Carmen Elena Villacorta´s Report (in Spanish)

Centroamérica

6-18 de enero de 2007

1° Entrega

Querid@s mí@s:

A continuación iniciaré el pequeño relato de la travesía por Centroamérica que inicié ayer junto con mi padre y mi hermano. El viaje promete tanto que me inspira a compartirlo con ustedes, la gente maravillosa que, aunque viva lejos, siento siempre cerca de mi vida y de mi corazón. Gracias por estar leyéndome en sus monitores. Ayer, sábado 6 de enero, los reyes me regalaron un tranquilo viaje Bogotá-Panamá. Aterricé en la ciudad del canal a las 4 de la tarde y acá mi padre y mi hermano (adentro de la nave plateada que nuestro progenitor había traído rodando desde San Salvador a mediados de diciembre) me esperaban en el aeropuerto. De modo que desde el principio las cosas han saliendo exactamente como las planeamos. Buen augurio. Ya los tres Villacorta juntos, familia Viajera, buscamos la Avenida Tumbamuerto, la urbanización 2 Mares, el edificio Pacific Hill, en fin, la dirección de una buena amiga que nos está hospedando en un apartamento de lujo. En este momento les escribo desde el 12 piso de un condominio con tres piscinas, todas las comodidades y hospitalidad (computadora con internet incluida) y una vista espectacular de la ciudad. A propósito, me tiene muy sorprendida la modernidad y belleza de la ciudad de Panamá: ordenada, limpia, rodeada de árboles, arquitectura homogénea salpicada de enormes edificios… Nuestra primera salida fue anoche, al famoso Coast Way: una carretera impresionante y hermosamente adornada de palmeras, que desde el avión se ve como un hilito muy recto, construido sobre el mar. Une el continente con algunas de las muchas islas que rodean este país, así que es una avenida ancha que tiene a lado y lado mar y más mar, bueno y, por supuesto, yates y más yates que ...

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Foto: Mujer de mil polleras
Cortesía de Beatrice Velarde (http://www.beatricevelarde.com/)

Beatrice Fougerat´s Report (in French)

Chers amis,

Eh oui, déjà 3 mois depuis mon dernier rapport. Il n’en paraît rien, n’est ce pas…Que tal depuis le dernier rapport ?
Nous sommes déjà en octobre: pour nous, au Hogar, cela signifie la préparation de la nativité (et oui déjà !!!!), la fête des 10 ans du Hogar en septembre, l’inauguration de la crèche mais aussi sur un plan nationale la fête du Seigneur des Miracles et puis ces derniers temps, les départs successifs de Grégoire, Marie et Marielle, l’arrivée de Séverine et une petite excursion sur la voie de chemin de fer la plus haute du monde !

Ça y est, vous y êtes ? Alors c’est parti….

Commençons par la mission :

Depuis maintenant 2 mois, je me travaille également dans les visites à domicile. Nos objectifs sont d’aider les personnes séropositives à mieux vivre leur maladie, à améliorer leur bien être tant sur le plan médical que sur le plan spirituel, émotionnel et psychologique. Je sors donc 4 jours par semaine à la rencontre de ces personnes: nous sommes confrontés à leur réalité. Promiscuité, extrême pauvreté, difficulté relationnelle avec la famille, difficulté à accepter la maladie, absence d’auto estime, perte de la dignité…et la liste est encore longue. Les histoires sont toutes différentes mais on retrouve des similitudes: le besoin d’être aimer et rejoint dans leur souffrance. Notre œuvre est modeste: elle consiste pour la majeure partie à écouter, conseiller et prier avec et pour eux. Nous essayons de rendre ces personnes acteurs de leur santé: infectiologue, dentiste, gynécologue, dermatologue sont la plupart du temps des spécialistes qu’ils n’ont jamais vu. Conclusion: des défenses humanitaires très basses qui les rendent fragile, des adultes quasi édentés à 24-25 ans avec infection buccale, des cancers de l’utérus plus fréquent que dans le reste de la population, des éruptions cutanés qui mettent parfois des années à partir ...

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Photo: Woman in a potato crop

Courtesy of Beatrice Velarde (www.beatricevelarde.com)

Poetry

Senegal

(Hay que) salir pitando
de Dakar
y...
andando despacito,
hablando a diestro
y siniestro
en al-Baraka
me hospedé.
(hay que) untarse ungüentos
para mosquitos
(que) el agua está envenenada...
pegaré un tragito
-por si acaso.
Ni mala-rone
ni los inventos
(de la farmaceútica)
harán que pierda un segundo.

