The Map's Edge - Spring 2016 by Where There Be Dragons (International Experiential Education)

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IN THIS EDITION: FREEDOM AND AGENCY 6

M A D A G A S C A R

CAMBODIA

BRAZIL

SYRIA

BOLIVIA

J O R DA N

Is Eco-Tourism

The Caged Bird Sings:

Photo Essay: A Dance

Exodus & Security:

Educator Course:

Q&A: An interview

Contributing to the

Twilight of the Proper

of Beauty and Struggle

What We Leave

Climate Change and

with Emily Goldman

Extinction of Lemurs?

Woman

in the Quilombos

Behind

the Role of the Teacher

from Studio 8

by MICAH LeMASTERS

by THAVRY THUN

by CALEB BROOKS

by JAMES BOWKER

by STEPHEN TARANTO

by JUSTIN KIERSKY

IMAGE RYAN GASPER

Spring 2016

Editorial Overview THE MAP’S EDGE SPRING 2016

rom the dwindling forests of Madagascar to the isolated Quilombos of Bahia, this spring edition of The Map’s Edge represents an anthology of articles and essays meant to expose the soul of freedom on a global scale. Our aim in compiling these narratives is to

deconstruct the meaning of freedom as a way to better understand the tenets of human rights and our civic responsibilities. To quote Nobel Peace Prize recipient, Oscar Arias Sanchez, “The more freedom we enjoy, the greater responsibilty we bear, toward others as well as ourselves.”

RACE, GENDER AND THE AMERICAN ELECTORATE The struggle to achieve political agency for all US citizens has been at the heart of civil rights discourse since the founding of the Republic. And yet voter enfranchisement, the fundamental right of a citizen to cast a vote, eluded the majority of Americans for nearly two hundred years. No force moreso than the right to vote—the physical expression of agency—has been a more divisive factor in the United States since the end of the Civil War. While injustice has been confronted, inequality persists. The timeline below is an examination of race, gender and historic events in voting rights in the last 150 years.

1875

1900

1925

1950

1975

MODERN ERA

1890–1954

D I VERS I TY IN CON GRESS

J I M C R OW M OV E M E N T

ETHNICITY

2001 2015 Native American 1 2 Asian 7 11 Hispanic 19 32 African-American 36 46 Caucasian 472 444

New state constitutions are drafted to combat the growing influence of African-American voters throughout the South in the 1870s. Institutionalized disenfranchisement is imposed through poll taxes, literacy tests, grandfather clauses and systemic violence, later referred to as Jim Crow laws.

1865–1877 RECONSTRUCTION ERA

state passes statutes meant to

*Total members of Congress: 535

1954–1968

CIVIL RIGHTS ERA

1968–PRESENT

M O D E R N M OV E M E N T

1865 13th Amendment is

prevent African-Americans from

1960 The Civil Rights Act is

1972 Barbara Jordan and Andrew

ratified, ending the practice of

registering to vote, including the

signed into law by President Ei-

Young become the first African-

slavery in the US.

poll tax and literacy tests.

senhower, penalizing anyone who

Americans elected to Congress

1868 14th Amendment is

1896 In Plessy vs Ferguson, the

obstructs a citizen’s right to vote.

from southern states since 1898.

ratified, granting citizenship to all

Supreme Court upholds Louisiana

1963 200,000 people join

1999 Tammy Baldwin becomes

individuals born in the US.

law that establishes legal frame-

1870 15th Amendment is ratified,

work for “separate but equal”

the March on Washington where Dr. King delivers his

the first openly LGBT person elected to Congress.

granting African-American

facilities for blacks and whites.

“I Have a Dream” speech.

2013 The Shelby County vs

men the right to vote.

1909 NAACP is founded by

1965 The Voting Rights Act

Holder decision establishes

Ida B. Wells, W.E.B. DuBois, Mary

is signed into law by President

new voting restrictions on the

Federal troops from southern

Ovington and Harry Moskowitz.

Lyndon Johnson, enforcing voting

Voting Rights Act of 1965 that

state capitals marking end of

1919 Jeannette Rankin (MT-R)

rights guaranteed by the 14th

could affect the ability of more

becomes first woman

and 15th Amendments to the

than 5 million young, minority,

elected to Congress.

Constitution.

disabled and low-income citizens

1967 Thurgood Marshall

to vote. Legislation includes

1877 President Hayes removes

Reconstruction.

1878–1889 DISENFRANCHISEMENT

1883 The Supreme Court

1890–1906 Every southern

2000

1920 19th Amendment is ratified granting all US-born women the right to vote.

becomes the first African-

gerrymandering, federal photo

American justice of the

ID requirements, cuts to early

overturns the Civil Rights

1954 In Brown vs Board of

Supreme Court.

voting, restrictions to voter

Act of 1875, which had

Education, the Supreme Court

1968 Dr. King is assassinated in

registration, mismatched personal

prohibited racial discrimination in

declares segregation in public

Memphis, TN setting off riots all

IDs in computer systems, and

public and private institutions.

schools unconstitutional.

over the country.

disenfranchisement of ex-felons.

THE MAP’S EDGE SPRING 2016

A Letter From the Executive Director FREEDOM ACROSS CULTURES WORDS CHRIS YAGER

n the fall of 1987, when I was studying in China, a Chinese classmate told me, “Freedom is never having to make a personal decision.” I remember being stunned, unable to craft a response to the idea that freedom could be defined as something so contrary to the process of

self-determination—the metric by which I had come to understand the definition of freedom. In the context of the time, I think that the person meant that

upon oneself and one’s family. Freedom comes with risks, some of

freedom was never having to be accountable. Freedom as the

them terrifying and fatal. When we sacrifice some of our freedom to

absence of choice felt then, as it does now, oxymoronic.

as citizens of any state, we’re also trying to free ourselves from the

Why would someone say that? Why would someone believe that? Is one’s definition of freedom culturally defined? Or is there some

greatest risks and the ‘extreme freedom’ of anarchy.” While I agree with Jody on the distinctions between freedom

understanding of freedom that we all long for, regardless of the flag

from and freedom to, I’m of the mind that there is something deeply

under which we’ve been raised? What social, political or other codify-

human that longs for self-determination, for the freedom to become

ing norms shape one’s understanding of what it means to be free?

the people we want to be. Once secure, doesn’t the human spirit cry

I have come to understand the political history of China and the

out for creative exploration of self and the evolution of consciousness?

ruminations of China’s great philosophers as responses to the reality

Isn’t there is some deep-seated human desire to know our true selves,

that for thousands of years China has had to manage the burden of too

and to best realize the depth of existence by exercising free will? I’ve

many people and not enough resources. To the Chinese state in the

thought about it for 30 years, and I still struggle with the perspective

1980’s, and for generations before, social order trumped the pursuit

that “freedom is never having to make a personal decision.” That

of just about anything else. Indeed, for Mao, China’s iconic leader for

doesn’t sound like freedom, even freedom from; it sounds like self-

much of the 20th century, freedom was found in uniformity of thought,

abnegation. But then again, I’ve never had to worry about starvation

in a single class-consciousness, in the absence of individual identity.

or aligning with the wrong warlord.

Did my Chinese colleague mean to imply that freedom is the

One thing that does seem certain is that fully realized self-determi-

absence of decision-making? Was his statement simply rooted in the

nation cannot be found in political systems that are ruled by coercion.

politics of the time? If so, how might changes in China’s political leader-

If the collapses of 20th century totalitarian regimes have taught us

ship impact his understanding of self-determination? In the mid-1980’s,

anything, it is that humans will fight and die for self-determination.

China was on the road to market reform. Those reforms would create

When powerful leaders have radically undermined personal freedoms

the very economic divisions that Mao had railed against, and for which

their empires have been ephemeral. A life in which one considers free-

millions had been persecuted and had died. As the door cracked open

dom “the absence of decision-making” may keep chaos at bay, but

to economic freedom, the world wondered what would happen when

history has shown that it will not contribute to the construction of an

China’s citizens began to demand freedoms of thought and action; free-

enlightened, self-sustaining and peaceful body politic.

doms that were political, creative or spiritual in nature. Looking at China today, we see this conversation continuing to play out before our eyes. What will come next for the people of China now that there is food

I bank on choice. When societies celebrate free will, personal decision-making and accountability, then creativity and happiness flourish. Life is fully lived. A sustainable peace will more likely endure.

security and China stands firmly as a geopolitical superpower? Are

As Jody writes, freedom from has been history’s dominant paradigm,

there people among its citizenry who still believe that freedom is the

and often serves as a precursor to freedom to. I think it’s incumbent

absence of choice?

upon those of us who don’t have to worry about being free from

I asked my colleague Jody Segar, Dragons’ China Program

something to hold sacred the opportunity to engage in freedoms to

Director, for his perspective on choice and freedom. He responded

do things. I believe as well that, as engaged citizens who we don’t

that, “There are two main ways to think about freedom: one is

have to worry about famine, we must work to help others realize

freedom from and the other is freedom to. For most of the world

security and freedom from. Only then can we promote full-throated

through most of history, the former has been the focus. Poor farmers

engagement in the freedom to.

in China wanted freedom from exploitative landlords, from attacks by

One of the great pleasures of being a part of Dragons is engaging

bandits and invading armies, from starvation and devastation caused

in questions of commonality and difference across cultural landscapes.

by natural disaster. In this sense, maybe freedom from personal

Likewise, I find quiet pleasure in the opportunity to leave our

choices could even seem like an appealing thing: if there is peace,

preconceived notions at the door, step into the wild, and approach each

stability, security and abundance, then one doesn’t have to live with

day as a new exercise in free will, and to find in ourselves the people we

the terror of making a decision that might bring death and destruction

most want to be. For me, there is no greater freedom.

