The Fundación Solón was founded in 1994 at the initiative of artist Walter Solón Romero to foster creativity and a critical view of rebellious spirits. Over the years, and after the master’s departure in 1999, the Solon Foundation became a center for questioning and searching for alternatives through art, analysis and activism in an attempt to change the system.
Confronting injustices and dreaming of a different world are the legacies of the artist who once said:
“We cannot allow our dreams to disappear when it is time to wake up. If we have lost faith in the myths of the past, then let us build new dreams. We have all seen this world roll down the cliff of history: wars, revolutions, frustrations, victories, defeats… We all have experiences to recreate the utopia of humanity.”
The mission of the Solon Foundation is to contribute to the practice of humanity, a humanity that lives in harmony, developing its human potential in a world of solidarity, respectful of life and nature. To practice humanity is to assume that all human beings have the right to happiness regardless of race, culture, gender, generation, economic and social status, hierarchy, political or religious opinion.
Our institutional objective is to promote Solon’s work and thought. To this end, we combine the systematization and dissemination of his works with the research and production of audiovisual, printed and digital materials about our reality and different initiatives that invigorate the practice of humanity.
In this journey of more than two decades, we have gained experience in the issues of water, free trade, the fight against impunity, domestic work, climate change, human rights and the rights of Mother Earth.
At present, the Solon Foundation has three areas of work (Systemic Alternatives, Mother Earth and Rights), manages the Solon House Museum, watches over the place of the disappeared detainee José Carlos Trujillo Oroza and provides services at the level of audiovisual production, events and research.
Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)
Paradigmatic
One of their areas of work is ‘Systemic Alternatives’, rooted in intersystemic analysis: “we are living a systemic crisis that can only be solved through systemic alternatives. Humanity is facing a complex set of crises from environmental, economic, social to civilizational crisis. All of these crises are part of a whole. We cannot solve one of these crises without addressing the others.” This workstream is based on various paradigmatic alternatives, e.g. degrowth, rights of nature, buen vivir.
Integrated
Mostly cultural and systems levels, but also some inner in their acknowledgement of spiritual: “transitions must be multidimensional and inclusive of our relationships with nature, our daily behavior patterns, the State and the political system, the economy, the social, the spiritual, energy, international relations and ethics”
Also integration of multiple worldviews/cosmologies, E.g. Rights of Nature, focus on amplifying perspectives of indigenous people
Pragmatic
Pragmatic/engaged approach can be seen in their strategic approach to action - on their website for each of their work areas (Systemic Alternatives; Mother Earth; and Rights), they lay out a problematic, objectives, and planned actions to reach those objectives.
Key Publications
’- Alternativas Sistémicas (2017)
- Reflexiones Amazónicas (2022) https://asambleamundialamazonia.files.wordpress.com/2022/08/rs-07-fospa-final-1.pdf
- Es posible el vivir bien? (2016) https://funsolon.files.wordpress.com/2016/06/vb.pdf