies, has returned to Colombia, having fostered dialogue between ancestral knowledge and scientific understanding. The aim? To seek new ways to heal the Earth together.
Following a series of striking meetings in the lands of our Swiss friends – some of which we mentioned in our previous digital newsletter – from 1 to 18 October 2023, the Kogi explored some remarkable sites along the Rhône: the Pertes de la Valserine, the confluence of the River Ain and the Rhône, passing through the Parc de la Feyssine, and the Rhône Delta – the ‘toes’ which, just like those of a human body, support the river.
The Kogis conceive of the world through a fractal way of thinking. This way of thinking opens up a different perspective and new insights into our understanding of territories. For them, a hot spring is a site of great value that reveals the invisible, systemic ‘underground’ workings of the earth. The shapes of the bubbles, their density and their smells form a kind of alphabet that ‘tells’ us things. After a few minutes’ observation, they asked the naturalists present how the volcanoes in the region were faring, as the bubbles were ‘restless’. It was a troubling response, as it would appear that, for some time now, volcanic activity in the region where we were situated has been reawakening.
At the Tour du Valat, discussions took place on the importance of wetlands, which the Kogis call the “old mothers”—ancient waters, guardians of a very ancient memory and connected to the glaciers.
On a more institutional level, the Kogis, including their governor, were received by the mayors of Lyon, Villeurbanne and Grenoble. In Paris, they were welcomed by the President of the Île-de-France Region and by the Minister for Ecological Transition and Territorial Cohesion.
This provided Arregocés Conchacala with an opportunity to emphasise the importance of “a government-to-government discussion about what we have in common: the mountains, water, air, biodiversity and life itself. Peace with nature is a policy, a genuine project, which we must urgently set in motion. It means fewer large-scale projects that destroy life.”
On 15 October, more than 800 people gathered at the Seine Musicale to celebrate the conclusion of this unlikely dialogue on life. It was a deeply moving occasion, opened by the music and personal account of cellist Claire Oppert, followed by Delphine Horvilleur’s timely and passionate remarks, enriched by the contributions of Cédric Villani, Emma Haziza, Céline Léandri, Nathalie Michel, Béatrice and Gilbert Cochet, Claire Laurant, Jean-Louis Michelot, Denis Chartier, Barbara Glowczewski and Jacques Besson, and concluded with Erik Orsenna’s illuminating remarks on the connections between human bodies and territorial bodies.
When respect, listening and kindness are present, new possibilities open up and joy returns. We saw this once again on the eve of their departure, when the Kogi were welcomed by staff from Île-de-France Nature to share their perspectives on a unique natural area in Île-de-France: the Bois Saint-Martin. Then, in the afternoon in Boulogne-Billancourt, nearly 300 young people welcomed the Kogi delegation to the Landowski Amphitheatre in the presence of the town’s mayor, Pierre-Christophe Baguet.
Albert Camus once wrote these words:
“Faced with the terrifying prospects that lie ahead for humanity, we can see even more clearly that peace is the only struggle worth waging. This is no longer a prayer, but a command that must rise from the people to their governments: the command to choose once and for all between hell and reason.” Extract from the editorial in the newspaper *Combat*, 8 August 1945
Words that echo the message of the Kogi governor:
“It is a matter of making peace with nature. When we truly make peace, there is little left to heal. Today we are not here on a tourist visit, but engaged in a political dialogue, seeking peace with nature and amongst humankind. To this end, we propose opening a dialogue on what unites us: water, the earth, life. Sitting together is a way of sowing ideas, whilst respecting our different languages and cultures.”