South America

We are publishing here the complete paper presented by Professor Marina Fernandez to the Second International Symposium organised by the World Centre for Humanist Studies in the different virtually interlinked Parks of Study and Reflection. Marina Fernandez gave her presentation at Punta de Vacas Park of Study and Reflection in the thematic group of Art and Culture.

Exclusive Interview with Clara Charf, president of Women for Peace and organizer of the Brazilian selection of 52 women chosen for the Nobel Peace Prize in 2005. She talks about the advances of Resolution 1325 in Brazil and the “historic” moment that the country is going through with the election of the first female president.

I want to thank the World Center of Humanist Studies for inviting me to discuss “Foundations for the future Planetary Civilization” in this Park of Study and Reflection located at Punta de Vacas. I wish to emphasize how extraordinary it is to be discussing these issues seemingly so distant from political and social activities.

The 2nd International Symposium of the World Centre of Humanist Studies will take place in the Punta de Vacas Park of Study and Reflection, Mendoza, Argentina, organised by the “Ténetor” Centre of Humanist Studies from the city of Mendoza. Speakers from Chile and Argentina, from the city of Córdoba CHS and the “Educate to be human” CHS from the city of Neuquén will attend.

Silent and humble: Silo lost in the huge auditorium, was the visible leader of the great humanist movement which celebrated an International Encounter in Quito. I attended keen to learn about his ideology, to contact his kindred humanists from the five continents; Tomás Hirsch, the Latin American humanist spokesperson, Giorgo Schultze, Rafael de la Rubia.

Here we transcribe the entirety of these lines by “Guri”, the owner of the ice-cream parlour in Chacras de Coria, Mendoza, Argentina. “About the death of Silo”, in which he recounts his 25 year relationship with Mario Luis Rodríguez, Silo, who always bought his ice-creams and ate them on the terrace of his ice-cream parlour.

The ceremony for Silo’s departure took place on Friday 17th September, in the city of Mendoza, in the presence of his friends and loved ones who attended from different parts of the world. Pressenza has released a video of this event. Now Silo’s disciples will spread the ashes in 20 Parks for Study and Reflection in America, Asia, Europe and Africa.

Silo’s spiritual dimension is inexhaustible and his death leaves us with a teaching whose scope, both unpredictable and vast, is difficult to measure. This phrase, uttered in these very complex and clichéd times, seems to speak of someone with an opinion on anything and everything; but Silo did not have anything to do with what is in the media, nor was he a stage act.

Mario Rodriguez Cobos – more commonly known as Silo – the prolific Argentinean author and founder of the Humanist Movement which has activists in over 100 countries around the world passed away today in his home town of Mendoza, Argentina surrounded by family members after battling with Kidney failure for many months.

The following are the notes of the open talk by Fernando Alberto García at the meeting place of Humanist Rebellion base team of The Community for Human Development (Frías 262, Buenos Aires, Argentina), on Saturday August 28, 2010.
It is based on talks Fernando had with our friends in India during July of the same year.