What it means to live well? The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Bolivia at Ca’ Dolfin

How can we live in harmony with ourselves and with the world around us, seeking health and wellbeing and at the same time respecting nature and others? This is just one of the great questions that we are constantly trying to answer, and one that has given rise over the centuries to different visions of the world and the role of humans, that are sometimes quite at odds with each other.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Bolivia, David Choquehuanca Cespedes, will talk about these questions, along with other topics related to the search for an alternative to the dominant development model, during his speech at Ca' Dolfin (Aula Magna Silvio Trentin) on Monday, November 28th at 11am. During his lecture, the Minister will take cues from the wisdom of the Aymara, an ancient indigenous population, established on the shores of Lake Titicaca, on the border between Peru, Bolivia, Chile and Argentina, and their concept of Sumaj Kausay, namely to "live well" or "live fully". This is a philosophy that necessarily leads to review the role of man in his natural environment, in search of a life "in harmony and balance with Mother Earth's cycle, the cosmos, history, and therefore with all forms of life".

The speech will then go on to explore four different types of balance and harmony: within ourselves, with our own kind, with nature and with the interpretation of deity or supreme Being that each one of us has, whatever it is. The same principles that guided the drafting of the new Constitution of the Plurinational State of Bolivia, approved in 2009 and commissioned by President Evo Morales.

The meeting will be moderated by Professor Francesco Vallerani of Ca’ Foscari. Please confirm your attendance to  eventi@unive.it.