CHRIS YAGER i s the Founder and Executive Director of Where There Be Dragons. After graduating from Bowdoin College with a degree in Asian

Studies, he worked with Colorado Outward Bound before launching Dragons and leading the first courses in China and Tibet. Having worked with over 1,000 field instructors, Chris has been closely involved with the design of Dragons’ curriculum, in-country programming and new program development.

WWW.WHERETHEREBEDRAGONS.COM

Notes From Around The World CORRUPTION PERCEPTIONS INDEX THE CORRUPTION PERCEPTIONS INDEX RANKS COUNTRIES BASED ON HOW CORRUPT THEIR PUBLIC SECTOR IS PERCEIVED TO BE. The 2014 index included 175 countries and territories ranked on a scale of 0 (highly corrupt) to 100 (very clean). Bribes, nepotism and backroom deals don’t only serve those in positions of power, they undermine justice, economic development and human rights. The numbers on the map reflect the perceived degree of corruption in select countries. Learn more at www.transparency.org.

CORRUPTION INDEX RESULTS Country

Score Global Rank

Denmark

92 1

United States

74 17

Rwanda

49 55

Jordan

49 55

Senegal

43 69

Brazil

43 69

India

38 85

Peru

38 85

Thailand

38 85

China

36 100

Bolivia

35 103

Indonesia

34 107

Guatemala

32 115

Nepal

29 126

Nicaragua

28 133

DENMARK Strong rule of law, support for civil society and clear rules of governance for public officials

92 UNITED STATES Inside trading, lobbying, bipartisanship, and police violence

Madagascar 28 133 Laos

25 145

Myanmar

21 156

Cambodia

21 156

BRAZIL Endemic bribery, police corruption, and electoral fraud

38 35

PRISONERS OF CONSCIENCE THE DEFENDING FREEDOMS PROJECT WAS LAUNCHED IN 2012 TO HIGHLIGHT PRISONERS OF CONSCIENCE— COURAGEOUS LAWYERS, CLERICS, ACTIVISTS, PHOTOGRAPHERS AND EDUCATORS CURRENTLY INCARCERATED FOR ESPOUSING HUMAN RIGHTS AND RELIGIOUS FREEDOM IN THEIR COUNTRIES. Jointly sponsored by Amnesty International, the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission and the US Commission on International Religious Freedom. Members of Congress “adopt” prisoners of conscience and advocate publicly for their release. So far 24 individuals from five countries have been adopted by US Senators and members of the House of Representatives. Adopted Prisoners of Conscience:

Vietnam

China

Behnam Irani

Mahvash Sabet

Bui Thi Minh Hang

Peng Ming

Rozita Vaseghi

Saeid Rezaie

Nguyen Van Minh

Zhu Yufu

Behrouz Tavakkoli

Father Nguyen Van Ly

Alimujiang Yimiti

Tran Huynh Duy Thuc

Zhang Shaojie

Iran

Ayatollah Mohammad Kazemeni Boroujerdi

Saeed Abedini

Bahrain

Nguyen Van Lia

Farshid Fathi

Nabeel Rajab

Doan Huy Chuong

Pakistan

Fariba Kamalabadi

Mahdi ‘Issa Mahdi Abu Dheeb

Nguyen Hoang Quoc Hun

Asia Bibi

THE MAP’S EDGE SPRING 2016

THE FIRST LADY WOMEN IN POLITICS... AND IN POWER For the first time in US history a powerful woman stands on the precipice of the nation’s highest office. Former First Lady, Senator (NY-D) and Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton finds herself poised to become the first woman to receive the Democratic party nomination for President. While she is by no means the first woman to seek the highest office—five women to have run since 2000—Clinton represents a legacy of highly-qualified women who have run for President since Victoria Woodhull was nominated by the Equal Rights Party in 1872. (Her Vice Presidential running mate was Frederick Douglass). Although 2016 constitutes an unprecedented moment in US political history and gender equality, let it also serve as a reminder that it has taken 225 years to get here. Women currently serving as elected heads of state around the world:

CHINA Widespread graft, rent-seeking, and prebendalism

“Wasta” system of middlemen, Nepotism, cronyism, and royalist influences JORDAN

38 25

21 Widespread bribery for registrations and licenses, graft and military monopolies MYANMAR

38 21

49 34

Ellen Johnson Sirleaf

Marie Louis Coleiro Preca

Liberia, President

Malta, President

Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner

Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic

Argentina, President

Croatia, President

Dalia Grybauskaite

Ameenah Gurib

Lithuania, President

Mauritius, President

Dilma Rousseff

Dame Marguerite Pindling

Brazil, President

Bahamas, Governor-General

Atifete Jahjaga

Dame Cecile La Grenade

Kosovo, President

Grenada, Governor-General

Park Geun-Hye

Dame Pearlette Louisy

South Korea, President

St Lucia, Governor-General

Catherine Samba-Panza

Simonetta Sommaruga

Central African Republic, Acting

Switzerland, President of

President

Confederation

Michelle Bachelet

Angela Merkel

Chile, President

Germany, Chancellor

GENIUS GRANTS IN SEPTEMBER THE MACARTHUR FOUNDATION RELEASED THE NAMES OF THE 24 RECIPIENTS OF ITS PRESTIGIOUS FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM. The charitable foundation began awarding annual fellowships back in 1981. Since its inaugural year when Henry Louis Gates, Stephen Jay Gould and Cormac McCarthy received “genius grants,” as they came to be known, more than 900 individuals from all walks of life have been honored. Here are the 24 recipients of the 2015 fellowship:

Patrick Awuah

Michelle Dorrance

Dmitri Nakassis

Lorenz Studer

Education Entrepreneur

Tap Dancer & Choreographer

Classicist

Stem Cell Biologist

Kartik Chandran

Nicole Eisenman

John Novembre

Alex Truesdel

Environmental Engineer

Painter

Computational Biologist

Designer

Te-Nehisi Coates

Latoya Ruby Frazier

Christopher Re

Basil Twist

Journalist

Photographer & Video Artist

Computer Scientist

Puppeteer

Gary Cohen

Ben Lerner

Marina Rustow

Ellen Bryant Voigt

Environmental Health Advocate

Writer

Historian

Poet

Matthew Desmond

Mimi Lien

Juan Salgado

Heidi Williams

Urban Sociologist

Set Designer

Community Activist

Economist

William Dichtel

Lin-Manuel Miranda

Beth Stevens

Peidong Yang

Chemist

Playwright, Composer, Performer

Neuroscientist

Chemist

WWW.WHERETHEREBEDRAGONS.COM

Don’t Save the Lemurs IS ECO-TOURISM DRIVING A SPECIES TO EXTINCTION? WORDS MICAH LeMASTERS IMAGE CHRISTY SOMMERS

ollow the trade winds southwest

Unless significant and strong action is taken

ends. They will miss the warm embrace of a

out of Indonesia, keeping the Indian

to stem the upsurge in unsustainable and

sincere handshake. They will miss the taste of

subcontinent to starboard, and you will

illegal logging and exploitation of other

too much sugar and condensed milk in the

eventually find Madagascar, adrift, at the

natural resources, the ultimate risk may be

tiny cups of coffee sold on the back streets

edge of the Indian Ocean. It floats alone, a

irreversible loss of forest and biodiversity for

of Antananarivo. They will miss the heavenly

dust-red crescent moon, stretching nearly

Madagascar.”

taste of freshly fried bananas. They will miss

a thousand miles from north to south.

long afternoons chewing sugarcane under the

seventh poorest country in the world, the

shade of a small tree. They will miss the loom

coast, one is never quite sure whether the

travel and tourism sector contributed $1.16

of ancient baobabs in the distance. They will

massive island is drifting slowly westward

billion to the economy in 2014, one-sixth

miss the warmth of burnt-rice tea. They will

toward Mozambique or slipping slowly

of the country’s revenues. Tourism isn’t

miss the excited laughter of children racing

south and away from the great African

suffering from a dearth of funds, the people

water carts down the dirt-and-stone roads

continent. It is known for its astonishing

of Madagascar are. The problem is economic

of some forgotten highland village. They will

endemic flora and fauna and, of course, as

inequality. According to the World Bank, 99

miss the scent of saltwater and the sound

the only place on earth where lemurs live in

percent of Madagascar’s population lives

of a traveler’s palm bending in the breeze.

their natural state.

on less than four dollars a day. Poor policy

They will, almost undoubtedly, miss the actual

has led to mass poverty, and the resultant

essence of what it is to be someplace as

it probably has something to do with the

desperation has led to the destruction of

preternatural and wondrous as Madagascar.

eponymous animated film series or, more

critical ecosystems.

