Thursday, June 9, 2011

Biblioworks, Language, and Literacy


Roxana reads with a group of girls from Tomina.

Among Biblioworks` primary objectives is the improvement of literacy in rural Chuquisaca, a region where education is largely under-funded and where many (often most) live in extreme poverty. In Tarabuco, a town known primarily for its Sunday textile market, about 60% of the population lives in what is officially called extreme poverty. Among men the literacy rate is 59.56%, and among women it is only 35.75%.

The causes of these low literacy rates are complex, but they are undoubtedly tied to limited funding, the reliance on child labor caused by extreme poverty, and insufficient culturally appropriate resources. Indeed, although over 90% of the population of Tarabuco speaks Quechua as a first language, texts and classrooms rely primarily on Spanish.


The complex challenges facing the education system in Tarabuco will not be easily overcome; however, one step toward improving the situation here will involve disentangling the knotted history of colonialism and embracing indigenous cultures. As such, the staff at Biblioworks hopes to increase the production of texts written in Quechua and to promote respect for local knowledges.

Among the grants that Ryan and I are working on is one that would fund this project. Ideally, we will be able to find the funding for the research, production, and promotion of a Quechua book that would contain local histories, legends, and perhaps even recipes! ¡Ojala!

No comments:

Post a Comment