Nothing Human is Alien to Me
Word count: 870 words approx.
Time approx: 4 minutes approx.
Nothing Human is Alien to Me
July 4th is International Day of Cooperatives, and this year's theme is "Cooperatives for a World in Peace." I want to tell you about Natalia Caridad Quintana, her project in a Havana neighborhood, and the phrase she carries with her.
There is a phrase that Natalia keeps over her project: "Nothing human is alien to me." It was written by Terence, a Latin author, more than two thousand years ago, and since then it has passed from hand to hand through very different people. Today, it stands over a patio on the outskirts of Havana, above a garden that a woman raised from the rubble. And when you meet Natalia, you understand that for her, this phrase is not an ornament. It is, word for word, what she does.
Natalia started planting out of a very concrete need. Food was needed, and not just any food, but clean, chemical-free food that would truly nourish. So, instead of only addressing the issues on her plate, she went out to look for other women who were in the same situation as she was. With them, she set up workshops, and from that union, Project Vida (Life) was born. Her neighbor's hunger was never alien to her.
A Space for Everyone
She designed the garden for women of all ages and very different bodies, so that no one would be left out due to their physical condition. Before planting, she dedicated years to reclaiming soil filled with rubble where, as she says, not even nettle would grow. They hauled out a hundred wheelbarrows of debris by hand. Every tree they planted was decided by the whole family. They would sit at the table to discuss what to plant and what they wanted to share with others.
Natalia does not sugarcoat what she sees. "While many have food even to throw away, others have none," she told me. That is why, for her, sharing is not a nice gesture done only when there are leftovers. It is almost an obligation. She repeats it in her own words: permaculture is caring for nature, caring for others, and caring for oneself, as well as distributing what is produced with those who have nothing. She says she carries it in her blood.
A Promise Kept
When we spoke, the connection cut out constantly. In Cuba, the blockade means there is a lack of fuel and electricity, making something as simple as a phone call difficult. And yet, the first thing she told me was that knowledge is shared regardless of the country or continent you are in.
Before we said goodbye, she made me promise something: to raise my voice against the blockade that seeks to suffocate the people of Cuba today, the one that prevents them from having fuel or medicines. I told her yes. What you are reading now is, in part, that promise fulfilled.
“The theme for this July 4th is "Cooperatives for a World in Peace," and the United Nations links it to its goal of more just and peaceful societies, Sustainable Development Goal 16.”
The theme for this July 4th is "Cooperatives for a World in Peace," and the United Nations links it to its goal of more just and peaceful societies, Sustainable Development Goal 16. Natalia arrived at this idea on her own, long before anyone told her about the theme. She has been building that peace in a single patio for over fifteen years.
What she does there also goes by other names on official paperwork, Zero Hunger and Climate Action, because hers was, from the start, a response to food scarcity and climate change. But she explains it more simply: sharing what you have, not what you have left over, and leaving no one behind. If peace also means having justice and ensuring no one is left alone in their need, then she knew about peace long before we did.
“If you take anything away from Natalia, let it be this: You don't need a farm to start. A flowerpot on a windowsill is enough, as long as you are willing to share what grows in it and not just when it's extra”
The Takeaway
If you take anything away from Natalia, let it be this: You don't need a farm to start. A flowerpot on a windowsill is enough, as long as you are willing to share what grows in it and not just when it's extra. Share what you know, too, because knowledge knows no borders. And do not turn your back on her people: learn about what they live through, and wish for them the same peace that she wishes for everyone.
"Nothing human is alien to me." Natalia lives it every day, with every person who comes to her door. It would only be fair if the world did not leave her, or her people, out of its sight either.
Stay strong, Natalia. And stay strong to those people who, with so little, keep feeding the person next to them.
You can learn about the Vida Family Community Project, and support it, on their Facebook page:https://www.facebook.com/proyectocomunitariovida
Sustainable Development Goals
The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are a universal call to action for all countries to promote prosperity while protecting the planet. This article is aligned with the following SDGs:
SDG 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions
SDG 2: Zero hunger
Author
Melissa Puerto Aguayo is an Erasmus Mundus Scholar studying software engineering for sustainability at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam. Rooted in grassroots initiatives and youth spaces, including the UN ecosystem, she works alongside Indigenous and local communities across Latin America, with a focus on the Caribbean and Yucatán, supporting territorial defense and climate justice. She also moves through youth and feminist tech and climate justice spaces as an ambassador and organizer, including Women Techmakers, 1MYAC, IntegraCode, among others.