If you know anything about Madagascar,

likely, the lemurs—the most endangered

A small cadre of both amateur and

The problem is that Madagascar’s chances to attract attention, international aid and

primates on the planet and the principle force

professional scientists and intrepid explorers

tourism dwindle with each passing year, and

driving the Malagasy tourism industry. The

spend thousands of dollars to travel across

each year fewer lemurs remain in their natural

situation for these prosimians is so dire that

continents to see the few remaining lemurs

habitat. Sadly, most people who make it to

scientists estimate up to ninety percent of the

that still live free and wild in the dwindling

Madagascar end up missing the real beauty

population could face extinction within the

forests of the Red Island. These people

of the place. And in missing the beauty,

next 20 to 25 years.

touch down in the dense, polluted air of

they miss an opportunity to learn about and

Antananarivo clad in adventure-grade pants,

draw attention to the conditions and factors

“save the lemurs” then you should have come

floppy-brimmed hats and vests made to

that are perpetuating irreversible harm to

20 years ago. Madagascar has a single digit

hold rolls of film no one has carried in years.

the fragile ecosystems that support the last

percentage of its original forest left and that

They are whisked from the tiny airport in

remaining lemur populations. What the tourist

number is shrinking by the day. Generating

air-conditioned 4x4 trucks and set off on a

or scientist misses on the preordained journey

tourism dollars or publishing spectacular

small predictable loop that takes them to the

is tragic because it neglects the human factor.

photographs may buy lemurs some time,

few well-known spots where they stand a

To neglect the human factor is to ignore the

but it won’t prevent their extinction. The

reasonable chance of seeing what they came

agent singularly responsible for the extinction

challenge is much greater than a marketing

to see.

of the lemurs.

If you want to travel to Madagascar to

campaign can solve. In order to stave off

A person traveling to Madagascar for the

Madagascar, like so many countries in

extinction, Madagascar—a country with a

sole purpose of seeing a lemur runs the risk

the world, is infinitely more important and

per capita income around $450 dollars,

of missing an incredible number of amazing

fantastic than we think. As Westerners, we

approximately 30 percent less than North

things that can’t be found in the dwindling

tend to push our own values and expectations

Korea—needs to provide viable alternatives to

forests. They will miss the inviting smell of rice

onto the places where we travel, and because

impoverished farmers who have few options

cakes cooking in an early morning market.

of this we tend to build a very narrow and

to generate a meager subsistence other than

They will miss the singsong of an excited

unstable idea of what a country should be

clear-cutting forest timber to sell as charcoal.

seller loading unsold bread at the end of

and what it should offer us. Long before we

a long day or the choke and cough of an

board the plane, we tend to decide what

of...threatened and endangered species that

ancient taxi running out of fuel on a steep

an experience should look and feel like. We

are found nowhere else on earth will result

hill. They will miss the way the sun slides

imagine photographs of dirt-stained farmers

in the loss of globally renowned biodiversity.

across a terraced rice paddy as a day quietly

and coy children half-hidden behind open

According to USAID, “The illegal export

Although Madagascar is listed as the

Traveling from the central highlands to the

THE MAP’S EDGE SPRING 2016

doorways. It is unfair and unsafe to allow a

Ambatodranzaka to Antananarivo without a

unique about their country, they will tell you

place as unique and beautiful as Madagascar

cooler or ice, I did wander through a couple

about their beautiful forests and their lemurs.

to be pigeonholed as some sort of tropical

of fish markets just to see what was available

They are proud of those things and rightfully

bazaar or uncanny nature park. It is home

and maybe snap a picture that could serve

so. However, Madagascar is losing huge

to around twenty-five million of the most

as a surrogate gift. I immediately noticed a

amounts of forest every year, most lemur

welcoming and compassionate people on the

lack of fish and when I asked around I quickly

species are near extinction and too few realize

planet. People that will, without fail, invite you

found that the lake had been drying up at an

it. One of the best things that can be done for

into their homes to share whatever they have

alarming rate and that huge parts of what

the lemurs and forests of Madagascar is to

(although often they have next to nothing)

used to be open, fresh water, were now just

create space and opportunities for people to

with you.

a mixture of muck and silt run-off from the

truly understand and appreciate all of what

deforested hillsides.

the island has to offer and not just the few

A few months back I was traveling from the capital city of Antananarivo to Lac

My friend, who lives just a few hundred

things that we expect it to provide for us. Frankly, there is more at stake in

Aloatra, about 250 kilometers away. A friend

kilometers away, had no idea that what once

of mine heard I was going that way and came

was Madagascar’s biggest freshwater lake

Madagascar than the prolonged existence of

over to ask if I would get her a couple of fish

and the center of what was referred to as

the lemurs. Madagascar, like a ship caught

from the lake and bring them back for her.

Madagascar’s “rice bowl” is but a glimmer of

in a storm, wildly sliding down the face of

In making the request she held up her right

what it used to be. Similar stories can be told

a churning wave, is jettisoning its last few

arm, bent at the elbow like a Hula dancer,

of the beautiful remnants of forest that streak

precious resources in hopes of keeping

to indicate that she wanted a fish at least as

down the eastern coast of the island and

her bow pointed into the wind and sea.

big as the distance from her elbow to the

the bizarre and unique moonscapes of the

Madagascar, an island in distress, is frantically

tips of her fingers. I agreed to keep an eye

western deserts. Madagascar’s unique beauty

holding on, tossing endangered species

out for some nice fish and bring them back

is slipping away and not many people seem

and precious hardwoods overboard in

for her. While I wasn’t crazy about the idea

to be noticing.

desperation, because there seems to be no

of hauling any number of fish 15 hours from

If you ask a Malagasy person what is

other way to stay afloat.

MICAH LeMASTERS is a former Peace Corps volunteer in Madagascar and led the first Dragons summer course in Madagascar. He graduated

from IU with an MA in Education and recently took a 19-month sabbatical to sail a refurbished boat from Lake Michigan to Cuba.

WWW.WHERETHEREBEDRAGONS.COM

A Proper Woman BREAKING DOWN GENDER NORMS IN CAMBODIA IMAGE + WORDS THAVRY THUN

ambodian society has always been rigid. The country’s rich

loudly. As for your virtue, work hard and protect yourself and your

culture, traditions and adherence to Buddhism have remained

virginity.

largely intact since the pinnacle of the Angkorian civilization for

At school in Cambodia, we are taught how to behave like proper

which Cambodia is famous. For older generations, such as my

Cambodian women, following the mantra and beliefs passed down

mother’s, strict adherence to those rules was uniformly accepted and

from older generations. But herein lies the hypocrisy. The reality of

unquestioned.

Cambodian culture is that it is perfectly acceptable for men to have

Yet today, in a country where 32 percent of the population is

sex before marriage. Men are compared to gold; and as such when

under 14 years old, there are a great number of people growing

they get ‘dirty’ they can simply be washed clean. Women, on the other

up who were not directly affected by the turmoil and civil war that

hand, are compared to sheets of white linen that once soiled can

dominated Cambodia for the last 30 years. This social evolution and

never be washed clean again.

drive for change, aided by largely unhindered access to the internet and improvements in education, means that a new generation of

In practice this means it is fine for men to have sex with prostitutes as long as they protect themselves and stop once they are married.

MEN ARE COMPARED TO GOLD; AND AS SUCH WHEN THEY GET ‘DIRTY’ THEY CAN SIMPLY BE WASHED CLEAN. WOMEN, ON THE OTHER HAND, ARE COMPARED TO SHEETS OF WHITE LINEN THAT ONCE SOILED CAN NEVER BE WASHED CLEAN AGAIN. Cambodians is seeking equality and agency that until now was simply

Women are absolutely prohibited from having sex before marriage,

impossible. This is especially apparent when it comes to gender

and if they do so, they are cursed. They will be blamed by their family

equality and women’s rights.

and society in general for not having protected that most precious

When I was young my mother used to tell me stories about how

family. They will be considered dirty, and people will speak poorly

weaving, and only rarely left the house. Women were not permitted to

about them for the rest of their life.

talk openly with men and had limited access to higher education. My

Female sex workers in Cambodia are looked down upon by

mother was never able to achieve her dream of becoming a teacher

society. They are not virtuous women; they do a dirty job. But who

and ended up in an arranged marriage when she was 21 years old. She

creates and sustains the demand for this market? Isn’t it the ‘golden’

first met her husband-to-be, my father, on their wedding day.

gender who is constantly in need of being washed clean?

Those same cultural norms were instilled in me since I could walk

Lomor Kero Rithy is co-founder of the artistic student group

and talk. I learned those expectations at school and witnessed them

Plerng Kob and a member of SmallWorld SmallBand, a cooperative

at home within my family. But I have always found it difficult to live in

work space and entrepreneurial collective based in Phnom Penh. She

a society in which I must remain conscious at all times of entrenched

has strong views about cultural norms and how society treats women

gender roles, female subservience and how to be a proper woman.

differently than men.

