27 janvier 2008
Download here the complete presentation file (PDF Format, 968 ko)
« Walking is a way of being open to the world.
It gives man back a contented sense of his own existence. »
Éloge de la marche [‘In praise of walking’], David Le Breton
Walking is the distinguishing gait of our kind. It is also something everyone does : on every continent, in every culture, every day, and at every age, men and women walk.
A shared experience, then, which ordinary people engage in on a daily basis : the opposite of adventure, which is something only extraordinary people enjoy. But what if the path followed stretches all the way round the globe? And the trip takes years?
That is the challenge of the round-the-world walk – a challenge at once simple and bold that walkers from widely ranging age groups having diverse types of experience have chosen to take up. They come from different countries and speak a variety of languages. They will be tackling a single stage or completing the entire trip. Only two things unite them: a zest for life and a passion for travelling on foot.
Yet their efforts will also serve a purpose : not for nothing will they be walking but in order to compare their culture and their knowledge with those of the people they meet. Along the way they will give lectures on topics having to do with matters universal, they will attend conferences in places dedicated to learning (universities, libraries, schools, cultural centres, and so on). In doing this, they will be reviving an ancient tradition, that of the wandering scholars and peripatetic monks (the Japanese unsui), who travelled on foot to broaden their knowledge of the world and of humanity.
Such a pilgrimage of learning will assume enormous economic, political, even spiritual significance. Going slowly, when all around are in thrall to speed; proceeding on foot, when cars fill the road; taking the time to use words and think thoughts in an age when the image is king – that is the message they will be setting by their example, these men and women circum-perambulating the globe.
And they will have succeeded if, come tomorrow, you are walking with them.
Olivier BLEYS
Writer
Project initiator
ozana@club-internet.fr
Mon blog
WHAT ?
The round-the-world walk will combine the physical activity of walking with the intellectual activity of voluntary attendance by the walkers at lectures, spontaneous demonstrations, and debates based on the history of depicting the world, the development of cartography, exploration, travel writing and other similar subjects.
The walking
The rate of progress contemplated is of the order of 20 km (12-13 mi) a day, 6 days a week. If they keep that up, by the end of each stage walkers will have covered some 500 km (310 mi).
The lectures
The intellectual side of the programme will be planned in advance in consultation with the institutions able to receive the group. However, spontaneous contributions may be aired at any time, as opportunity permits.
Most lectures will be given free of charge. The proceeds from ticket-only events will be used firstly to defray group expenses, secondly to encourage participation by walkers of slender means – in developing countries, for instance.
If a profit is made it will be given to the French Seuil association founded by journalist Bernard Ollivier, with the aim of rehabilitating, through walking, young people with problems.
Similarly, the authors of books, films, etc. inspired by the project undertake to surrender a modest portion of their takings to the organisers.
WHO ?
The round-the-world walk is open to all persons of mature years, regardless of age, nationality, or sporting ability. However, it is desirable for walkers to be able to demonstrate:
• a sincere commitment to the values of openness, tolerance, and sharing that underpin the project ;
• a degree of physical fitness sufficient to ensure his or her own progress without shackling that of the group.
Taking part in one or more stages also presupposes adherence to the life-style of the walking group. This will be characterised by frugality (cheap accommodation or sleeping in tents, meals prepared in a group setting, a minimum of equipment) and ecological concern (consumption of local produce, environmentally-friendly waste disposal).
The composition of the team of walkers may change as time goes on. Likewise its size. Former participants may decide to leave, others to join. It is also possible to do part of a stage.
Each year, the organisers will strive to ensure that the new team includes at least one walker from the country currently being traversed who speaks the local language. The inaugural team will if possible comprise walkers from all 5 continents.
WHEN ?
Accomplished in one go by a walker in training, a complete round-the-world walk would take more than 10 years. Few people are in a position to suspend family and professional life for that length of time. So it has been decided to walk in
stages – short ones at first, getting gradually longer : stages of a month in the first few years, then 2 months, and so on.
There may be exceptions, but in general the walk will take place during the most suitable season, depending on the part of the world concerned: spring or summer in the northern hemisphere, autumn or winter in the southern hemisphere. The first stage will be walked as soon as the team will be complete .
WHERE ?
Because the whole project will take so long, it is not possible to lay down an itinerary for the round-the-world walk in advance. The precise route of each stage will be decided on by the core team several months beforehand. The sole precondition is that it should start where the previous stage left off, the purpose being to give The round-the-world walk overall coherence.
The inaugural stage will start from the Swiss town of Geneva, city of peace. From there, walkers will proceed north-east to Innsbruck, in Austria.
HOW ?
Compared to other sports, walking is an inexpensive activity, requiring little equipment and involving little outlay.
The inaugural stage will be self-financed by those taking part. Its aim is twofold: to test (and if necessary improve) the formula; and to demonstrate to future partners that the project is a valid one.
Following this first stage, and as the project unfolds, an association will be set up to monitor developments. Material and financial assistance can then be sought as well as logistical support from cultural networks already established abroad (Alliance française, British Council, Goethe Institute, etc.), national ministries of foreign affairs, specialist broadcasters (Cultures-France, etc.).
For further information, please contact…
Olivier BLEYS
(Bordeaux - France)
Mail : ozana@club-internet.fr
Blog
Download here the complete presentation file (PDF Format, 968 ko)
Document translated from French by Jim Underwood