Decolonized

I was born in Puerto Rico. One of the last “official” colonies on earth. I know something about the taste and smell of empire.

Today all of humanity is still contending with the reverberations of 500 hundred years of European imperialism.

The indigenous people of the world have a lot to teach us about the genocidal impacts of colonization and about what it will take to decolonize ourselves. Because most of us, indigenous or not, remain colonized by a spell. A spell that tells us that to be human is to stand alone, to extract, consume and accumulate, to be afraid of each other and to confuse economic growth with the developmental growth of our very souls.

Here is a conversation with Kassie Hartendorp. One among the Maori people that are successfully participating in the decolonization of New Zealand.

Kassie is the Director of Action Station, an independent, crowdfunded, community campaigning organization in her native land. They speak of their mission as:

“To tautoko (support) and whakamana (uplift) everyday New Zealanders to act together in powerful and coordinated ways to create what we cannot achieve on our own: a society, economy and democracy that serves all of us - everyday people and Papatūānuku, the planet we love.”

Kassie has an audacious intellect and a generous heart. Every time we speak it feels like we sync into a deep, authentic, generative space that must be what happens when we live life with intention.

You will find this an inspiring and relevant conversation. Decolonization is not only possible. It is actually happening. It leaves me with a sense of hope and possibility.

Kassie holds something that is essential for more of us to learn and remember. I encourage you to listen.

Saludos,

Gibrán

PS It is my hope many of you have noticed that we aim to send this newsletter with the cycles of the moon. We were not able to publish on the New Moon of January 21. But we still wanted this one to go out, as we are celebrating the Lunar New Year. Darshan (my son) and I are both born on Rabbit years. We are wishing you health, wealth, and prosperity. May you “forge ahead with the vigor and vitality of the rabbit!”

Bio

Kassie Hartendorp (Ngāti Raukawa) is currently the Director of the campaigning organisation called ActionStation. She was previously a Community Organizer focusing on supporting and organising ActionStation members and others to create the social and political conditions that enhance tino rangatiratanga and ensure Māori flourishing. Her background is in youth work, takatāpui / rainbow communities, and the trade union movement.

Links


Gibran RiveraComment