El campo de baobabs se extendían más allá de donde el horizonte rasga al sol.
Proyectabanse las sombras sobre la grata tierra senegalesa.
Escondido, en una encrucijada de milenarios caminos invisibles se hallaba el más viejito baobaba del mundo mundial.
A su alrededor una algarabía de artesanías se expandía a trvés del tremendo perímetro de la casa de los nómadas.

Hacia donde?
Tambacounda
Niokolokoba
con mucho traqueteo
pero no en un
auto-nuevo

Los campos de baobabs
acompañan el camino
los nómadas
cambian mi destino
Entre trompicones
baches
llegué a tambacounda
allí hable con mandigas
Musakante y Kuiaté
guían el caminar por niokolocobapark.
Kuiaté es un gigante,
no así Musakate
que con ojos de cazador
será mi compañero
en el campamento "el león"
El río Gambia espera
lleno de animales poco vistos en libertad!!!!
hipopotamo, cocodrilo y...
huellas enormes
¡de algún animal desconocido!

la selva africana por el mar senegalés,
las tardes tranquilas y sosegadas por
el incesante ir y venir de los pescadores
con la concha y las ricas sardinas.

Ayer fui al mar
tan verde como tus ojos,
no deje de pensar en
ti en mi en nosotros

Jean Marie y la canoa mágica
se acercaron hacia la playa;
primero subí un pie,
más tarde
todo flotaba.
Azul, se deslizaba
hacia
el mar de la esperanza
una súbita alegría
"despertaba"

(Sofía Santamaría)

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(Lola Torres)

Acknowledgements

Aída Balta, Aiden Salgado, Albalucía Ángel, Alberto Bejarano, Alberto Guzmán, Aldo Hermenegildo, Alexandre Beaudoin-Duquette, Alvaro Lasso, Alvaro Restrepo, Ana Lucia Hernández, Ana Flávia Magalhães, Ana María Gómez, Ana Maria Gazzolo, Andrea Junguito, Angel Perea, Angela Pérez, Andrés Villagra, Beatrice Velarde (who submitted the first story, and since the beginning has offered me great traveling solidarity and agreed to let me post her photos on the blog), Betty Osorio, Biagio D’Angelo, Biblioteca Luis Ángel Arango (Bogotá), Biblioteca de la Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú (Lima), Brian Palmer-Rubin (English translation), Camille Champeaux, Camucha, Carlos Garcia, Carlos Mario Díaz, Carola Solís, Carolina Alzate, Carolina Cortes, Carolina Jaramillo, Carolina Ruiz, Cristina Herdoiza, Danilo Clímaco, Danilo Rojas, Diana Medrana, Diana Miloslavich, David Roll, Denilson Lopes, Dony Meertens, Doris Moromisato, Douna Tongrongou, Eberth Munárriz, Edgardo Rivera, Edna Martinez, Elizabeth Toguchi, Estuardo Nuñez, Eva Pereira, Farid Benavides, Fernando Pomadera, Fernando Restrepo, Flora Allison, Francisco Andía, Frescia Cornejo, Gladis Robles, Gladys Prada, Gonzalo Sánchez, Hilda Codina, Isabella Lorusso, Iván Vargas, Jorge Eslava, Jose Dario, Lorena Prieto, Lorena López, Juana Porro, Luis Higuera, Jaqueline Padula, James Clifford, Jorge Puccinelli, Jorge Ortiz, Juan Poblete, Julio Vargas, Lilia (missionary) Liliana Canta, Lola Torres, Luisa Campuzano, Lucas (Swiss), Lucia Linsalata, Lucia Morales, Luz Bautista, Luz Mercedes, Madeleine Alingue, Manuel Rincón, Marcela Isaza, Marco Martos, Margaret Haden, Margarita González, María del Carmen Pais, María José Isaza, María Laura Isse (Spanish corrections), Mariana Mould de Pease, Maria Valéria Rezende, Mariela Jara, MaryCarmen Ponce, Mary Louise Pratt, Marta Sánchez, Marta Rodriguez, Martha Bello, M’Bare Ngom, Michelle Melo, Mónica Montes, Nara Araújo, Nelly Murillo, Natalia Nelsa Carusso, Pablo Reta, Patricia D’Allemand, Patricia Simonson, Pedro Ferrin, Penélope Camargo, Peter Rosenmai, Pierre Womiee, Rebecca Tally, Renzo Pugliesi, Richard Ducon, Robert Chavez, Rocio Sanz, Rodrigo Framil, Rosângela Alves, Rosângela Vieira, Sara Mills, Sergio Galarza, Sheila Sosa, Sofía Santamaría, Susanna Debenedetti, Suryara, Vanades Phumpiu, Violeta Barrientos, Virgílio Vasconcelos, Wilfrido Gómez (who had the patience to explain to me how to create a blog), my family in Brazil, women travelers who did not send stories o whose stories were not included in the blog.

