Florida de Liébana, Salamanca, is the most recent foundation that the Province of Spain has made in a rural area. The Sisters have been there for some months now and share their first impressions with us.
During the few months we have lived here, we have heard various sounds – some from outside, some from within.
At the top of the bell tower is a big nest which the stork built twig by twig. We were told that for the past few years the storks no longer migrate because of climate change. When the mother stork is hatching and opens and closes her beak rapidly making a loud clicking noise like the sound of garlic being crushed, it means that she is asking the male stork to bring her food. At the moment two chicks have hatched and it is wonderful to see how they are being fed.
We hear the wind, which is often strong, creating waves of deep yellow in the fields of wheat and rape. The other crops – chickpea and maize – are still only a few centimetres high.
Morning and evening we hear the birds with their cheerful chatter. Some have built their nests in our roof.
We have heard the harshness of the economic, agricultural and commercial plans which benefit only the multinationals. They make profits from using goods which belong to the whole of humanity; what should be life-giving is then the cause of so much death. At the same time, we are aware of local and worldwide resistance movements. These promote the defence of the Earth and the sovereignty of the people through demonstrations, information campaigns and pressurizing international organisations which serve only the interests of the powerful. Above all, they promote an alternative lifestyle.
We hear Voices of Women. On Rural Women’s Day, we saw how, historically, women have fostered life in all the villages. And in this area in particular, we discovered the women’s crafts that have sustained life – chair-making, weaving, midwifery, threshing, sheaf-gathering and pig slaughtering, as well as all the other daily tasks.
In some villages that we visited with their deserted streets and abandoned houses, we heard the loneliness of the old people. But when we spoke to them we heard how stories of the past, family and friends, happy and sad memories and photographs give meaning to their lives.
Sometimes the children who live far away do not visit as often as they would like. We saw how the village is like a family. Neighbours keep one another company, they know one another’s joys and sorrows and they help one another when they can. As well as local matters, we discovered, as we listened to them, that they have opinions about the situation of the country. Their conversation is always animated.
At a training session for the consolidation of the network of women producers and consumers, we saw a documentary entitled “The Wisdom of the Earth, Women Farmers” which you will find easily on the Internet: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3e5Ns3IsaIA. We discovered the process of conscientization and empowerment as well as methods of production.
As we listen, we try to see how we can create new relationships between the urban and rural worlds. This type of relationship already exists in some places. Somewhere, there is a real but hidden story which does not appear in the media. We must find that story and then we will discover what is blocking life, as we reported at the Unit Assembly. In other short videos such as “Countrywomen in Andalucia” and “Countrywomen, Sowers of Change” from Central America, we can see and appreciate local developments which promote an alternative lifestyle.
The Church in Salmanaca has a three-year project – the Diocesan Assembly. In our village, we began the first phase with a call for spiritual renewal. We believe that this will lead to pastoral and structural renewal where we hope the voices of women will be heard.
Some years ago, we stated that our priority was to move towards a new worldview where some of our dormant senses would be awakened. Earth speaks and, in our privileged position in the rural world, we are listening to her. Because of the call to live in a state of Exodus, we are exploring new possibilities of being involved in life-giving initiatives as an expression of our Charism of communion.
25 May 2015
The Community of Florida de Liébana