International conference of WFCP in Halifax

Yesterday, after a long travel from Bilbao, Madrid to Boston, finally I arrived to Halifax in Nova Scotia. If it is so long for me, it is difficult to imagine the Basque fishermen approaching the coast after so long travels in small boats to fish code or whales. Maybe the good relation they maintain with the Mik´maq thorugh more than 4 centuries, was a first class prize after so much suffering.

Weather is quite cloudy today but the temperature is not bad.

We start this afternoon with the conference. The high quality level of speakers and workshops guarantee that the conference will be a success. During the morning I will have the chance to go to explore the surroundings to have a clear image about the place I am standing the following five days. 

Finally it was not the full morning free as I imagined but anyway, I felt as if I were at home. 8.15 in the morning and visiting the farmers´ market as I usually do in my home town. I am sure that someone missed me this morning there. 

Tomato plants, aubergines, new potatoes, different flowers everywhere: William cullina,  New England Aster, Swamp Milkweed, Sun Patien, Kanga Anigozanthos, King Tut...etc. Artisans, sausages and bakery places mixed, but sharing an harmonious atmosphere with families and also youngsters going around in a very pleasant way.

In the way there, fishing boats take a rest for the weekend and bars and shops are still closed.

 09.00, it is time to go to the meeting. 

It has been an interesting experience. I have met the former minister of Education from Chile and the current vice-minister of Education from Bolivia. Both are very interesting and enthusiastic regarding to education and mainly regarding to Technical applied education and applied research.

We shared good conversations during the meeting and the lunch.

Later on, it was the turn for the keynotes. The first one is introduced by Paul Brenan, Elder Catherine Martin, Mi´kmaw filmmaker, drummer and educator. She brings to the conference a halo of spiritualism and mystery based on an native ritual prepared with smoke and drums´sound. All the people stands up while she is singing. When she finished I had the chance to meet her and talk about the Basque fishermen and the collaboration with the Mi´kmaw during centuries. Maybe she will visit us in a near future

Regarding to the keynote speakers, there were two, for different reasons, that should be highlighted:

1. Betty Ann Lavallée, national chief of the Congress of Aboriginal peoples who drew a passionate  defense of the aborigines´ rights and a deep denounce of the conditions they are suffering. It is necessary, she pointed out, the implication of applied education providers, regional and national governments, not only in Canada but also all over the world, to be aware about the importance for the future of a country to respect and save the values of the indigenous nations.

1. Vicente Fox, former prime minister of Mexico. From the advantage that gives to be known all over the world because of his political background, he rushed into different statements that could be found polemics from different points of view. An analysis of the actual society leadership trends, changing the established power  from the west to the east, a defense in this sense of the necessity of collaboration to recover, by USA and Canada, also with the help of Mexico of course, the role lost in terms of leadership in the world. A leadership based on the values of democracy that should be transmitted by further applied education and Community Colleges, "You lead students to the future" he pointed out to an  captivated audience by his easy eloquent speech. The first show for the gallery.  He continued with the BRICS (Brazil, Rusia, India and China) and demanded the role of Mexico over most of the countries in this group. Obviously he couldn´t finish his statetment without making a reference to the current situation in his country with hundreds of corpses on the table every month Here he dodged the issue and started giving out beatings in two senses: First to Venezuela, Bolivia and Peru as drugs´ producers and then to USA and Canada as main consumers. I agree with him in one thing, he defended the need to legalize drugs together with the implication of the educational sectors in showing the danger of the consume of drugs and finally after a question about why didin´he do it when he was the president, he talked about the difference between the situation he afforded when he was a president and the situation nowadays. He told that Mexico is loosing opportunities, youngsters and talents and that nobody of the people involved in crimes was born as a criminal, it is not in the genes. 

          Finally, taking advantage again of the captivated audience, he talked about democracy, new ideas, values, ethics, behaviours, new ideas and new programmes that could be started everyday. He talked that well being is more important than a larger salary and finalized his statement inviting people to visit Fox education foundation where we will taste the best enchiladas and taste the best tequila and the audience standing up broke between rounds of applause.