Such norms have given me reason to fight for what I want and

“When a woman has a boyfriend older people invariably warn her,

who I want to be without being shaped by cultural expectations. And

‘Be careful not to lose your virginity. It is fine for a man because they

yet, I realize that it is particularly tricky for me at this time in Cambo-

are like gold, but as a woman, once he gets your body, he will run

dia because I exist in a transitional time period that values a modern,

away and leave you.’ Don’t women have any value at all? If you lose

global perspective alongside the beauty of traditional culture and

your virginity with a man does it mean you have to marry him? Are we

community.

afraid of having no one to ask for our hand? In my opinion, if I have sex

If I want to be free from the rules and bias that currently make me a second-class citizen, I am therefore forced to fight and live a very

with a man it doesn’t mean I HAVE TO MARRY HIM. That’s my choice.” Traditionally, women in Cambodia shouldn’t strive for higher

different life from that of a proper woman. In order to live my life,

education because a woman’s role is in the house. Society here is

although I have done no harm to anyone, I need to be prepared to

such that it is unthinkable for women to work as managers, architects,

receive criticism simply because I want to do what I know is right and

designers, entrepreneurs or leaders. I frequently hear that women

just. Our societal rules and cultural paradigms were created in a world

don’t need higher education because in the future they’ll still just be

that has long since passed. So why in this day and age can’t I stand up

someone’s wife.

for my own thoughts and perspectives? It hurts to live in a society that does not value equality for both gen-

Another common belief I hear frequently is that girls shouldn’t travel far from their homes as it isn’t safe for them. Why should a

ders. If you only take notice, injustice reveals itself in the very fabric of

woman be scared to walk freely? Rather than confining women to

our culture. I have asked myself countless times about gender bias and

their homes in fear, shouldn’t we educate men to respect women?

normative conservatism, and why blame is typically placed on women.

Rape is universally understood as a terrible thing, yet it is still prevalent

As a woman, no matter what you say, never talk foolishly or 8

of things, their virtue. They will be blamed for having disgraced their

girls had to perform household chores like cooking, cleaning and

THE MAP’S EDGE SPRING 2016

in societies around the world. When a woman is raped in Cambodia,

she is considered spoiled; no one could possibly want to marry her. Why do we ask why she chose to visit such a dangerous place instead of asking why men force themselves upon women against their will? Again, why blame the victims? Endear Van is CEO of E&T Asia, a Phnom Penh-based consulting firm that provides research logistics for international clients. She feels that women in Cambodia are viewed as weak and dependent, as if a woman is incapable of looking after herself. “If you are a woman living in Cambodia, you can expect to be questioned about your desire to go pretty much anywhere. ‘Why do you want to go there? It’s not safe! Just stay at home!’ Gender expectations serve to prevent women from doing anything new or exciting; most are successfully convinced that it’s not safe and that they can’t take care of themselves. The worst-case scenario always comes up: Can you protect yourself if someone wants to rape you? “As for the lack of women in leadership roles, it’s rooted in legacy. We haven’t seen many female leaders in the past, which has perpetuated the belief that women are incapable. The limitations of the past still haunt the present. My response is yes, women can be leaders! You start with education, which is the foundation for equality. Then, if women are afforded the same opportunities as men, they can use their educated brain to make informed decisions about anything from politics to business to traveling safely without having to listen to people around them telling them what they can and can’t do.” Issues of education, sexual practice and safety are ever-present for unmarried women. Codes of conduct exist for all circumstances. “Forgive your husband. Don’t speak in a way that suggests you consider him an equal.” Or “No matter what your husband says, even if he’s angry and cursing, don’t use strong language, complain or curse because your husband will be displeased. Be patient with him and calm your anger.” The rule states that women should remain quiet and subservient. Under no circumstances should they stand up for their rights because, if they do, the husband will become even angrier. Where can equality exist if not within the family? Kounila Keo is a blogger and media consultant who is currently completing her master’s degree at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, National University of Singapore. She writes, “Neither women nor men should allow discrimination to remain normalized behavior or limit what someone can do in society. Breaking down those norms is a journey both challenging and lonely, but once you challenge convention, you gain pride and confidence and realize that everything can be considered impossible until it is done.” Because of the pain I feel as a woman born in an unequal society, I want to speak out for the countless women who feel like they don’t have a voice. I was raised hearing these rules required of a proper woman, a woman who will one day have a man ask for her hand in marriage. It’s difficult for the older generations to accept, but many young women want to live in a country where they are afforded more respect and better opportunities. True gender equality in Cambodia is still a long way off, but it’s a struggle for basic human rights and dignity. Women, like men, deserve to be valued. Isn’t that good for all? Perhaps Cambodian society is afraid that if women are educated, they will stand up and fight for their rights and men won’t be able to control them anymore. I have struggled fighting for my freedom. I have been regularly criticized, had people talk poorly of me behind my back, and insinuate nasty things. They have tried to influence my family to force me to discontinue my studies because, after all, I’m just a rural girl. But none of them could stop me. I will continue to break rules and seek my own freedom because I believe that the world will be just only when the rights of all are respected and the voices of all can be heard. THAVRY THUN was an instructor on the 2015 Cambodia summer course and leads

cycling trips for PEPY tours and Toursanak. An active participant in the SmallWorld SmallBand entrepreneurial collective based in Phnom Penh, she has published three children’s novels in Khmer and English.

WWW.WHERETHEREBEDRAGONS.COM

The Legacy of Quilombos WORDS + IMAGES CALEB BROOKS

he United States and Brazil have

education about nature to the dangers of

interesting relationships with the idea of

pollution to “upcycling” local garbage into

brought to mind the word “hardscrabble.” It was a cloudless, blustery day,

freedom. No countries brought more slaves

all manner of sculptures, structures, and

punctuated by the kind of wind that whips

across the Atlantic than these sprawling

tools. Joas, GAP’s founder and physical

up after the sun has been heating the ground

colonies of the continental Americas, and

embodiment, lives in a house made entirely

all morning. Veils of parched earth rose and

long after their European planters made

out of reclaimed materials that’s perched

broke soundlessly over the bright cinder

one-way trips back to London and Lisbon

about 25 feet up in branches of a jackfruit

block buildings. We were lucky enough to be

the colonies continued to harvest the bounty afforded by cruelty

THEY EXUDE A WARM TOUGHNESS THAT IS CHARACTERISTIC OF PEOPLE WHO HAVE REALIZED THAT ALL THEY HAVE TO DEPEND ON IS ONE ANOTHER...

invited to participate in a caruru ceremony, which for us mostly consisted of being

and dehumanization. It doesn’t take a

tree. He and his partner, Drica, live a life that

offered enormous servings of feijoada

particularly exhaustive knowledge of history

is almost monastic in its simplicity: tending

and cup after cup of what was definitely

or an advanced degree in economics to

their hundreds of seedlings, cooking in heavy

strawberry Kool-Aid. For them, it was a day

trace much of the inequality each country

cast-iron cookware over a wood-burning

of honoring the many saints that their version

currently suffers from to its legacy of

stove, and sorting, stacking, and otherwise

of Candomble venerates. Only eight families

exploitation.

organizing the piles of discarded materials

still live in Corcovado, but that number is

they collect each week. Joas also works as a

slowly growing as people marry into the

of pastel storefronts lining cobbled streets

ranger in the national park and is the leader

community. They raise almost all of the food

in more or less the exact center of Brazil’s

of a group of local men and women who

they eat themselves in dusty fields around

Bahia state. It’s the kind of place where

fight forest fires. It is clear that all of his life’s

the houses. They have electricity now, the

men of a certain age stand shirtless in

work springs from a deep love for the natural

product of many years of pleading, and a

open window frames with the local paper

world.

system for collecting all the rainwater that

Our group is in Palmeiras, a municipality

draped carefully over the sill and grunting

Coincidentally, Palmeiras essentially shares

falls onto roofs into a large cement tank.

“Boa tarde” to passersby. Where crepe-

a name with the most infamous quilombo

After our meal a few of the men led us up

paper blossoms of bougainvillea ticker-tape

community in Brazil’s history. Quilombos are

a rock outcropping above the commune to

sidewalks in celebration of the sun’s daily

hinterland outposts settled by escaped slaves

enjoy the view out over the sepia valleys and

parade. A place that makes automobiles

who worked together to scratch out a living

Pre-Cambrian sandstone buttes that grace all

seem clumsy and loud and in an unreasonable

in some of Brazil’s harshest environments.

the postcards in Palmeiras. The men exude

hurry. Our group is spending the first several

Spelled a bit differently, Quilombo dos

a warm toughness that is characteristic of

weeks of Princeton’s 9-month Bridge Year

Palmares was one such settlement formed in

people who have realized that all they have to

Program in Palmeiras to get a taste of home-

what is the state of Alagoas. Though it began

depend on is one another.

stays, learning service, and introductory

as a small refuge for maroons, Palmares grew

Portuguese, and it’s been an ideal location

into a self-sustaining republic roughly the size

that necessitated the establishment of

to ease into such an expansive experience.

of Portugal that existed autonomously for

quilombos is something we’ll never truly

Palmeiras is nestled up against the Parque

nearly 100 years and had more than 30,000

understand, and it feels disrespectful to make

Nacional de Chapada Diamantina, which is

inhabitants at its height, a population that

comparisons that are too broad between our

more than 1,500 square kilometers of semi-

included mulattos, indigenous people, and

times and theirs. Visiting Corcovado reminded

arid mountains, valleys, and monoliths. The

poor whites.

me of the connections that still exist between

landscape is cleaved by rivers and streams

A few days ago our group visited an

The social and historical circumstances

our agency and our dependence on the

that form countless waterfalls and are stained

original quilombo community just above

larger structures of commerce and politics

by tannins so that they’re roughly the color of

town in an area of Chapada Diamantina

and the power that together they engender.

amber.

that typified the sertao ecosystem. It was a

It reminded me, too, of our connections to

rare look into a way of life that has all but

one another. The healthy distrust that the

for service is called Grupo Ambienalista de

disappeared in modern Brazil. The road to

residents of Corcovado have retained was

Palmeiras, or GAP. The real thrust of GAP’s

Corcovado was uphill and covered with about

born in a climate of blatant disregard for

mission in Palmeiras can be found in its

six inches of fine clay powder, interrupted

human life, and in response they’ve created a

name: it is an environmental organization

by occasional spots of gnarled asphalt that

world in isolation that seeks, I think, to restore

at its core. More specifically, GAP works in

make forceful swipes at your vehicle’s exhaust

some of that humanity that’s been lost. They

the realm of waste, doing everything from

system and scream poor planning. The

have shunned the system because the system

weekly pick-up of recyclable materials to

handful of homes that make up Corcovado

first shunned them.

