In the second part of Mission 21's Summer School 2022, María Ximena González-Serrano talks about the role that life concepts, such as the Latin American Buen Vivir, could play for development cooperation.
The colonial period was characterized by imposing European values on the people in the annexed territories. In the process, much knowledge of indigenous societies about nature and life was lost, which is being rediscovered today. For example, the Afro-Colombian philosophy of life "Vivir Sabroso" - joyful living. According to this concept, people organize their lives in harmony with society, spirituality, nature and themselves. This includes the deep awareness of being oneself first, because one is a part of the collective and the environment - just like in the African concept "Ubuntu".
This is a great opportunity for international cooperation, because these worldviews can serve as inspirations to apply holistic concepts in development cooperation that are not only based on linear Western thinking. The international community should take up these impulses and give weight to the voices of indigenous communities.
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