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"The Earth is our mother and also our culture. In her, the elements of our culture are born: the leaves we use in the ritual ceremonies of puberty, all the food we consume in the traditional festivals, the materials that our artisans use and that we use to construct our houses all come from the forest. If we were to lose these lands, there would be no culture, and there would be no people.
(Leonidas Valdez, second general chief of Kuna Yala, eastern coast of Panama). From "Toward a Green Central America: Integrating conservation and development." Editors V. Barzetti and Y. Rovinski, Kumarin Press and the Panos Institute, 1992. |
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Songlines, Dreams, Reflections and News from our deepest concerns
Soil, Cultures & Religions
3rd Symposium of Klingenthal
An Appeal by Klingenthal III
On the initiative of the Mobilisation Programme for SOIL, the Alliance for a responsible and united world and Pax Christi France, this symposium was held from 6th to 10th May 1998, at the Château de Klingenthal -- Alsace, France. It brought together well known personalities from different cultures and religions, representatives from the administration, managers and scientists for exchange of points of views on this theme.
The talks and the discussions focussed on:
- Knowledge acquired by science on soil resources, its functions and the consequences of human activity on this resource.
- Perception, representation and the teachings relating to soil in our various religions, cults, beliefs and native cultures: Bahaism, Buddhism, Christianity, Confucianism, Hinduism, Islam, Judaism, Shintoism, Taoism, Aborigines of Canada, Indians of Amazon, Negroafricans, Quechuas of Andes, Shamans of Siberia and the universalists.
- Concrete accounts of the ways in which soil resources are managed in some mono or pluricultural and religious societies, the manner in which soil is considered in teaching and communication and how it is integrated in the concerns of managers, civil servants, the elected representatives and the NGOs.
The work was conducted in a very friendly atmosphere. It lead to a declaration on soil resources, adopted in the plenary session, which will be widely circulated.
The Lessons of Klingenthal III
- The acquired scientific knowledge enables us now to specify the importance of soil resources in protecting life on earth and in maintaining the major natural balances; to better understand the stakes that soil resources represent for individuals, for societies and for various human activities, and to better define the threats that this natural resource faces.
- References to soil resources are found in the different cultures and religions represented in this symposium, and human attitude with respect to this resource, as taught by them is similar. But in reality this does not, unfortunately, lead to soil preservation!
- Lack of awareness about the importance and the value of soil resources is widespread in the public opinion even amongst those who use and directly manage it.
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An appeal by Klingenthal III
The participants of the symposium at Klingenthal, dedicated to the theme "Soil, Cultures and Religions", urge:
- Educational systems, communication and information systems to become aware and to make people aware of the existence of soil resources, its various functions and its importance for life on our planet.
- To give more importance to culture and popular traditions relating to earth and soil resources, as they urge us to have a respectful attitude towards this resource that we consider only through a commercial angle.
- Human beings and human societies to relativise the illusion of liberty and systematic progress that science and technology can bring. To rediscover how to use (with respect) the diversity of soil resources, natural rhythms of renewal of constituents and fertility which guarantee a healthy and clean food chain and good quality water.
- Leaders at all levels: individuals, companies, States, international bodies, to exercise judicious and responsible choices in the allocation of land, and in assigning the activity to this land. Specifications for preservation and protection of soil resources and their functions should restrict the competition that different human activities engage in to get the best soil.
- Individuals and human societies to adopt a mode of consumption which discourages plundering of natural resources and which produces hardly any waste for soil resources and the environment. The Non Governmental Organisations/ International Associations for Support have a special responsibility to take up in this respect.
- Individuals and human societies to be more supportive, to recognise the inalienable right of people to feed themselves, and to transform the attitude of confrontation to that of co-operation and dialogue, which alone can mobilise people against the deterioration of soil resources and their functions.
- The scientific community to further mobilise resources for the completion of this research and to enhance the value of the results.
- To create conditions to foster a dialogue between various traditional knowledge as regards using soil resources, between this knowledge and the scientific expertise, and to create conditions to help revive and enhance the value of popular knowledge which is coherent and useful to future generations and to humanity.
Participants: Anyouzogo Claude (Cameroon), Blum Winfried E.H. (Austria), Ballenghien Xavier (France), Bencheikh El Hocine Ghaleb (France), Bonnetier-Jost Isabelle (France), Bouchentouf Mohamed (Algeria), Coste René (France), Dahl Arthur Lyon (Switzerland), Dosso Mireille (France), Held Martin (Germany), Intigrinova Tatiana (Russia), James R. Bruce (United States), Kaboré Monique (Burkina Faso), Kuczynski Januaz (Poland), Lalêyé Issiaka-Prosper (Senegal), Rabah Lahmar (Algeria), Levy Marc (France), Martins Paulo Fernando Da Silva (Brazil), McKay Nanette (Canada), Moatti Emile (France), Motegi Sudasami (Japan), Moreno Elda (France), Nayak Anand (Switzerland), Negru Cristina (France), Ngai Weng Chan (Malaysia), Rengifo-Vasquez Grimaldo (Peru), Ribaut Jean Pierre (France), Robert Michel (France), Ruellan Alain (France), Schmitt Pierre (France), Zhao Yifeng (Canada).
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