Dedication

To all those women who have been (and are being) raped, tortured and murdered in the war in Colombia. To all the women forceably displaced by this conflict. They are ejemplars of perseverance and of life.

History of Lives in Movement Project

The idea for the book occured to me when I realized I had the desire to read what other women were writing when they traveled. Actually, I met very few female travelers in my own travels. Also, I found that the books that compile women’s travel texts were practically all from the nineteenth century. With this in mind, I decided that one way or another I would find these stories. I wrote an introductory message and I sent it to all my contacts. I asked them to pass along the email and since each person knows another, who knows another, who knows another, an entire network was formed. This was my message:

(10/5/05) I’m working on a project to publish a book of stories, experiences, anecdotes, excerpts of letters, diaries, and tales of WOMEN TRAVELERS. The idea is to create a space for reflection about women’s travel experiences (traveling alone or with somebody else). Therefore, I don’t only have in mind diplomats, academics, or “adventurers” in general, but also women who travel for religion (Christian missionaries for example) and also workers in the sex trade.
The texts can be written in Spanish, English, French and/or Portuguese. If you know of a women traveler, please send me her email address so that I can get in contact with her.

This first step having been taken, I was asked the same question by several people: What do you mean by “women traveler”????? What is the difference between a tourist and a traveler???? And is this an important question of legitimacy??? Is it possible to talk about this difference??
The blog has no pretensions of being anthropoligical or historical. It simply compiles texts that contribute to the debate and may lead to future travel writing. Is it possible to construct this type of narrative in a time of massive human displacement, largely due to economic and political causes?? What does it mean to travel in our times? How can one avoid the dichotomy of the glamour of the journey and the hatred felt against people who explore??? Finally, what is the meaning of a travel story??

Months went by and I received texts and emails from women travelers. Some had already prepared their texts, others wrote them in response to my request and I wrote them back to tell them my impressions of what they had written:

Dear Kathrin, I really wanted to tell you how much I enjoyed your story. I am reading such wonderful texts, yours included, and finding it exciting and fun. It’s incredible how I can step into the life of a person that I don’t know and read things that are so intimate and so true, and it is impossible not to have an image in my head of the writer. In short, I’m going to work extra hard so that this book is published soon, so that other people can read about the amazing things that are happening to us women. Hopefully, our stories motivate other women to travel, or at least to see that it is a possibility, or to just simply open themselves up to experience the poetry of travel.

Journies are not always associated with a written text. Many women travelers do not record their experiences in written form. Some texts display a higher level of literacy than others. After a year of collecting stories, I wrote the following email to my friends:

(10/10/06) Dear women travelers,
I’m writing to fill you in about the WOMEN TRAVELERS project. After one year collecting stories, I now have 19 in total. They are stories about travelers from 14 countries: Poland, Chile, England, Colombia, El Salvador, the United States, France, Peru, Brazil, Belgium, Switzerland, Greece, Ecuador, and China.
There are 9 texts in Spanish, 9 in English, and 1 in French. I still hope to receive a story from an African woman. I am currently looking for a publisher that will finance the book. One of the challenges is that the stories are written in three different languages. I plan to keep looking for a publisher. Nonetheless, if this proves to be impossible, I am thinking that the alternative to publishing a book would be to create a blog, a webpage that displays the original stories. (This would be the second option.) Please advise me if you change your email address, so that I will have your current address when I need to get in touch with you.

Warm hug wherever you may be

Finally, the option of creating a blog occurred to me in January, 2007. The blog is being created as a space for the collection of experiences and discussions about (voluntary) displacement. A good way to read travel narratives may be to look for the tension of the person in motion, the tension that arises between the text and the location being visited, and the people and the ideas that are encountered along the way. This tension is not only present in travel stories. The tension is due to unresolved, and unresolveable, conflict. This tension creates a form of intellectual stimulation and stories of displacement are only one of several different ways to create tension. These stories are not about a lack of belonging, but rather of multiple belonging and multiple instances of not belonging. The feeling of being (and not being) part of everything. The proposal is to construct new ways to be and to feel. Where everywhere is home, but is also hell.

Rosana Meireles Magalhães