Frosini Koutsouti

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Bio

"I was trained as a cultural anthropologist at the City University of New York, Queens College, and for over 20 years I have been living and working in Katafygi, a small village of the Greek island of Ikaria. Throughout these years I have been active in the village association and have listened to and worked with village women interested in forming an agricultural cooperative to create local products such as organic herbs. I have also organized free Art Classes and a library in the old school of the village for children of the whole area (ages 4-13). Between 1997-2000, the people of Katafygi through the village association stopped the construction of a quarry in one of our commons- in a low valley of the village that was the home of rare wild-life and a resting ground for migrating birds. Since 1998 we played a decisive role, along with neighboring villages, in stopping the burning of garbage in the garbage dump that lies on the borders of our village. Our struggles up to now have been partially successful in that our municipality was the first on the island to have initiated a recycling program. Since last year I am a member of a team of commoners and social scientists who have initiated a dialogue about how economic globalization affects our communities, our commons and our culture and cooperate with local communities and also propose sustainable solutions to current problems that pertain to the commons. My life and work with fellow villagers is a part of the commons itself, it is about conviviality, solidarity, creativity –everything that renews our culture."


More Information

Active in: Local Association of Katafygi, secretary, A non-profit organization representing the villagers of Katafygi, founded in 1978.