New library in Mexico signifies changing attitudes

The opening of a community library in a conservative Mennonite colony in Mexico signifies changing attitudes towards literacy and education, said Peter Enns, a civic leader (Vorsteher) in the Old Colony church.

“We are noticing that there is a better understanding of the Scriptures when people can read it themselves,” said Enns, speaking in Low German in a telephone interview following the library’s official opening in March.

Biblioteca Colonia Manitoba staff, Franz and Anni Harms. Photo: Kennert Giesbrecht

The library will improve literacy skills and raise the educational level of people in the Manitoba Colony, he explained. “We believe the library is a good thing and wanted to see it completed.”

The 260-square-metre library – named Biblioteca Colonia Manitoba – is located in Lowe Farm, a village in the Manitoba Colony near Cuauhtémoc, Chihuahua, on the same property as the municipal office. It is owned and governed by the colony.

The civic leadership invited Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) to assist with the building project, cataloguing of books, and staff training. Short-term workers Mina and Harold Fehr of Winkler spent five months in Mexico providing assistance.

In consultation with the school committee, the library project evolved to include a resource centre for teachers, storage area for school supplies, and a retail store for school supplies and books.

The library project was started in response to a $100,000 gift from the estate of the late Delbert F. Plett, Manitoba attorney and Mennonite historian. Plett had also requested that books from his personal library be donated to the library.

Kennert Giesbrecht, editor of Die Mennonitische Post and member of the Delbert F. Plett Historical Research Foundation Inc., said the presence of ministers from the Old Colony church and other churches at the opening ceremony were visible indications of widespread support for the project.

Die Mennonitische Post offices in Manitoba, Ontario, and Alberta have been designated as collection depots to help fill the shelves of the lending library and bookstore. The library accepts books in German, English, and Spanish. A committee will be established to screen the books.

The library is only one of many changes designed to improve literacy and support schools and teachers, said Mary Friesen, who coordinates MCC Canada’s programs with Low German Mennonites. Another significant change in the Manitoba Colony is the introduction of a central school committee responsible for school curriculum and teacher training. Manitoba Colony is the largest Mennonite colony in Latin America, with 17,000 people.

—Gladys Terichow for MCC Canada