Qatar and Chile collaborate to plant seeds of heritage and strokes of tradition
In the coastal village of Matanzas, Chile, volunteers from Qatar Museums’ Years of Culture programme join locals to restore native plants and paint a mural celebrating Qatari and Chilean heritage.
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00:00The idea is to make a botanical image of the flower nativity that grows mainly in the
00:10area. The idea is to have this image as a way to educate and teach, especially to children,
00:19so that they learn to take care and recognize the flower nativity of this place.
00:24Ferns, flowers and forest shrubs. This is Matanzas, a small fishing village two and a half hours
00:36away from the Chilean capital of Santiago. It's home to some of the country's most diverse
00:41collections of native plants. It was also in this region where the English naturalist Charles
00:47Darwin explored in the 1800s that would help build the foundations of his famous theory of
00:53evolution. This was the very coastline that Darwin navigated some centuries ago. But the
01:04native plants that line Matanzas have been fortifying the cliffs long before his voyage. And today,
01:10Ignacia Echeverria is leading a group of volunteers to repopulate those indigenous shrubs.
01:16The idea is to make a botanical image of the flower nativity that grows mainly in the
01:28area. The idea is to have this image as a way to educate and teach, especially to children,
01:35so that they learn to take care of and recognize the native flower of this place.
01:44The workshop is focusing on replenishing native plants with two main objectives, to create
01:50a biological corridor by attracting insects, birds and other animals, and to strengthen the
01:56soil along the coast.
02:17Ignacia and her team are joined by volunteers from Qatar Museum's Years of Culture Initiative,
02:23who are ready to get their hands dirty, knowing it's for a greater cause.
02:28I think we can learn a lot from this community in observing their relationship with the land
02:33and the way they treat it and the way they interact with it. There's a lot of respect and love
02:37and feeling of, you know, like it's a two-sided relationship the land gives us, so we give it
02:41back with so much love and respect. And that's the value I want to take back home with me.
02:46In the background of the tree planting workshop is another hands-on initiative.
02:52But instead of plants, volunteers are using paint.
02:56Street art has been a canvas for self-expression in Chile since the 1970s.
03:01Everywhere you turn, it's hard not to spot vibrant artwork like these.
03:05And today, volunteers from Qatar are leaving their mark on these walls.
03:10But beyond the art, you'll find that they reflect something much deeper.
03:18We try to find elements from the culture of Chile.
03:22We have here the seaweed and some of the creatures that are available here in the nature.
03:30And also from Qatar, we have the oryx, we have the palm tree, we have the boat, and we have the falcon, the camel, and other elements.
03:40Soha and her peers have found that despite being thousands of kilometers apart and separated by oceans and land masses,
03:47there are more similarities than differences between Qatar and Chile.
03:52Actually, we have in Qatar culture, the sadhu, the sadhu fabric, which is really a remarkable fabric in Qatar.
04:00And we found the same, similar fabric here in Chile, which is, looks like the same like sadhu.
04:08Humans are connected all over the world.
04:12Let's focus on the similarities and not the differences because we are human.
04:17Every stroke of Soha's brush will now become enshrined and remembered as a lasting legacy of this cultural exchange.
04:27Just like the shrubs and trees being planted by her fellow volunteers, that will hopefully grow more roots of shared knowledge.
04:35Nearly 200 years since Darwin's voyage to South America, the plants he documented are being kept alive through initiatives that repopulate the species in the wild.
04:45And while it's taken root amongst the local population, partnerships with the international community allow the seeds of knowledge to be planted around the world, one tree at a time.
04:59And in the rain they'll see and into the panel that they will become a rare point.
05:03And we may not be able to catch the cold from the world.
05:05Let's see.
05:07Be a good morning.
05:09We will check the hot details with Mr. Gertrude.
05:11We will be still looking at the water for you.
05:13But we will not receive the softener for you.
05:15We will have your help.
05:17And the rain is coming to the place.
05:19We will see the softener for you.
05:21And the rain is coming to the most, we will be in Querida.
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