The organization we’re partnering with

10 THE MAP’S EDGE SPRING 2016

WWW.WHERETHEREBEDRAGONS.COM

of watchfulness often involves not only look-

ders posited, “The era of the jackboot is over:

taken on an unfortunate connotation in

ing after our own interests, but being aware

the forces that come for our decency, humor,

the modern American context, and that a

of the things that are affecting others, too.

and freedom will be extolling, in beautiful,

certain political perspective has wrested an

It’s a watchfulness that’s an extension of the

smooth voices, the virtue of decency, humor,

ideological stranglehold on the word that

awareness of our beautiful and inescapable

and freedom.” In an age of increasingly slick

our founders claim to have died for. And

connection to one another. It’s a concern that

technology and mind-numbing amounts of

I’d contend that this current hijacking of

heeds MLK’s caution that “Injustice anywhere

information, our task as citizens of a healthy

‘freedom’ (freedom to buy 3-liter bottles

is a threat to justice everywhere.” It’s this level

democracy has never been more challenging.

of soda without an added tax or to own

of awareness that Joas identified as his moti-

Their reality is starkly different, but I can’t

an automatic rifle that holds more rounds

vation for founding GAP, and why his ongoing

help but wonder if those Quilombo elders

than there are stars on our flag) has much

commitment to preserving the environment

might not have some sage advice when it

more to do with perceived choice than

in and around Palmeiras remains so strong: it

comes being free in the 21st century.

actual freedom, and that this particular

may just be one small area, but it’s part of a

brand of freedom being peddled is not

whole, and it’s both affecting and affected by

to uncover and better understand the agen-

only disingenuous but also circular and

everything else.

cy that is the right of each person, both for

I feel that the very idea of freedom has

tautological in its message: You are free

Whether here in Brazil or in the United

The hope for our group this year is continue

ourselves and for those we will live and work

because you are free to consume, and you

States, it’s fairly easy to identify ways that the

with in Salvador. We want to be observant and

are free to consume because you are free.

agency of people around us is threatened and

generous during our time of service here, re-

compromised all the time. Along with finding

membering the powerful words of the Brazilian

body politic who get uproarious about the

effective avenues for showing solidarity with

educator Paulo Freire: “True generosity lies in

protection of their perceived freedoms when-

the marginalized, we’d probably do well to

striving so that these hands—whether of indi-

ever it benefits them. But one thing we might

inspect our own lives and reconsider the

viduals or entire people—need be extended

agree on is the fact that maintaining real

degrees to which we are actually free. In a

less and less in supplication, so that more and

agency in our lives requires a certain level of

provocative essay about the media called

more they become human hands which work,

watchfulness. The tricky part is that this level

“The Braindead Megaphone” George Saun-

and, working, transform the world.”

I don’t agree with those in our current

CALEB BROOKS is a veteran Dragons instructor (Cambodia ’12-’13, India, Mekong, Brazil BYP ’14-’16) who has lived and worked on six continents.

He is a published journalist who can be found reading, writing, and rooting for his beloved Kentucky Wildcats basketball team. 12

THE MAP’S EDGE SPRING 2016

WWW.WHERETHEREBEDRAGONS.COM

The Agency to Preserve the Old Ways WORDS JESSE LEWIS

hile spearfishing with our guides, La-

of Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines.

stilt villages almost a kilometer out to sea and

oda and his father, Tadi, our Dragons

Traditional hunter gatherers, the Bajau fish

continue to live a subsistence based lifestyle

group struggles to keep up as they plunge

with nets, line, and spear, while diving to great

almost wholly dependent on the ocean.

down the steep edges of Wakatobi’s coral

depths in search of pearls and sea cucumbers.

The Bajau’s relationship to the ocean is

reefs in pursuit of fish. Between navigating

They depend almost completely on the Coral

intimate, almost mystical. Steeped in the ways

the current, avoiding sea snakes and figuring

Triangle’s natural bounty for food and fiber.

of the sea, many people in Sampela have an

out the home-made spear guns, it is not easy

almost encyclopedic understanding of their

centuries, though in the last few decades

marine ecosystem. They deftly hunt and

again and again with snaggle-toothed grins

many Bajau have been forced to settle on

forage wild foods, navigate by currents, tides

and fish in hand.

land by the Indonesian government. Disillu-

and stars, and use nature for medicine and

sioned by government promises and life on

material. Their profound knowledge is borne

group that lives nomadically on the sea,

land, some have returned to the old ways. In

of close contact and experience with the sea.

plying the waters of the Coral Triangle—an

places like Sampela, the Bajau village where

That relationship signifies a way of life, inter-

area stretching roughly between the borders

we are staying in Wakatobi, they have built

woven in their culture and spiritual beliefs.

Laoda and his family are Bajau, an ethnic

They have called these waters home for

for us. Meanwhile, Laoda and Tadi resurface

THE MAP’S EDGE SPRING 2016

themselves and their unique way of life. In

that erodes both the Bajau’s coral reefs and

combination of animism and Islam—

desperation, some have resorted to

their culture.

illuminates this complex relationship with the

destructive fishing practices using cyanide

ocean, which for them is a multifaceted and

and homemade bombs to capture fish. In the

visiting marine scientists, both commented

living entity. There are spirits in currents and

process, they destroy the foundation for their

on how much Sampela’s reefs have changed

tides, coral reefs and mangroves, that must

entire way of life—the marine ecosystem.

over the past two decades. Increased fishing

Traditional Bajau cosmology—a

be respected and appeased.

The Bajau’s lives are not easy, but they

In speaking with Bajau fisherman and

pressure and the impacts of climate change

show incredible resilience in the face of

have taken their toll. Wakatobi used to be

hosts is layered around the ecosystems that

dramatic change, sticking to their traditions

flanked by teeming reefs; today there are still

sustain them. At the center of their world is

even as the environment that supports them

many beautiful coral gardens and schools

the reef—the hunting grounds for fish and

is degraded. While staying with our host

of fish, but there are also broken areas of

octopus. Extending outward are the sea grass

families in Sampela, our student group had

degraded coral—the legacy of dynamite

beds for foraging protein, like sea cucumbers,

the chance to participate in many of the

and cyanide fishing. It’s a common story

The Bajau world as explained by our

mollusks and shrimp. Beyond the sea grass beds are the mangroves—the raw material for building boats and houses, and a place to hide in safety from storms and conflict.

“WE ARE BAJAU. THERE IS NOTHING STRANGE TO US. WE KNOW EVERYTHING IN THE SEA.”

throughout Coral Triangle communities, who, driven by voracious markets, destroy the very environment that sustains them. The creation of marine parks, such as

Lastly, is the open sea—the open plains of the

low-impact activities that have sustained

Wakatobi National Marine Park near Sampela,

ocean for longer voyages to fish for tuna and

Bajau fisherman for centuries, activities like

helps conserve healthy reefs and mangroves,

large pelagic species for food and trade.

gleaning.

which are vital nursery grounds for a stunning

Traditional and subsistence-based

Gleaning is the Bajau word for wild

variety of sea life. Additionally, they create

relationships to nature have helped sustain

foraging sea foods like snails, sea cucumber

management programs that encourage

a healthy natural world for centuries.

and giant mantis shrimp. On moonless nights

sustainability through no-fish zones and a

Unfortunately, coral reef ecosystems face a

when the tide was out we would descend the

return to traditional fishing methods, such as

gauntlet of challenges in the 21st century.

village walkways to the exposed sea floor

those practiced by the Bajau for generations.

Overfishing, coastal development,

below. Under a canvas of twinkling stars we

Wanting to learn more, our Dragons group

siltation and climate change seriously test

would hunt for wild foods Bajau style, while

helped organize a series of panels in Sampela

the future of Wakatobi’s reefs. The Bajau

marveling at strange creatures exposed by

to document Bajau perspectives on the

depend so thoroughly on these beleaguered

the tide.

ocean. In speaking with local fishermen, some

ecosystems that climate change and shifting

Squeals of delight, disgust and

interesting patterns emerged. No matter their

sea chemistry could eventually make it

astonishment would ring out across the

method of fishing, all cited their love of the

difficult for them to even find enough food to

dark sand flats as we illuminated pools of

sea as a major motivator for what they do. In

continue their traditional subsistence-based

swaying sea grass alive with strange marine

fact, the idea of an ocean without fish or reefs

lifestyles.

invertebrates. One of our host fathers offered

was almost incomprehensible to them.

Due in part to their sensitivity to changes

us a sample of fresh sea snail, sashimi style.

