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Upon my arrival in Bilbao, my quest to find the public library was at the top of my list. Most of us feel anxiety when we are away from our cell phones or computers for an extended period of time – I get nervous when I don’t have access to books. I know that I’ll rarely have the time to read all of them, but I take comfort in knowing that their knowledge and far away lands will always be there.
Yet a public library – and the incredible scope of our access to information – isn’t something that we take the time to fully appreciate often. Even I am guilty of this. I am writing to you from the public library in Bilbao now, but I’ve hardly stopped to appreciate the fact that I am surrounded by books. Un mogollón de libros. Not only that, but these are books that are encased in elegant shelves, mounted on marble walls, illuminated by giant chandeliers. These are books of perfect condition, in English, in French, in Basque, and Spanish.
All of it – like most of Bilbao – was built to inspire and impress, yet at the end of the day, I have to cast my lot with Luis Soriano Bohoroquez. I would prefer my books to be delivered in person, on the back of a donkey, by someone who is dedicated to serving his community any way he can, skip the lavish showcasing of collections. When Soriano visited the glittering library of Bogota last year, his response was much the same: “I felt so ordinary in Bogota. My place is here [in La Gloria]“.
And it’s easy to see why. The children love him. For the past ten years, Luis has been carrying his small library on the back of his donkey to the knowledge-hungry farm children in the countryside in and around La Gloria, Colombia. In addition to delivering books, he helps with homework, assists in reading, and encourages his pupils to dream big. The children, in turn, are given an escape from the violence by bandits that plagues the Colombian countryside. They are taken to far away worlds. They can help their parents read important documents and in the long run, many more doors will be open to them because of their ability to read.
We often talk at SocialEarth how you can’t change the world alone. You need the support and assistance of many others behind the scenes, but it starts with one person. For ten years, Luis Soriano Bohoroquez has always been two donkeys, himself, and a traveling library. That’s some fierce kind of determination.
Contributor Profile: Ashley
Ashley is a friend of anyone who is fighting the good fight for social change. She currently resides in Bilbao, Spain where she is teaching English and researching the history of the Basque conflict. Personal blog
Twitter: @socialearth
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