Knowledge and People's Power - Multiworld India

valley of Mezquital, in Hidalgo, Mexico) said the same, as she described inOtomi the meetings of the herbal doctors and local sages which take placeevery two months in the study -groups of the community centre. They too areseeking independence by means of traditional knowledge which they put tothe service of social change and people's progress. Their efforts complementthose of teachers, land squatters, the united tillers of the common land and thestudents who provide information which will foster greater transformations inMexican society. "All of us come together to produce and share ourknowledge in the same way that the bees make honey. We could even start apopular political movement of the masses." Dofia Jovita finished her talk byshooing away some goats which were coming too near the deliciouschilacayote dish which she was cooking.The smell of food and open cactus fruit wafted to the south towards therocky hamlet of El Regadio near Estelf (Nicaragua) and the border withHonduras. "Their food is delicious, but the way things are going in Mexicoand Colombia, they will never have a revolution," said Teresa as she lit an oillamp in the corridor of her house where the peasants of one of the 17 literacycollectives of the neighbourhood will come and sit on long benches at the endof the day as usual for their class."Our Sandinist Revolution, on the other hand, is trying to create andconsolidate people's power right now, which in the force and the knowledgeof all of us who are working and learning together to build a better country.""How do you explain that? And what about the vanguards?" theColombians and Mexicans asked in worried voices."Things are not the same here as in other places," Teresa answered."Experience is showing us that it is the organised people who recognise theirown capacities and who are the real vanguard because they are shaping thenew reality and will persist in their action until the final victory is won. Forthis reason here in El Regadio we are studying our history and have learnedto make a census, tasks in which we got ahead of the experts from Esteli and,Managua. We are learning how to deal with Government officials because weare looking for ways, with our experience, to co-ordinate the efforts of all ofus to build a just society. We fought against the, large estate owners, and afterour victory we founded two Sandinist agricultural co-operatives in26