Oral Culture and Oral Preference

[Chris Corrigan]

Michael Herman reported:


>  one leader from capetown told the conference sponsor today,
>  "we've been doing this open space thing for a long time in
>  south africa, a very long time, really... only we do it
>  outside, under the trees.  but this is not how our
>  government works.  now i am so grateful to learn that we can
>  do government under the trees as well!"

That puts me in mind of one of my favourite stories about OST and
indigenous communities.  Once in a 3 day conference in Open Space on
economic development, an Stl'atl'mx elder who had been the consummate
butterfly remarked to me on the last day that he was amazed by the
process and his observation was that "this is the first time most of
these people had met like our ancestors did."  Of course he meant this
in terms of the quality of the gathering and the interactions that had
been going on, but his point (and Michael's and Harrison's earlier one)
are well taken and serve to remind us that the essence of OST is somehow
lodged in this original and indigenous use of passion and
responsibility.

Chris

---
CHRIS CORRIGAN
Consultation - Facilitation
Open Space Technology

Bowen Island, BC, Canada
http://www.chriscorrigan.com
chris at chriscorrigan.com

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