Knowledge and People's Power - Multiworld India

new ones being formed, because this seemed indispensable in creatingpermanent and stable structures to implement action.The partial reports were drafted in Spanish and in the native languages,once the results began accumulating. The co-ordinator, in consultation withthe rest of the team, prepared the present abridged report. The resulting textwas taken to the grassroots organisations for revision and approval.Since the five communities chosen in the three countries were and are ourreference groups, the present report was conceived and written for them in asimple and direct manner, in line with the techniques governing the diffusionof knowledge adopted by PAR researchers. It will be recalled that four levelsof communication have been-established: "0", when the information iswithout printed words and is based only on symbols and pictures; " 1 ", whenthe same information is given by combining both visual and written signs, asin an illustrated booklet: "2", when the information is prepared with a view totraining community leaders or cadres who have already received someconceptual initiation; and "3', when the same material is carried to a morecomplex analytical, conceptual and theoretical stage, for advanced cadres andintellectuals.In the present case, the "Introit" and the first seven sections whichcomprise the two main lessons were conceived and written for a level-2audience; section 8 and further reading for level 3. We did not write ourreports necessarily with the ILO or its Geneva officials in mind, although theOrganisation sponsored our studies and fieldwork. On the contrary, since thebase groups constituted our principal reference, we are pleased to report thatthe Spanish version of the present text is already being used as educationalmaterial for cadres in our countries. This fact alone would undoubtedlyjustify the effort which we who are not peasants have made from the outsideto accomplish something useful for the struggles of our peoples.The reader will note that the report is divided into two parts, each ofwhich has been called a "lesson". We have done this to emphasise the natureof our common quest for knowledge which we undertook in the field. Thefirst lesson deals with "learning to interact and organise" in order to attain ouraims, with account being taken not only of participatory experiences but alsoof the urgent need to bring about significant changes in the17