While wrapping up our discussion, I asked

in water temperature, coral reefs are fragile

It tasted rubbery and briny like the sea.

the fishermen about the strangest thing they

ecosystems. Global climate change is

“Gleaning is good for protein,” he said. For

had ever seen on the sea. I was surprised by

particularly threatening to coral reefs as

them, a trip to the market is as simple as

their answer, “We are Bajau. There is nothing

heightened water temperatures stress corals,

shopping the sand flats at low tide.

strange to us. We know everything in the sea.”

causing them to bleach and die.

Traditionally the Bajau have taken only

As seas change and the older generation

what they need, then moved on, never

disappears, the Bajau’s rich traditional

world, including those of the Coral Triangle.

depleting the resource. However, being

knowledge of their marine world is in danger

As rainforests are cut down in places like

forced to settle in one place compels them

of dying out with them. Their knowledge

Borneo and Sumatra, the massive root

to concentrate their fishing and foraging on

could play an important role in preserving

systems that once held the soil in place

one area and resource. Additional fishing

the biodiversity and ecosystems of both the

disappear too. In turn, huge amounts of soil

pressure and sea weed farming from nearby

Coral Triangle and the world’s oceans.

are washed into the ocean. These sediment

“island people” further depletes the resource

loads wash onto reefs and the millions of

base. Meanwhile, global markets for fish,

connected to the sea. There is a part of me

species that call them home, while obscuring

octopus and corals tempt some Bajau to

that worries we are making the last record of

the sunlight corals need to photosynthesize

shift their subsistence-focused hunting to the

their lives. But then, the Bajau have managed

and thrive.

demands of the market for extra money. This

to endure this long already. As long as

cycle weakens and degrades the ecosystem,

healthy oceans endure, their traditions and

creating a cycle of decline and dependency

way of life will endure as well.

Siltation also threatens reefs around the

As seas are degraded and fished out it has become harder for the Bajau to support

I have never met a community so deeply

JESSE LEWIS is a conservation biologist, educator and storyteller. He has conducted ecological research throughout the world and led Dragons’

2015 Indonesia summer course. He currently serves as the Rainforest Education Coordinator for Rainforest Trust based outside Washington D.C.

WWW.WHERETHEREBEDRAGONS.COM

At the Origin of Exodus A REFUGEE’S DILEMMA WORDS JAMES BOWKER

few days after finishing my Dragons course in Jordan this past summer, I rejoined a group of young Syrian reporters and

media-trainees who produce news coverage on Syria from Amman.

job. Futoun’s family spent a year moving around, contending with high

Amidst the constant barrage of Skype calls with activists and

rents driven up by the destruction of swaths of the city. One day the

journalists in Syria our conversations in the office regularly return

army raided her uncle’s house, where they were staying temporarily,

to the subject of borders: coffee break dialogue typically includes

which proved to be the final straw. In that moment she decided to

updates on previous coworkers who had left for Europe, rumors

leave.

about policy decisions in various European countries, arguments

“I was scared to the point where I didn’t care about anything—not

about how much it currently costs to get smuggled into Greece, and

our house, not my university, nothing,” Futoun told me. “I just didn’t

debates about harsh realities facing refugees flowing into Europe

want them to arrest me or anyone in my family.”

following the announcement of Germany’s open-door refugee policy. Despite working with Syrians living in Jordan on a daily basis, I

Many of my colleagues related harrowing experiences with Syrian state security services, in raids like the one Futoun experienced,

still find myself regularly overwhelmed by all the complications of

random bombings, or harassment at security checkpoints. But it’s not

the ‘refugee crisis.’ No one is an absolute authority on all the related

just political violence. As war rages on and infrastructure breaks down,

issues: asylum-seeking procedures, smuggling routes, or the public

access to clean water, electricity, medicine, and food has become

policy of overwhelmed foreign nations. American media reports have

scarce in many parts of the country. What began as the suppression

attempted to shed some light on these issues, and have noted their

of a popular revolution has metastasized into a health crisis.

struggle to pinpoint the distinction between a refugee, an asylumseeker and an economic migrant. In recent weeks, for instance, we’ve seen an increasing number of

At some point, the scales of all my Syrian colleagues tipped in favor of moving. Violent conflict and the desperate conditions have left Syrians with few alternatives, forcing them to make the best

articles dispelling common myths about refugees fleeing to Europe.

decision based on the ever-changing circumstances. Recognizing that

They are expanding their scope of coverage to reflect a more nuanced

Syrians are impelled to make decisions based on the lesser of two

analysis than the viscerally-charged scenes of despair and relief on the

evils is crucial.

beaches of Greece and at chain-linked border fences.

The difficult decision-making doesn’t end once refugees arrive in

But only so much complexity can be conveyed with a few

Jordan. Some are here living alone, some have parents, others have

hundred words every few days. A perusal of headlines from major

children of their own, and everybody knows someone who has gone

American newspapers leave you with the impression that Syrian

to Europe. So why don’t they follow suit?

refugees are making a bee-line for Europe. But this use of language

“Everyone has their own priorities,” says Mouatesm, a colleague

risks dehumanizing the large number of human beings as helpless

of mine who is living in Amman awaiting the final paperwork that will

caricatures. Phrases like “flocks” or “waves” [of refugees] evoke an

allow him to study abroad in the Czech Republic on a scholarship.

unthinking herd mentality, a totally inappropriate and inaccurate

“People don’t stay because things are necessarily great in Jordan,” he

characterization of individuals forced to make some of the most

says, but “because it’s livable here. You can support your family, you

painful and complex choices of their lives.

can get by.”

I asked some of my coworkers about the factors that influenced

“There are people who prefer to stay in an Arab country, in a

their decision to ultimately come to Jordan. At the most basic level,

Muslim country,” he tells me. “Especially when it comes to raising kids.

they fled because of the dangerous and intolerable state of affairs in

Some people go, but others who have six or seven-year-old kids, they

Syria. Yet once safely in Jordan, refugees were confronted with a new

worry that they will lose their heritage and traditions—their culture—

set of factors as they weighed their next steps. These factors reveal

if they go to Europe. It is a whole new life and language, which is

common human bonds—culture, family, financial solvency, refugee

difficult. Not everyone wants that.”

status, patriotism, rebuilt lives and those torn from their pasts. “I was worried about the regime trying to change the

For plenty of Syrians in Jordan, money is a deciding factor. Maybe they have enough saved to move themselves, but they have a family

demographics of the country, which is occurring as tens of thousands

to support. “Someone with enough money for himself and his children

of Syrians leave the country and migrate elsewhere,” said a colleague

might not go because he’s also got a mother,” says my coworker

of mine named Ammar. He comes from the city of Douma, where

Usama, whose unmarried younger brother smuggled himself to

residents have historically been against the regime.

Europe several months ago.

The family of Futoun, a new trainee at the office, also thought it

At one point, their house was destroyed in the fighting (she watched it burn from a nearby location) and her father had lost his

Futoun finds herself in a very different situation. Her brother is still

wise to stay in Syria given their conditions. Despite the everyday fear

in Syria, and is unable to get to Jordan. Since she can’t go back to

(she says her mom became terrified every time she left the house)

Syria, and he can’t come here, she is considering moving to Germany,

they stayed because they saw it as their best option, believing things

despite all the effort she has dedicated to establishing herself in

might get better.

Jordan. “We can’t go on living separate lives,” she said. “We don’t

THE MAP’S EDGE SPRING 2016

want to move again. We’ve gotten used to it here and found work

rational human beings facing some of the toughest circumstances

here. But I can’t go back, and he can’t come here.”

imaginable—people not only content to survive, but determined

For Ammar, his decision is complicated because his wife recently enrolled in a Jordanian university after she had to leave Syria before finishing her degree. Complicated bureaucratic issues add to the challenges of staying in Jordan. “If we leave, she’ll have to start all over again,” says Ammar. His

to thrive amidst a backdrop of devastating political violence, bureaucratic red-tape, and a passive global audience. If discourse in the press and public policy circles were to reconsider the trope of the refugee—unable to think for him or herself, fleeing to the next best country, descending upon European shores

passport is set to expire soon, and due to the uncertainty of getting

like famished locusts—productive conversations and innovative

it renewed, there’s a chance he could be stuck in Jordan. To make

solutions might take place.

matters worse, his daughter, who was born in Jordan, isn’t registered

In the field of humanitarian relief, some organizations have

at the Syrian Embassy in Amman, and the longer he stays the more

recognized this fact and initiated programs that defer to the

complicated things are likely to get.

resourcefulness of the individual, granting refugees cash-aid rather

Within families, the deliberation process isn’t always easy. Ammar

than pre-determining what they can and should buy. A recent study

has considered selling what he owns in Jordan and sneaking into

conducted in Lebanon highlights the vital importance of restoring

Europe, only to waver when he got home one night to his wife and

agency to refugees: researchers were able to identify specific

child and images of the people drowning flooded his mind. His wife,

problems that arise when refugees are conceptualized as mindless

however, has put her foot down. “She made a pact, she won’t go to

cattle.

Europe unless it is legitimately.” These conversations constitute hazy vignettes of an exceedingly

Syrian refugees have lived through the worst parts of a war in which numerous outside parties have intervened in support of

complex human catastrophe playing out in Syria and Jordan. In

their own agendas. Whether rebuilding their own country in the

gathering these profiles, I came away with a tremendous respect and

future or contributing to other societies, it would behoove the

appreciation for each individual’s capacity to make extremely difficult

international community to understand that the capacity of refugees

decisions. Their stories symbolize much more than the desperate

to make courageous compromises, to be agents of their own self-

faces that make the front page; they are more extraordinary than

determination, to be heard and respected, is as integral to society as

members of a massive “flock” heading towards Jordan. They are

the notion of peace.

