Four Years of ORA, Brought to Life
Commonweal’s latest art exhibition celebrated four years of ORA through the large-scale art and digital collage of artist Jon Marro. These pieces grew alongside ORA itself — commissioned to accompany stories submitted by fellows and grantees as the work unfolded in real time. Seen together now, they form something larger: a visual record of resilience, […]
An Artist’s Reflection on Alafu and the First Anniversary of Kenya’s “Gen Z” Protests
“Alafu, Alafu, Alafu, Alafu, Alafu,” the audience, then in a frenzy, sang with me. I broke the fourth wall and joined them from where they were standing; some were seated. It was a motley crowd but for the most part it comprised activists, some of whom I had been in the streets with. I held […]
Introducing the Feminist Political Ecology School in Uruguay
In July, 21 women from different territories along the río de los pájaros pintados—the Guaraní name for what is now Uruguay—gathered for the first Feminist Political Ecology School in this corner of Abya Yala. This school was born from the need to name the violence that shows up in our bodies-territories, and the everyday strategies […]
The Canopy Collective: Weaving Science, Art, and Indigenous Knowledge For Conservation
What is the language of love that mahouts use to communicate with their elephants? How deep is the ecological wisdom of forest women, preserved through oral traditions and folklore? These questions drive the work of ORA India Fellow Dr. Nandini Velho—a scientist, field biologist, and conservationist whose research lives at the intersection of the biophysical, […]
Rooting in Collective Memory: An Afternoon with Las Gurisas
We arrived around noon at Unidad Cooperaria No. 1, in the town of Cololó, department of Soriano, about 300 kilometers west of the capital. As soon as we got out of the van, we were met with a suspicious heat that foretold a storm—and a swarm of teenagers. Las Gurisas—Lucía, Mariana, Lucía, and Laura—were fully […]
Carding, Spinning, and Weaving: Stories from the Rural Women’s Group of Piñera-Beisso
We arrived in Piñera very early—it was raining and cold, but nothing diminished our excitement to meet the women of the Piñera-Beisso group. When we arrived, most of them were already there: Rogelia, Elvira, Claudia, and Mercedes. Angélica needed a ride, so we went to meet her on the road connecting Piñera with Beisso, surrounded […]
Women Weaving Memory and Plotting Life in Northern Rocha, Uruguay
We arrived Saturday night in Chuy, a border town in the north of the Rocha department that borders Brazil, where we were planning to sleep before heading out early to the rural area where the gathering would take place. We were tired—it had been a drive of just over five hours, most of it at […]
Meeting the Hum Pampa and Its Interwoven Body-Territories
Photos by Val Rodlez The Hum Pampa community is a group of women descended from the Indigenous Charrúa nation (which once inhabited what is now Uruguay, as well as parts of western Argentina and southern Brazil). It is a decentralized collective spread across the country, with members living in various towns and departments, primarily in […]
The Polycrisis Nexus: How Niger Delta Communities Are Crafting Survival
The people of the Niger Delta have remained resilient
Cultivating Agroecological Farming in Northeast India
Samir Bordoloi, an ORA India 2023 Fellow, is at the forefront of agroecological farming in Northeast India. He is dedicated to co-creating a thriving farming community and promoting a happy and healthy lifestyle through environmentally friendly practices. His work emphasizes providing nourishing, and healing food while maintaining a deep respect for nature. With a young […]