[LOME] Starting from people or from things

[Michel ANSAY <moderation@ue-acp.org>]

FOLLOWING IS A MACHINE TRANSLATION OF THE ORIGINAL IN FRENCH. IT HAS BEEN
EDITED FOR MISTRANSLATION ONLY. THE ORIGINAL IN FRENCH IS FOUND FOLLOWING,
FOR REFERENCE.

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KEY WORDS: PARTICIPATORY COOPERATION, ROLE OF ACTORS,  
  
* * Title: To start out from people or to start out from things: putting
actors at the heart of the European cooperation * *  
  
By: Michel Ansay <mansay@ulg.ac.be>  
<http://www.ue-acp.org/en/forum/presentations/ansay.html>  
  
°°° Abstract: R. Chambers, in his work " Us and Them : finding a new
paradigm for professionals in sustainable development " describes
interactions well between agents developers and recipients of the actions
development. He incites to taking indigenous knowledge into consideration
because it testifies to a big pragmatism and it is the real insurance of a
sustainable development. This consideration has obvious connexities in
terms of training (training from the existing knowledge) and in terms of
development (what other forms of development?). °°°  
  

Why to take in consideration the contribution of indigenous knowledge
(local traditions) in this human adventure always restarted that is
development? Because they are the before and the after of development.  
  
  
Two paradigms : things and people (R. Chambers, 1998) :   
-------------------------------------------------------   
# Point of Departure and reference : Mode - Keyword - Goals -
Decision-making - Analytical assumptions - Method, rules - Technology -
Professionals' interactions with local people - Local people seen as -
Force flow - Outputs - Planning and action   
# Things : Blueprint - Planning - Pre-set, closed - Centralised -
Reductionist - Standardised, universal - Fixed package (table d'hote) -
Motivating - Beneficiaries - Supply-push - Uniform infrastructure -
Top-down   
# People : Process - Participation - Evolving, open - Decentralised -
Systems, holistic - Diverse, local - Varied basket (a la carte) - Enabling
- Partners, actors - Demand-pull - Diverse capabilities - Bottom-up  
  
  
These items summarize enough well, I believe, the thought of R.Chambers,
who wrote in 1995 that for most developers: "they and what they do not
know" are still the problem ; "we" and "what we know" are still the
solution.  
  
But a bit further, he added: yet to our great disappointment "we" are much
of the problem and "they" are much of the solution.  
  
The before:   
-----------   
One only develops what one carries in germ: a determination since centuries
to observe, to question the nature, the earth, illnesses. It is this
determination, it is these dynamisms that it imports to meet and to help.  
  
It is not necessary to reduce the local knowledge (traditional knowledge,
ethnoscience) to its static, unchangeable dimension, archaeological
vestiges, witnesses of a frozen society,: they testify on the contrary to a
determination of continual adaptation to the changing realities and
problems of the field, to risks of illnesses, in other words, of farmers'
research. This determination existed before the question of a relation of
aid or cooperation was even raised.  
  
The after:   
-----------   
This knowledge is the announcement of another development that one will
qualify as sustainable, more respectful indeed of today's balances and of
tomorrow. One should not separate this knowledge from those who produced it
or detains it today. does This consideration has obvious connexities in
terms of training (train from existing knowledge) and in terms of
development (what other forms of development?)  
  
This knowledge is therefore to be recognized: thus it gives rights (farmers
rigths) to oppose to those (us?) who intend to bring an " added  value".
The ambiguousness of our process should be underscored from thevery
beginning.  
  
In a book dedicates to the policy of Holland concerning development
(Development-related research collaboration. A second look at the role of
the Netherlands . KIT Publications,1994, p.65) put as a requisite to the
construction of "building capacities " (often given as a priority) the
backing of traditional knowledge. Farther, G.T. Castillo (p. 131) noted
this sentence of the Mexican poet Octavio Paz: " between the tradition and
modernity, there is a bridge. Isolated, traditions become petrified and
modernities become volatile. Together, they inspire themselves from one
another, respond to one another, give themselves weight and meaning
mutually".  
  