JAMES BOWKER joined the Dragons family in 2015 (Jordan ’15). For the past year, he has been a reporter and translator with Syria Direct, a non-

profit journalism organization that trains Syrian reporters while covering events in Syria remotely. He calls Amman his home-away-from-Boston.

WWW.WHERETHEREBEDRAGONS.COM

The Silent Observer IMAGES RYAN KOST

yan Kost has worked as a wilderness guide and experiential educator for more than five years. His

photography is inspired by Elliot Erwitt’s quote, “To me, photography is an art of observation. It’s about finding something interesting in an ordinary place...I’ve found it has little to do with the things you see and everything to do with the way you see them.” Ryan sees photography as a powerful tool capable of providing answers to questions we commonly ignore. Of the image taken inside the mines, he hopes the fatalism of the miner praying to El Tío (see caption below) encourages people to seek greater understanding about the complex histories of Potosí, Bolivia. The photograph provides a striking reminder of the hardships many have faced to allow us the freedoms and luxuries we often take for granted. The images from EnseñARTE illustrate how kids growing up on the streets of Cochabamba, Bolivia are taking agency over their lives and learning performing arts as a means of avoiding drugs, crime and improving their economic wellbeing. Through his body of work, Ryan aspires to provoke the imagination of the audience and to tap into the visceral emotions that inspire us to be keener observers. Ryan has led two Dragons courses (Peru summer ’15, Andes & Amazon ’15) and has lived, worked, studied or traveled in roughly 60 countries. He has a MA in Cultural Anthropology, focusing his research on notions of identity and religious hybridity in Peru. He calls Colorado home and is happiest when surrounded by nature, interacting with diverse cultures and being a steward for responsible global citizenship.

LEFT & LOWER RIGHT Young

boys delicately and gracefully

balance as they perform for Dragons students at EnseñARTE (Teach You) just outside of Cochabamba, Bolivia. EnseñARTE takes children who live in extreme poverty and introduces them to circus arts. The kids come every afternoon to practice their crafts including juggling, unicycling, aerial acrobatics and balancing acts. On Andes and Amazon semesters, Dragons students commonly spend afternoons practicing circus arts and engaging with these remarkable kids. UPPER RIGHT A

miner pays homage to the shrine to El Tío

in Potosí, Bolivia. Those who descend into the forbidden depths of the El Cerro mine are required to honor El Tío, The Uncle, lord of the underworld who offers both the prospect of destruction and protection.

THE MAP’S EDGE SPRING 2016

WWW.WHERETHEREBEDRAGONS.COM

The Classroom Has No Walls SHAKING IT UP ON THE BOLIVIA CLIMATE CHANGE EDUCATOR COURSE WORDS + IMAGES STEPHEN TARANTO

OVER THE PAST DECADE THE DEBATE SURROUNDING CLIMATE CHANGE HAS INTENSIFIED DRAMATICALLY, FORCING TEACHERS TO INCORPORATE EMERGING RESEARCH AND NEW THEORIES INTO THEIR CURRICULUM. THEIRS ARE STUDENTS RAISED IN THE TECHNOLOGICAL AGE AND EXPOSED DAILY TO ALARMING NEWS REPORTS WITH ESCHATOLOGICAL UNDERTONES ABOUT RECEDING ICE CAPS, POPULATION STRESS AND EXTREME WEATHER. ONCE A PERIPHERAL TOPIC IN THE CLASSROOM, CLIMATE CHANGE HAS BECOME ESSENTIAL KNOWLEDGE FOR SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, GLOBAL STUDIES, ECONOMICS AND INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT TEACHERS AND PRACTITIONERS.

ne of the many challenges facing educators committed to

from rural to urban centers, water shortages due to melting glaciers

working with students on climate change is how to bring

that serve as the only reservoirs in the altiplano, and an expanding

this shifting, perpetually evolving and often contentious topic into

range of tropical diseases that climb in elevation as the earth warms.

their classrooms in ways that help students understand what is

These issues are all the more pervasive in the highlands of Bolivia

happening, how they are participating in the changes and what they

where rural communities, engaged in a fierce struggle for self-

and their peers can do to counteract the effects of global warming.

determination, possess few resources to implement adaptation and

For students, climate change presents a grave, unjust and frightening

mitigation tools.

future that is materializing day after day across the planet, clearly

community perched 2,400m (8,500ft) above sea-level on the rim of

destructive habits.

the Cochabamba valley where we brought the cohort of educators

This past July, Liz Yoder and I faced the challenging opportunity

together for orientation. Here we set personal and group objectives,

to lead Where There Be Dragons’ inaugural Bolivia Climate Change

reviewed risk management topics and procedures and initiated

Educator course. The participants consisted of nine intrepid teachers

discussions about the reality of life in the Andes and how our time

from public and private schools and universities around the US. Each

spent here could translate into tangible lesson plans for use back

had made the bold decision to take a break from their day-to-day

home. While in Tiquipaya, the educator group engaged in a two-

worlds in order to travel to the Central Andes ecoregion to explore

night home-stay with nearby families, providing a unique opportuni-

the impacts of climate change on rural communities and ecosystems,

ty to interact with locals and a chance to explore the many shades of

and to liaise with social and environmental justice activists in Bolivia.

vulnerability—their own and their host families—in the face of climate

Each teacher chose to dedicate two weeks of their precious summer

change.

“down time” to get into the field and examine ways to integrate the

From Cochabamba the group traveled to La Paz, one of Bolivia’s

theories and lessons learned into their own lives, their communities

two capital cities and the de facto political, economic and cultural

and their classrooms.

epicenter of the Central Andes. Program participants visited a local

Educator courses offer a unique opportunity for Dragons

We began the program in Tiquipaya, a picturesque farming

indicating that we are in a race against time and our own self-

private school and sat with teachers who are actively addressing

instructors to transform and re-envision the nonstructure of

climate change issues with their students. We then trekked to the

experiential education in the context of professional development

top of Chacaltaya mountain, the most prominent peak overlooking

goals. Our objective in Bolivia was to balance field visits to

the capital, which gained international renown first as the world’s

communities visibly being affected by a changing regional climate

highest ski resort and more recently as the site of the first fully-

with discussion forums, personal and group reflection, and some

melted glacier in the Cordillera Real. Back in La Paz, we met with

invigorating hikes in the spectacular landscapes of the Central

NGOs working to further education programs for marginalized

Andes. During the course, educators found themselves engaged in

city dwellers and developing culturally-appropriate solutions for

dynamic interviews with NGOs, school teachers, research institutions

decreasing water use by urban residents. Through these meetings

and youth-led activist groups all struggling to address environmental

we examined how community-based water management systems

pressure and extreme weather patterns that are causing violent

are being modified to contend with rising temperatures and

hailstorms in the Andes, flooding in the Amazon, mass migration

unpredictable precipitation patterns.

THE MAP’S EDGE SPRING 2016

In an auspicious turn of events (delightfully common on Drag-

One teacher, for example, came up with an innovative way to

ons programs!) we found ourselves in La Paz while the Pope was in

incorporate the potato, one of Bolivia’s most important food crops,

town giving an invigorating speech about the climate dilemma and

into a gardening project she was about to launch at her school.

apologizing for the treatment of indigenous peoples by European

Another decided to develop internet-based interaction with a school

colonizers and the Catholic Church. The Pope’s visit provided anoth-

in La Paz and the students and teachers there working on project-

THE MAGIC HAPPENS WHEN EDUCATORS “SHAKE UP” THEIR DAILY ROUTINE AND IMMERSE THEMSELVES IN THE “OTHER”... OTHER CULTURES, OTHER LANDSCAPES AND OTHER CHALLENGES er, unexpected layer of context to our discussions: namely, a moral imperative and the notion of sacrifice for the common good. Our challenge, as instructors and educators, was to bridge

based learning focused on climate change. Educator courses are designed to get teachers out of their comfort zones to a space where they can re-learn about global

the cultural and geographical divide between Bolivia and the

issues and deconstruct their own pedagogical approaches. The

US while remaining true to the objective—to distill anecdotes,

magic happens when educators “shake up” their daily routine

experiences and cutting-edge ideas into tangible, transferable

and immerse themselves in the “Other”—other cultures, other

lessons for students. It isn’t any teacher who decides to immerse

landscapes and other challenges—that necessitate vulnerability

him or herself in the stark realities of Bolivia and the US. It is

among participants and a willingness to contrast these new realities

those at the forefront, those who push boundaries, those willing

with our own. Dragons Educator courses are unique vehicles in that

to scour the peripheries. Through discussions, reflections and

they force us to think critically about our actions in a cohort of like-

creative thinking, each educator managed to outline some

minded individuals. They provide tools to reform how we engage

concrete ways they hoped to bring their experiences home and

with course material and students differently. They inspire us to

put them to use in the classroom.

think big and teach passionately to both topic and pupil.

STEPHEN TARANTO is an ecologist living and working in Panama and Bolivia on a number of projects related to education for sustainability.

He has been working on and off with the Dragons since 2008 and has most recently led programs in both Panama and Bolivia.

