Bergamo, Italy 2022

After a break of 2 years due to COVID-19, it was time to finally meet again for the third international gathering. This time in beautiful Bergamo. Bergamo is known for having a relatively large Bolivian population, and Bolivian culture has a strong presence, which is why it felt especially meaningful for us to organize the gathering there. The event organisers were Atamhi, Vicente, Teresa and Raul. 

Participants started to arrive during the Friday and in the evening there was an Early Bird dinner at an authentic Bolivian restaurant. The food was excellent and the atmosphere great, afterwards local Bolivian adoptees guided the group to some nice bars.  

Saturday morning started with meet and greet followed by group discussions. In each group, a topic relevant to adoption was discussed. After the lunch break, we got to listen to several interesting presentations. Among them we listened and learned about  the instrument called siku. During the afternoon we had salteñas and mocochinchi which was very appreciated. We then watched the documentary My Strange Homeland, which revolves around an adopted Bolivian who is reunited with his family in Bolivia. We also had a panel discussion on the theme of returning. After a short rest, we met again for dinner, followed by dancing for those who felt like it. 

The last day of the gathering was dedicated to culture. The day began with a presentation and discussion about, the network’s book Communal Histories of Displacement and Adoption. A local Bolivian dance group performed Salay, Morenada, and Caporales. We were invited to try the dances ourselves, and a spontaneous workshop emerged. In what has now become a tradition, the weekend concluded with a shared Bolivian lunch.