Bibliographic reference:   
----------------------------------   
- R. Chambers, Us and Them : finding a new paradigm for professionals in
sustainable development. In : Community and sustainable development, edit.
By D. Warburton

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ORIGINAL IN FRENCH:
------------------------------

MOTS -CLES : COOPERATION PARTICIPATIVE, ROLE DES ACTEURS

** Titre : Partir des gens ou partir des choses : mettre les acteurs au
cœur de la cooperation europeenne **

Par : Michel Ansay <mansay@ulg.ac.be>
<http://www.ue-acp.org/fr/forum/presentations/ansay.html>

°°° Resume : R. Chambers, dans son ouvrage "Us and Them : finding a new
paradigm for professionals in sustainable development" decrit bien les
interactions entre agents developpeurs et beneficiaires des actions
developpement. Il incite a la prise en consideration des savoirs indigenes
car ils temoignent d'un grand pragmatisme et c'est la veritable assurance
d'un developpement durable. Cette prise en compte a d'evidentes connexites
en termes de formation (former a partir des savoirs existants) et en termes
de developpement (quels autres developpements ?). °°°


Pourquoi prendre en consideration la contribution des savoirs indigenes
(traditions locales ) a cette aventure humaine toujours recommencee qu'est
le developpement ? Parce qu'ils sont l'avant et l'apres du developpement. 

Two paradigms : things and people (R. Chambers, 1998) :
-------------------------------------------------------
# Point of Departure and reference :
Mode - Keyword - Goals - Decision-making - Analytical assumptions - Method,
rules - Technology - Professionals' interactions with local people - Local
people seen as  - Force flow - Outputs - Planning and action
# Things :
Blueprint - Planning - Pre-set, closed - Centralised - Reductionist -
Standardised, universal - Fixed package (table d'hote) - Motivating -
Beneficiaries - Supply-push - Uniform infrastructure - Top-down
# People :
Process - Participation - Evolving, open - Decentralised - Systems,
holistic - Diverse, local - Varied basket (a la carte) - Enabling -
Partners, actors - Demand-pull - Diverse capabilities - Bottom-up


Ces items resument assez bien je crois la pensee de R.Chambers qui ecrivait
en 1995 que pour la plupart des developpeurs, "they and what they do not
know" are still the problem ; "we" and "what we know" are still the
solution (" Eux et ce qu'ils ne savent pas" : voila toujours le probleme ;
"Nous et ce que nous savons" : voila encore la solution"). 

Mais un peu plus loin, il ajoutait : "a notre grande desillusion pourtant,
nous sommes au contraire, une grande partie du probleme et ils sont une
grande partie de la solution ("we" are much of the problem and "they"are
much of the solution).

L'avant : 
-----------
On ne developpe que ce que l'on porte en germe en soi : une volonte depuis
des siecles d'observer, d'interroger la nature, la terre, les maladies.
C'est cette volonte, ce sont ces dynamismes qu'il importe de rencontrer et
d'aider. 

Il ne faut pas reduire les savoirs locaux (savoirs traditionnels,
ethnoscience) a leur dimension statique, immuable, vestiges archeologiques,
temoins qu'ils seraient d'une societe figee : ils temoignent au contraire
d'une volonte continuelle d'adaptation aux realites changeantes et aux
problemes du terrain, aux aleas des maladies.., d'une recherche paysanne en
d'autres mots. Cette volonte existait avant que ne se pose la question
d'une relation d'aide ou de cooperation.


L'apres : 
-----------
Ces savoirs sont l'annonce d'un autre developpement que l'on qualifiera de
durable ("soutenable"), plus respectueux en effet des equilibres
d'aujourd'hui et de demain. Il ne faut pas separer ces savoirs de ceux qui
les ont produits ou les detiennent aujourd'hui. Cette prise en compte a
d'evidentes connexites en termes de formation (former a partir des savoirs
existants) et en termes de developpement (quels autres developpements ?)

Ces savoirs sont donc a reconnaitre : ils donnent ainsi des droits (farmers
rigths) a opposer a ceux (nous ?) qui se proposent d'y apporter une "
valeur ajoutee ". L'ambiguite de notre demarche est a relever d'entree de jeu.

Dans un livre consacre a la politique de la Hollande en matiere de
developpement (Development-related resarch collaboration. A second look at
the role of the Netherlands . KIT Publications,1994), Sonia Salamanca
(p.65) relevait au titre de la construction des " building capacities "
(souvent donnees comme priorite) le renforcement des connaissances
traditionnelles. Plus loin, G.T. Castillo (p.131) relevait cette phrase du
poete mexicain Octavio PAZ : " entre la tradition et la modernite, il y a
un pont. Isolees, les traditions se petrifient et les modernites deviennent
volatiles. Ensemble, elles s'inspirent l'une l'autre, se repondent l'une a
l'autre, se donnent mutuellement poids et sens ".


Reference bibliographique :
----------------------------------
- R. Chambers, 
Us and Them : finding a new paradigm for professionals in sustainable
development. In : Community and sustainable development, edit. By D.
Warburton,