WWW.WHERETHEREBEDRAGONS.COM

Building Community and Peace Through Artist Expression AN INTERVIEW WITH EMILY GOLDMAN OF STUDIO 8 AMMAN INTERVIEW JUSTIN KIERSKY WHERE THERE BE DRAGONS YOU

WERE A

WTBD HOW

DID YOU GET INVOLVED IN

workers, refugees and other newcomers.

DRAGONS STUDENT IN BOLIVIA AND

STUDIO 8, AND WHAT DID YOU SEE IN

These groups rarely mix and largely stay in

SENEGAL. WHAT SPARKED YOUR

THE PROJECT THAT CAUSED YOU TO

their own geographic and socioeconomic

INTEREST IN THE MIDDLE EAST?

DEDICATE YOUR TIME AND ENERGY TO

bubbles. Studio 8 provides a platform for

EMILY GOLDMAN A

THE ORGANIZATION?

people who would not normally acknowledge

time in Senegal with Dragons sparked my

EG I

each other to interact and work together.

interest in how the arts can bring people from

that Studio 8 was running only a few months

diverse backgrounds together despite cultural

after they had opened. After the class I

WTBD CAN

or linguistic differences. In 2013, my college

met the co-founders, Abdul Hadi and Anas

BACKGROUND OF STUDIO 8: PEOPLE

research project focused on rap-based

Nahleh, and they eventually asked me to start

AND ORIGINS?

cultural diplomacy landed me in Alexandria,

teaching Malian dance workshops for them.

EG Studio

Egypt for eight months. I unexpectedly fell

I was initially drawn to Studio 8 because the

Anas and Abdul Hadi Nahleh, who taught

in love with the country and left determined

studio’s vision directly lines up with my own;

themselves to dance with friends in the

to return to the region to continue working

Studio 8 uses the arts to bridge differences

streets of Amman when they were teenagers.

in the arts. I love working with creative

and to provide community to people who

There was nowhere besides the streets for

expression in the Middle East particularly

need it. What has kept me with Studio 8

them to practice when they began because

because I see a real need for innovative

and makes me love my work there is the

dance in Jordan is often limited to those who

answers to the many traumas that youth in

people. The Studio 8 community is really a

can pay for it. As they became professional

the region are facing right now. I think that

family of young artists who are committed

performers, they decided to open Studio 8 to

artistic programming can often help young

to social justice and artistic creation. I also

provide the local community with the space

people heal, connect and find ways to cope

really believe in the work. Amman is changing

to create and practice that they didn’t have as

with their psychosocial needs.

rapidly with the influx of humanitarian aid

young dancers.

combination of factors. My

22 THE MAP’S EDGE SPRING 2016

stumbled into a public dance workshop

YOU ELABORATE ON THE

8 was founded by two brothers,

WTBD HOW

HAS STUDIO 8 EVOLVED

SINCE ITS INCEPTION? EG Studio

8 was originally meant to be

WTBD HOW

HAS THE VIOLENCE IN

SYRIA IMPACTED STUDIO 8? EG The

Calendar & Events

Syrian crisis has affected the

a break dance center for young dancers.

studio in a few ways. Firstly, it has

Soon artists from all disciplines who

brought us many Syrian students and

GLOBAL SPEAKER SERIES

knew Anas and Abdul Hadi started

aid worker students, who almost never

Every year, Dragons Global

offering to teach classes at the studio

engage on equal footing other than

Education Fund, in partnership

because they loved the idea of a non-

in class because of socio-economic,

with The Futurity Foundation

corporate arts space that was committed

national, and other differences. Secondly,

501(c)3, sends a select group

to democratizing arts education in

it has re-ignited a national conversation

of Dragons Instructors to high

Jordan. The Studio has since grown to

about meeting the psychosocial needs

schools across the country.

serve everyone from Syrian refugees in

of traumatized youth. We at Studio 8

Veteran instructors facilitate dynamic

Amman to young Jordanians to local

never really thought of ourselves as part

conversations on critical global issues

humanitarian aid workers. It is one of

of this conversation until recently, but we

ranging from the origins of Buddhism

the few places where everyone can shed

are now beginning to understand that

to gender in the Middle East. Interested

their label of aid worker, beneficiary,

the arts can be extremely important as

in bringing a speaker into your class?

refugee, or whatever else to focus on

a tool for healing, community building,

Contact eva@wheretherebedragons.com

their talents and abilities. To illustrate the

and diversity training. We are in the

or view a complete list of offerings at www.

diversity, the managing team at Studio 8

process of gaining more formal training

wheretherebedragons.com/connect/gss.

right now includes Jordanians, Tibetans,

in healing practices and beginning to

Irish and Americans.

collaborate with organizations that are

GLOBAL POTLUCKS

dedicated to psychosocial programming.

Are you a Dragons Alumni? This spring, keep

WTBD HOW

HAS STUDIO 8

an eye out for an invitation to one of our

BEEN RECEIVED FROM OLDER,

WTBD WHAT

PERHAPS MORE CONSERVATIVE,

THE FUTURE, AND HOW WILL THEY

we’ve hosted gatherings in New York, Boston,

CONSTITUENTS?

CHANGE THE MISSION?

Washington DC, Denver, Chicago, Seattle,

EG Our

San Francisco, and Los Angeles. This year’s

EG There

has been a real variety

ARE THE GOALS FOR

main goal is to de-stigmatize

annual Global Potluck dinners. In recent years

of responses from the older, more

the performing arts in Jordan and to use

potlucks will be held in three select cities

conservative generations. We have found

the arts to build strong, diverse, peaceful

and will feature a talk by one of our Global

that people who actually experience our

communities that Jordan can be proud

Speakers. We can’t wait to reconnect and

work, who see the smiles and joy and

of. This goal means that our mission has

share a meal with you in 2016!

talent of the Studio 8 students, rarely

grown from being a break dance studio

feel that we are doing something bad.

to being a cultural hub for youth and

ALUMNI-HOSTED PRESENTATIONS

Most often people who have attended

artists of all walks of life.

If you are a prospective student interested

a Studio 8 festival or event, regardless of age, comment on the talent and

in our summer or semester programs, please WTBD WHAT

CAN WE DO TO HELP?

join us for an Alumni-hosted Presentation in your area. Learn more about the Dragons

diversity of the students. The trick is

EG We

to get people who recoil at the words

have been thrown out of our past two

experience and find a program best suited to

“dance” and “performance” to actually

studio spaces by landlords who do not

your interests. All slideshows are co-hosted

engage in the first place. One of the

respect the arts, and we are now trying to

by Dragons Instructors and Alumni. Visit www.

ways in which we have been able to

get enough money together to move to a

wheretherebedragons.com/admissions/events

do this is by relying more heavily on

new space for our community. Please do-

for a complete schedule of events.

circus performance than on dance with

nate what you can! You can get in touch

more conservative communities. We’ve

via email (studio8amman@gmail.com) to

DRAGONS INAUGURAL ALUMNI-ONLY

found that there is less initial suspicion

learn how to support in other ways. We

PROGRAM TO LAUNCH SUMMER ’16

associated with stilt performers, for

are also always looking for artists, pho-

We are excited to announce our first ever

instance, than with dancers. Once we

tographers, and videographers to come

alumni-only summer course this June. While

have built rapport with a community,

teach workshops and do artist residen-

details of the program are currently being

we can then start to talk about other art

cies (once we have a new space!) as well.

developed, the program will most likely run in

forms and modes of self-expression.

Finally, please just spread the word!

Nepal and/or Rwanda. Join us this summer and

need all the help we can get! We

EMILY GOLDMAN is a Dragons alumnus (Bolivia ’07, Senegal ’10) who believes in

using the performing arts as a tool for community building and youth education. She is the co-founder of Hip Hop 4 (also on Facebook) and is currently based in

take your Dragons education to the next level. Contact eva@wheretherebedragons.com for more information.

Jordan where she teaches Malian Mande dance at Studio 8.

WWW.WHERETHEREBEDRAGONS.COM

3200 Carbon Place #102 Boulder, CO 80301 TEL: 800.982.9203 -OR- 303.413.0822

WATCH US, LIKE US, LOVE US

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W H AT T Y P E O F D R AG O N A R E YO U ?

STUDENT

ADULT

E D U CATOR

PART NE R

You are an intrepid adventurer.

You want a refresh button,

You are a mission-driven educator.

You’d like to expand the scope

You are curious about other cul-

and the one on your computer

You believe education is a mech-

of your work. You are a glob-

tures. You are willing to sleep on

doesn’t count. You want to

anism for social change. You work

ally-minded organization and

overnight trains and you’ll try a

reconnect with curiosity. You

hard to create unique opportuni-

you recognize the importance

mug of yak butter tea when it’s

want to explore another culture

ties for your students to engage in

of cross-cultural collaboration in

handed to you. You recognize

and the complexities of human

complex conversations inside and

the 21st century. We’d love to be

that there are global communi-

development in the 21st century.

outside of the classroom.

your partner within this growing

ties in crisis and you want to ac-

Conversations ripen with age.

Education is a form of art.

community of global citizens.

tively participate in the solution.

What conversation would

How will you

Where shall we begin?

Are you ready to go?

you like to begin?

expand your practice?

FOR MOR E I N FOR M AT ION V I SI T WWW.W H E R ETH E R E B E DR AG O N S .CO M O R CA L L U S AT 303 .413 .08 22