| Tamera is an international project for a future without war, with a site that comprises 331 acres, 30 kilometers inland from the Atlantic coast. The project sees itself as an international training and experimental site for the development of peace research villages and healing biotopes worldwide.
In the Monte Cerro Peace Education, students learn in theory and practice how to implement Peace Villages in the context of a global healing concept. An important aspect of the education is Tamera’s experience and knowledge about community and building trust, truth, and transparency, including in the area of love and sexuality. Another main aspect is the study of the political theory of Dieter Duhm that shows up the possibility of global changes through local work.
Based on 30 years of peace research and community experience, Tamera was founded in 1995 by the sociologist, psychoanalyst, and author Dieter Duhm, by the free theologist and author Sabine Lichtenfels, and by the physicist Rainer Ehrenpreis.
Tamera´s aim is to build up a pilot model for nonviolent co-existence of people and between people and nature. The main tasks of Tamera are the education of young people in the Monte Cerro Peace Studies, the development of a village model called Solar Village which produces its own food and solar energy, and the development of a global political network under the name of GRACE. An Animal Sanctuary for horses, sheep, pigs, and others is being created.
For its projects Tamera cooperates with networks and specialists from many areas: permaculture, solar energy, peace work, nonviolence, animal rights, economics, media, and education.
The community ethics is guided by honesty in relationships, truth in love, and transparency in the community, and above all by taking on one's own responsibility and thus steering free of leadership cults.
Currently about 200 staff members and many students live and work in Tamera in the areas of social design and community building, ecology, alternative technology (the Solar Village project), and international peace work and conflict resolution (mainly in Israel/Palestine, Colombia, and India).
Tamera is looking for support and cooperation with other committed peace workers and future communities world-wide. Our main meeting point for contact and network is the annual Summer University in Tamera. | Community location is placed at the center of the zip/postal code, city/state, or city/country (not based on street addresses) Sepp Holzer and Bernd Mueller explain the construction, the effect and the basic ideas for the construction of a water retention landscape: a local and natural solution to the global problem of disturbed water balance. http://www.tamera.org http://www.krameterhof.at More in the books: Bernd Müller: The Secret of Water (Meiga) (DOWNLOAD |
Population Members(adults and children): 190 Non-member Residents: 60 ((students)) Open to new members: Yes (We are searching for more co-workers, particularly in the areas of crafts, ecology, and technology. The process to find the decision to become a co-worker needs some time, and the profound knowledge of the basic ideas of community, peace work and life in Tamera) | Government Decision Making: Other (If important for everyone, in the plenary by consensus, but not in a formal way, based on trust and solidarity and encouraging the best future ideas.) Leadership Core Group: Yes (The responsible persons of the projects form the council of) | Labor and Money Financial Style: Partial income sharing Open to Members with Pre-existing Debt: No Answer ((Questions like this can only be considered when it happens.)) Labor Contribution: Expected (We all have our special tasks and jobs that are necessary to run the place, build the infrastructure, welcome guests, do research etc.) Join Fee: Yes (Guests pay a fee of 25 Euro /day (Portuguese and Third World Countries pay less) for lodging in tents and food. They are expected to participate the actual work, and are invited to join group meetings and thus experience the community life. Special courses have an extra fee.) | Land and Buildings Rural (30 km from the Atlantic coast. Half the way between Lisbon and Faro. The next village is about 4 km.) Area: 330 acres (133.5 hectares) (The original site is covered with korkoak, rockroses, olive grows, bramble and thistles, there is an orchard and a small orange nursery, and among them all whitethorn, quince and a colorful meadow in the spring. Since 2007 we are building a Permaculture water landscape with lakes and ponds, the banks of the lakes are used as organic permaculture gardens.) Land Owned By: Community-controlled land trust Number of Residences: 21 (Five buildings have been here. We have constructed guest center and guest house and homes for students and coworkers. Our Assembly Hall (built in 2006) is the biggest straw-clay building of the Hispanic Peninsula.) | Food, etc. Percentage of Food Grown: 21-50% (The Permaculture Lakeskape is more and more serving as an edible landscape. We mainly grow fruit and vegetables.) Share Community Meals: Nearly all meals (Every department has their kitchen.) Dietary Choice or Restrictions: Diet is up to each individual Dietary Practice: Primarily vegan (The common kitchens are primarely vegan (there are exceptions), however there are coworkers who are no vegetarians. As we have agreed not to eat meat or fish on the site, coworkers and visitors have to go out to eat meat.) Alcohol Use: Used occasionally Tobacco Use: Used Occasionally | Social Factors Common Spiritual Practices: No (There are no religious or spiritual obligations, but we share meditation and prayer that shape the spiritual character of Tamera.) Which Spiritual Traditions(s): Paganism/Earth Religions (We do not follow any special spiritual path but are open to elements of many paths. Each individual chooses his/her form of spirituality. But we celebrate a common spiritual morning attunement which is performened by different individuals.) Educational Style(s): Home schooling (On the Place of the Children, a free school is being developed.) | |
