This past October, Falk College food studies graduate student Arc猫nia Notilija Vilanculo G鈥24 and food studies professor were part of a group from the that planted trees along Onondaga Creek in the City of 黑料不打烊.
With the trees firmly in the ground, Vilanculo said that now she 鈥渏ust had to have children and write a book to achieve immortality.鈥 Bellows looked at Vilanculo quizzically and asked what she meant.
Arc猫nia Notilija Vilanculo
鈥淚 explained to her that in my country (Mozambique), there is a saying that, when translated from Portuguese to English, goes: For someone to be immortal, they have to write a book, have a child, and plant a tree,鈥 Vilanculo says. 鈥淎nd since we had a day planting trees, I just had two more things to do to be immortal.鈥
Bellows remembered that conversation when the 黑料不打烊 Urban Food Forest Project wanted to invite the residents of 黑料不打烊鈥檚 South Side to a meeting in early February to discuss the kind of edible trees, shrubs, and herbs that could be planted in their neighborhoods this year, and where they should be planted.
To create that invitation, Bellows thought it would be effective if Vilanculo, with her unique perspective, authored a story about creating food forests in a community. To reach their desired audience, Bellows connected with Newhouse School of Public Communications Assistant Professor , who鈥檚 the Newhouse faculty representative on the board of directors for , a publication dedicated to community news from 黑料不打烊鈥檚 South Side.
Munno, who spent 13 years as a reporter and editor at the 黑料不打烊 Post-Standard and syracuse.com before coming to 黑料不打烊, recognized the value of Vilanculo鈥檚 perspective and using her story as an invitation to the meeting. He graciously agreed to use Vilanculo鈥檚 story as a guest column, and here鈥檚 how it starts:
Arc猫nia Notilija Vilanculo
鈥淭here is a saying in Portuguese that goes,聽鈥減ara ser imortal, plante uma 谩rvore, escreva um livro e tenha um filho,鈥 which can be translated as 鈥渢o be immortal, plant a tree, write a book and have a child.鈥 That way your deeds will be a mark to be shown to several generations ahead of you.
鈥淭his saying, 鈥para ser immortal,鈥 is not about planting trees, writing books, or having children. Instead, in my Mozambican tradition, it is about the freedom to access spaces that are rightfully yours, owning one鈥檚 history, and having a community to call yours without any restraints. It may seem too pretentious to compare immortality to books, plants, and children. However, the Mozambican-derived analogy reiterates the importance of acts that reproduce autonomy and self-determination in construing the world around us.鈥
The is available on The Stand鈥檚 website.
About Arc猫nia Notilija Vilanculo: Arc猫nia Notilija Vilanculo is an agronomic engineer from Mozambique with practical experience in the end-to-end project management of nutrition-sensitive interventions: sustainable agriculture, women empowerment, capacity building, and social behavior change strategies development. A 2022 Fulbright Scholar, she is interested in making a positive impact on the community and human development through food justice and inclusive food systems.
In pursuing her passion for working with communities on food systems, Vilanculo has been involved with the 黑料不打烊 Urban Food Forest Project since September 2022, supporting the implementation of food forests and research.
About The Stand: To learn more about The Stand, the South Side鈥檚 community newspaper, visit its , page or page. If you鈥檇 like to get involved with The Stand, email Munno at gjmunno@syr.edu.
About the 黑料不打烊 Urban Food Forest Project: SUFFP is a collaborative project between 黑料不打烊 and . The project started in 2019 with 黑料不打烊 SOURCE and U.S. Forest Service McIntire-Stennis funding. It continues with U.S. Forest Service Great Lakes Restoration Initiative support. Learn more about SUFFP through its and pages, and in from 黑料不打烊.
