The other shapes of Stillness
The relationship that Miguel Huaman has built with the cultural expression of his historical tradition was born organically, without being previously planned, and completely from scratch. To be precise, it arose from an actual drawing. And if Leymebamba today is well familiar with the shapes, the colours and the fine details of its ancestors’ artefacts, […]
Fountain of Colours in the mountains of Peru
LEYMEBAMBA Leymebamba community is located in the Amazonian Peru at an altitude of 1,800 metres. This location became internationally renowned due to the archaeological finding at the Laguna de los Condores in 1997. La Laguna de los Condores. Photo credits: Leymebamba Community Tourism Association The 200 perfectly conserved mummies have brought not only recognition and notoriety […]
Bridging the unknown
REPLACING IMAGES The image I had always held of the Maldives was one of an archipelago of predominantly deserted islands populated by luxury resorts. My limited perception needed to widen, but until I met Kokko and Secret Paradise my lack of knowledge did not have the chance to be challenged. There are indeed many deserted […]
The land’s call
THE ROOTS Eduardo Faria lives in Parelheiros, the extreme southern area of the biggest metropolis of Latin America but the rural look of his neighbourhood will disorient any new visitor. The thick forest of tarmac mushrooms – usually associated with the financial capital São Paulo- has been replaced by the very real Atlantic Forest and […]
A story of hope and cultural reconnection
FROM THE COUNTRY TO THE CITY When she was young Graciela Cheuquepan loved playing outdoors, jumping from one tree to another “like a monkey” and rolling around in the fields around her grandparents’ house. Sparkling eyes fill her face when she tells me about that time of her life. When she was 8 years old, […]
Between imaginary rides and unheard walls
I have decided to take my bike for a Sunday lockdown adventure toward central London. Determined, I begin studying a digital map to see where to I could venture to ride. Through Victoria Park I arrive in Hackney and there is Old street. I wonder on the roundabout for a while, drawing hypnotic circles on […]
Transformational Exchanges
Photo credits: Araribá Tourism & Culture DMC Today I want to Story Travelling to the 29th of May 2019, when the marketing campaign Community-Based Tourism in Brazil was launched. PRESENTATION I wish this could have been a national campaign led by the Minister of Tourism, but it was not, and not because of the lack of professionalism or creativity. In fact, […]
Lessons from the Circle: Reflections on the Brazilian CBT.
Ciranda dos Povos do Mar Photo credits: Águeda Coelho – Rede Nhandereko In these days of forced isolation, the things I miss the most from my travel experiences now come to the surface of my consciousness through memories and images. There are many memories, however amongts all of them one dominates strongly. This memory is linked […]
Outside the Map, Inside the Hearts (Part 2) – A Traveller’s Journal
After exploring Plataforma community, the second part of the Welcome Tour took us to Itapagipe peninsula, a not far area of north-western suburban Salvador, known as Alagados. Uruguai welcomes us with a warm hug in the midst of where there was once a landfill. Smiles surround us as we stepped down from the van in […]
Outside the Map, Inside the Hearts (Part 1) – A Traveller’s Journal
On a tropical day in March 2018, I was invited to a Welcome Tour. It was organised for the attendees of the II Global Sustainable Tourism Forum, the international Community-Based Tourism event we have organised during the World Social Forum in Salvador, that year. That was a treat for us, before the event -and the […]