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  • From: "Scott Pittman" <scott@permaculture.org>
  • To: "'permaculture'" <permaculture@lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [permaculture] IPC11 Musings
  • Date: Fri, 20 Dec 2013 10:07:43 -0700

IPC11 Musings

It had been 3 years since my last visit to Havana and the change was
shocking. Many more automobiles spewing smoke from 1950's models of Ford,
Chevy, Olds, Pontiacs and various other brands was throat tightening and eye
watering.

I was in Havana for the International Permaculture Convergence. The first
event was a gala dinner in an old estate in the heart of Havana. The place
was packed and there was panic among our hosts from Fundacion Antonio Nunez
de la Naturaleza y el Hombre as the numbers continued to grow and they
scrambled for more place settings, tables, and chairs. The problem was that
over 140 unexpected guests had arrived who had not RSVPed their intention to
attend. This set the stage for a chaotic two weeks of trying to accommodate
25% more people than had been planned for. It was also apparent to me that
most of the attendants of this event were there to party rather than deal
with the many issues facing the rapidly growing International Permaculture
movement.

Permaculturalists from 47 nations descended on Cuba over 400 strong and
overwhelmed the organizational capabilities of our sponsors.

The conference was held in a large Havana hotel and the speakers were
translated into English and Spanish for those of us who are language
challenged. For the most part the speakers were English speakers who
represented both the well known and the unknown in the permaculture world.
I was disappointed in the selections as I was hoping to hear from Latin
American permaculture which represents an incredible array of projects. A
majority of the presenters were from the U.S.A. and Australia. I was most
impressed by Tierra Martinez an Argentinian permaculturalist who presented
on projects both urban and rural that are making a difference in the lives
of thousands of people through the work of his organization Instituto Na
Luum.

While the presentations of Albert Bates, Robyn Francis, Andy Goldring, and
surprise guest Darren Doherty were very educational and exciting I was
still left with the question of where are the Latinos.

My sympathy and admiration went to the translators who were faced with
multiple English and Spanish idioms and with speakers who seemed unaware
that they needed to take into account that their words were being converted
to another language. The translators continued with us for the rest of the
journey, through the convergence and on the tour and did an incredible job
against all odds. Herding cats comes to mind.

The conference began what was to be a pattern of standing in line for meals,
and standing in line for accommodations; sometimes for over 2 hours! This
was again the surprise guests who suddenly materialized the night before the
conference. This of course threw the whole schedule of speakers off and
Roberto Sanchez, known for his role in the video "Building Community", was
doing everything except pulling out his hair, and he may have done some of
that.

Our final day in Havana was an urban tour of permaculture projects. I had
seen most of the projects three years ago so I only went on the morning half
of the tour. I once again was disappointed in most of what I saw. This
was definantly not permaculture! Sorry. It reminded me of the ubiquitous
"herb spiral" which monotonously decorates every first permaculture design.
I saw keyhole gardens where the key hole was too small to accommodate the
knees of the gardener, paths that were considerable larger than the
vegetable beds, and a shocking lack of food amidst the ornamentals. I
certainly appreciated the proud gardeners as they took us through their home
gardens pointing out the salient parts but it seemed more beginning "master
gardener" level than having been designed.

Is this sour grapes? I don't think so, I am attempting to inject a little
realism into an event that took thousands of dollars, and gallons of fuel to
bring to fruition and I think that we should be more mindful of our purpose
and more in engaged in the process than I feel was exhibited during this
IPC.

I spent a lot of time reflecting on what is being taught, in the world at
large, as permaculture? Is there any continuity in permaculture design from
country to country, how subjective is what is being taught, following the
whims and limited knowledge of the teachers. This is an important thread to
pursue and I will continue this journal of my Cuban trip in the next segment
"the convergence" where I discuss my presentations of "Capitalism and
Permaculture", "Permaculture Professional Standards", and "Developing a
"Permaculture International Aid and Relief Group". These are all subjects
dear to my heart and, much to my surprise, were well received.

Lest I sound dour and curmudgeonly I would like to say over all my
experience was a very positive one and this was the result of many
conversations with new and old friends who all share my concerns regarding
the state of the world and permaculture.

Scott Pittman
www.permaculture.org





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