Piki Diamond is General Manager, Ruawhetū Charitable Trust, Aotearoa New Zealand. tawona sitholé is a poet and Lecturer in Creative Practice Education at the University of Glasgow, Scotland. Alison Phipps is a poet and holds the UNESCO Chair in Refugee Integration through Education, Languages and Arts at the University of Glasgow, Scotland.
Koutou, ngā kaikawe pūrākau e hono ana ngā reo a tūpuna, ki ngā reo a taiao, pāoho atu. Pāoho atu ngā kupu i runga i ngā ia o ngā hau, ki ngā ao o ngā rangi, mai i te ao tūroa, ki te ao mārama. Mauri ora! Those of you whose stories connect the voices of the ancestors with the voices of the environment, spread the word. Transmit the words on the currents of the winds, to the worlds of the universe. From the natural world to the world of light and enlightenment. Living energies! * Herewini Easton, Te Herenga Waka – Victoria University of Wellington, Aotearoa – New Zealand * This is a profoundly significant work, exceptionally readable and suitable for a broad readership. By recounting personal experiences, the authors convey profound insights into how to transform challenges into invaluable sources of personal growth in a cross-cultural context. The narratives within are thoughtful, elegant, and compelling, emphasizing that in intercultural practice, what truly matters is not merely ‘what occurred’, but ‘who we become through the experience’. * Jixia Lu, China Agricultural University * This highly creative anthology demonstrates restorative practices of creating and sharing knowledge. It underlines the centrality of personal stories and individual voices, while foregrounding the interdependency of new narratives that emerge. Essential reading for all those wishing to understand what decolonizing and Indigenizing scholarship could and should look like. Join the open circle of the firepit. Accept the invitation to listen and to learn. * Charles Forsdick, University of Cambridge, UK *