The Genie Is Out of the Bottle: Reflections on the Globalization of Ayahuas

1100 North Western Avenue,Los Angeles CA 90029

08 September, 2022

Description

We are excited to announce an in-person Chacruna event which is part of our new series Chacruna Community Dialogues. This panel will be focused on educating the public and bringing awareness to the emergent globalization of ayahuasca. This event will include a panel discussion with Ariel Clark, who is General Legal Counsel to Chacruna Institute and member of Chacruna’s Board of Directors, Bia Labate, who is a Brazilian anthropologist and Executive Director of Chacruna, Sitaramaya Sita, who has traveled, worked and studied extensively in the Amazon for the past 20 years, and Tony Moss, who is the founder of I.AM.LIFE, a Los Angeles-based non-profit event production company focused on interconnectivity. Afterwards, we will also provide a space for socializing among participants and attendees, to whom we will be happy to offer delicious snacks and drinks for refreshment. Tickets to participate in this event can be purchased here. With the mainstreaming of psychedelics, we are seeing more and more stories of people talking about their ayahuasca experiences at retreat centers in the Amazon and elsewhere. From celebrities on talk shows, reality tv shows, vlogs on youtube, to decriminalization efforts in the U.S., all of these representations of ayahuasca use in pop culture and the general public sphere are peaking the interest of people across the nation to have these experiences themselves. What is happening globally with ayahuasca, and what are the biggest concerns with this expansion beyond the Amazon, and how do we address these issues? For some, this globalization might represent a hope to save our societies and even human species, while for others, it’s a very problematic phenomenon. How can we understand this complex cultural scenario? Are there benefits in this globalization? And who is benefitting? What is happening to Indigenous communities outside of the U.S. who come from ayahuasca traditions? What is happening in the U.S. in regards to ayahuasca? Are local US communities healthy, ethical and organized? How do we combine a critical reflection on these matters while also acknowledging love, spirit, and the real lived benefits of healing and spiritual growth that many of us have experienced in our own flesh? In this panel, speakers will address topics such as: mainstreaming, commodification, cultural appropriation, extractivism, tokenism, conservation, Indigenous reciprocity, legal regulation, spirituality, ethics, and education. With different backgrounds and expertise, ranging from law & policy to decades of researching ayahuasca in the Amazon, or practicing these healing modalities, speakers hope to raise awareness about key issues and create community safeguards as ayahuasca goes global. Come support advancing cultural understanding and legitimacy for ayahuasca, engage in advocacy and protection of sacred plants and cultural traditions, and most importantly: to be together in community as ayahuasca people! Program (PST) 6:00 – 6:30pm: Arrival of guests 6:30 – 8:00pm: Panel 8:00 – 10:30pm: Social hour + networking + drinks For more information visit our event webpage