20 Q’s with Sacred Fire Foundation’s Sofia Arroyo

1. Who are your real-life heroes in your field?
Indigenous elders from all over the world who are keeping the fires of tradition burning and passing on their ancestral knowledge onto the younger generations.

2. What did you want to be when you grew up?
An actress and a diplomat with United Nations.

3. What is one thing you wish the general public knew about your work?
How absolutely important and relevant Indigenous knowledge is to all humans.

4. If funding were no object, what would you do?
Many films on Indigenous Wisdom from around the world and would increase our support of Indigenous communities in more countries.

5. How do you get through a tough day?
One word: Bacon.

6. What do you see as the greatest challenge your community is facing?
Annihilation… Indigenous Peoples everywhere are being targeted because governments and corporations want what is left of their lands and territories and because they are defending the environment.

7. What is the strongest asset of your community?
Their millennial-proven wisdom that manifests in a more balanced and respectful way of relating to the world and to each other.

8. If you weren’t doing this kind of work, what would you be doing?
Acting and directing.

9. Favourite film?
Bleu from the Kieslowski trilogy.

10. Favourite song right now?
Anything Bjork or Peter Gabriel.

11. Activist you most admire?
My husband.

12. If you could tell the field of philanthropy one thing what would it be?
We need to review our priorities! Systems change, that is what we need.

13. What do you think is the greatest social issue of our time?
Inequality.

14. What do you think is the greatest environmental issue of our time?
Water and our lack of relationship to land and the natural world.

15. How do you think we can change the world?
Through the values and practices of Indigenous wisdom and worldview.

16. What book are you reading right now?
Cinco esquinas by Mario Vargas Llosa.

17. What’s your personal motto?
Flojita y cooperando.

18. What makes you the most angry?
Injustice and bullshitters.

19.When do you feel the most hopeful?
When I see normal random people being kind and considerate with others.

20.What makes you the most happy?
My children… and bacon.

To read more about Sofia check out her bio alongside our other stellar Steering Committee members here.