What can we learn from the Mutirao?

The 9th Assembly said many things, most of which you can read in this issue of Ecumenical Review. They will guide the work of the WCC and, hopefully, inspire and encourage the whole ecumenical movement. The record of the assembly in image and sound as well as word is an essential tool for shaping the future. An analysis of what we can learn from the actual experience is also vital if the assembly is to be transformational. This article reflects on what we can learn from the mutirao from the perspective of a WCC staff member.

In the evaluations of the assembly we have received a great deal of positive feedback from those who participated in the mutirao. They spoke warmly of the opportunities to encounter, engage and reflect. If there was a criticism, it was of too much choice. Each participant's view of the mutirao would be different as each would have had their own set of experiences. This article can give an overview and some analysis but it cannot convey those deep moments experienced by individual participants.

The WCC has a habit of adopting words from the host culture as a title for activities in major events. There is always some discussion as to whether this is a respectful use of the word. For the Harare assembly, for example, we used padare to describe workshops offered in a themed programme. As the planning for the 9th Assembly began there was talk of officinas--workshops. Many thought that this was too prosaic and that we needed a word which had a more creative and dynamic feel and one which would include many different kinds of activities. We found this in the word Mutirao and added a sub-title 'Coming together to make a difference'.

The brochure described it thus:

   The word mutirao comes from a Brazilian word meaning a meeting
   place, an opportunity to work together for a common purpose, a
   space to discuss and argue with each other in building a common
   dream. In Brazil, for example, people in poor communities sometimes
   "make a mutirao" to build a house together. They ensure that there
   is the needed expertise on how to build a house and then the
   community joins in to work together to realize a common, concrete
   objective.

   The mutirao at the assembly will provide a space for reflection,
   celebration, and exhibits. A full programme will provide a rich
   array of offerings on many different issues, organized by churches
   and related organizations in all parts of the world.

One of WCC's aspirations for the 9th Assembly was that it would be an ecumenical formation experience for participants. My own interpretation of that was that it should be more than an opportunity for participants to learn about the working and concerns of the ecumenical movement in general and the WCC specifically. It should be an opportunity to become ecumenical in their understanding, sympathy, relationships and commitment, leading to ecumenical action. If you like, participation in the assembly would be a process of conscientisation--a concept WCC learned from the great Brazilian educator, Paulo Freire, when he worked with us. We could say that without conscientisation there cannot be transformation.

The mutirao was a space that surrounded and was within the programme for the assembly delegates. It was not simply the visitors' programme of former assemblies nor was it a workshop and exhibition programme as in Harare. It did include such elements but was more. The detailed planning for the mutirao was undertaken by a Geneva staff team in close collaboration with a Latin American working group and the local organizers so that there was a strong input from the regional context of the assembly as well as a global dimension. This partnership was successful in both the preparatory stages and in Porto Alegre to a degree for which we had not dared hope. One of the keys to this may be that the WCC's lack of capacity to do everything meant that we had to trust our partners rather than control them.

We invited people to apply to offer workshops in the mutirao. The purpose of these was to explore an issue using participants' experience rather than to promote particular organizations. Agencies and issue-based networks were quick to respond, probably because they were accustomed to doing so for events like the World Social Forum. Others required some prompting in order to fill gaps that we identified. It was noticeable that churches per se did not tend to offer workshops even though they were invited. In Porto Alegre several church representatives remarked that they could have made a contribution had they thought about it.

Our philosophy was to offer spaces for workshops and let the organizers do them in their own way. However, we were proactive in requesting those who offered the same theme to work together on a joint workshop. This set up some positive collaborations between people who had never worked together before. Unfortunately, some could not rise to this challenge. We asked people to think beyond panel discussions and powerpoint presentations to wards more creative and engaging styles. As well as encouraging an emphasis on participation rather than presentation in the workshops, we asked organizers to indicate the potential for the involvement of youth. One response was that youth would set up the room--moving table and chairs was not exactly what we had in mind!