Time to stop and reflect: Travel in solidarity from the sofa
We join the trend of those who say that are good times to stop and reflect. An opportunity to rethink our system of consumption and growth. Just look at the fish swimming in the canals of Venice or the clear skies over the cities.
And what better way to reflect than through books, films or documentaries? For this reason, we also join the flood of lists and recommendations for these days of confinement and quarantine as best as possible. In our case, we share with you readings and tapes that touch in some way on the theme of solidarity, volunteering or travel.
Some say that it is a paradox that in these moments of solidarity, we cannot embrace each other or get close to each other. At Tumaini, although we are very fond of cuddling, we have always been committed to teleworking.The most sustainable option for our small NGO. It allows us to be more creative and productive and also to have flexibility in our schedules.
We now spend more time at home than usual and not everyone is used to that. So, so that your leisure time is not limited to opening the fridge an average of 10 times an hour.We share with you our recommendations for these days of quarantine: watch out the window and see how your neighbours walk their pets and zap until the batteries run out of the TV remote control. We are sure they will make you think, as well as have a good time travelling from the sofa:
Films and documentaries for solidarity travel:
- Series: "When they see us": It deals with the issue of racism in the USA and is based on real events. Approximately 18 years ago a group of young black boys were walking rowdily through Central Park on the same night that a murder took place in New York's iconic park. They were imprisoned for a decade when they had no charges against them.. Available on Netflix.
- Film: "7 years in Tibet": A journey through Tibet with Brad Pitt and director Jean-Jacques Annaud. A film with spectacular scenery, touching on the desolate subject of China's occupation of Tibet in 1959. A film to travel to ..... Enjoy the view!
- Film: "Where do we go from here? By Lebanese director Nadine Labaki, "tells the story of the unwavering determination of a group of women of all religions to protect their families and their people from external threats in the context of war. Showing great ingenuity, inventing stratagems, united by an unbreakable friendship, these women have only one goal: to distract men's attention and make them forget their anger and indifference".
- Film: "A perfect day".. Adventures and misadventures of a group of aid workers of different nationalities in Kosovo, directed by Fernando León de Aranoa. The team must solve a thorny problem so as not to leave several nearby towns without a supply of drinking water. An ironic and at times dramatic tone with reflections on the personal relationships that are created in this type of humanitarian context.
- Film: "Chain of favours": A classic film by director Mimi Leder that makes us think about the idea of changing the world and the power that each of us has to achieve this as much as possible. From a school assignment, a boy undertakes a personal project that consists of helping 3 people, who in turn help 3 others, and in this way form a movement to help others. It soon becomes a chain of favours. Do you dare to put it into practice?
- Film: "The boy who tamed the wind". A beautiful and moving British film that tells the true story of William Kamkwamba, a 13-year-old Malawian boy who was expelled from school when his family can no longer pay the fees and how he struggles to help his village out of a terrible drought. Directed by Chiwetel Ejiofor, Oscar-nominated actor for his performance in "12 Years a Slave".
- Documentary: "Human: A portrait of the human condition through the testimony of 2,000 people interviewed in 60 different countries. It shows how the praiseworthy and the perverse in human beings do not adhere to race, nationality or age, but that the concepts of individual and community, and the emotions attached to them, are similar anywhere on the planet. The simplicity of a straightforward look will keep you glued to the sofa. Directed by Yann Arthus-Bertrand, it can be seen for free in several languages at: http://www.human-themovie.org/es/
- Documentary: "Minimalism. A documentary about the important things": Now more than ever we have time to look around us and ask ourselves: How many things do we really need in our environment? Do we really need to live the way we live? Is the pace of acquisition and the stress it puts on us really necessary? Starring Joshua Fields Millburn and Ryan Nicodemus. Directed by Matt D'Avella. - Available on Netflix and Youtube.
Books for reflection and travel:
- The Jungle Girl by Sabine Kuegler: A fascinating story based on true events. A couple of volunteers with their children aged 2, 4 and 6 go to New Guinea, West Papua, where there are still tribes that have not yet come into contact with other civilisations. They will live and grow up for ten years with some of these tribes. One of the daughters, 15 years later, will return to a boarding school in Switzerland. A great account of the emotional and physical shock of change.
- "A volunteer in Calcutta: Hernán Zin is a reporter, writer and filmmaker who travels the world talking about issues such as poverty, human rights and armed conflict. One of his first books was this one, which reflects his reflections on his experience as a volunteer in India for three years.
- "The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari by Robin Sharma: A spiritual fable that tells the story of Julian Mantle, a successful lawyer who, after suffering a heart attack, must face the great emptiness of his existence. Immersed in this existential crisis, Julian makes the radical decision to sell all his belongings and travel to India. It is in a monastery in the Himalayas that he learns the wise and profound lessons of the monks about happiness, courage, balance and inner peace. A novel full of practical ideas to improve our quality of life and thoughts, to find the balance to cultivate mind, body and soul or to discover that happiness is a path, not a destination.
- "The Revolution of the Needles" by Emilia Laura AriasThis is the story of Isabel Martin and her work for women's rights in India. Isabel gave birth to this future sitting with other women in a slum shack, with almost no light, in the early 1980s. A textile cooperative grew and they single-handedly changed their lives, breaking the seams of society and asserting themselves independently. Their voices ring out in the pages of this book; strong, loud and dignified.
- "Indestructibles, by Xavier AldecoaA book about a complex Africa, but told through the stories of simple people who try to cope with any situation, even when things go wrong. They are neither winners nor losers. Some have bitter endings and others happy ones. But, above all, it is a book of stories about people who try and don't give up. Men and women who laugh, suffer, express their opinions, cry, fight, rebel and evolve. For whom anger is a strange form of hope".