Talk: Curando: Remedies for Life
Talk

With Curando (an initiative by Luz Dary Mabesoy Torres, anthropologist, and Jocelyn Casarrubias, artist and social scientist)

In this space, we take the time to explore the knowledge associated with medicinal plants. Together, we delve into the stories, genealogies and forms of knowledge passed down through plants and their medicinal uses. We create a dialogue between the traditional knowledge of the Pueblos Originarios and Afro-descendant communities of Abya Yala (the American continent) and classical and contemporary natural history traditions – including the approaches of Hildegard von Bingen, Robin Wall Kimmerer and the Pájara Hierba collective.

The scents, flavours and textures of medicinal plants evoke memories and bring them back to life in the present, in a conscious way and in connection with life itself. Through the senses, we open up a space to share knowledge, experiences and memories relating to plants. To conclude, we will present the fanzine “Curando: Remedies for Migrants”. It has emerged from a collective practice of living knowledge and brings together experiences, memories and shared knowledge about medicinal plants and their potential for providing care.

We at Curando: Remedios para la vida (Remedies for Life) see ourselves as a ‘juntanza’ – a gathering in solidarity where women, young people, and communities collaborate, creating an environment where knowledge is shared and interwoven. Our aim is to reconnect with ourselves and with the Earth, and to protect and nurture life in all its diversity. We are guided on our path by the rediscovery of our ancestors’ knowledge – knowledge of medicinal plants, everyday rituals that nourish our spirituality, and a deep, respectful, and reciprocal relationship with Mother Earth.

Jocelyn Casarrubias is a social scientist and artist who loves to sing. She is part of the ‘Frauen machen Druck’ network, which is dedicated to mutual support, cultural exchange and the establishment of creative spaces that foster connection, empowerment and healing through art.

Luz Dary Mabesoy Torres is a decolonial feminist and social anthropologist. She preserves the spiritual heritage of her African and Indigenous ancestors, incorporating this into individual and collective healing processes with the aim of shaping new, conscious ways of living.

We are committed to respectful interaction. Discriminatory behavior has no place at our events.

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