as a response to the growing threat of nuclear war between the United States and the Soviet Union. A communist who had also brokenYugoslavia’s ties with the Soviet bloc, Tito brought together luminaries of what was then called the “Third World.” Figures such as India’s Jawaharlal Nehru, Ghana’s Kwame Nkrumah and Egypt’s Gamal Abdel Nasser worked with leaders from 25 nations to look for new alternatives in the struggle to create world peace and prosperity.

    For Deidre and Peter, who were busy grappling with the aggressive nationalism of their own country, the United States of America, this idea of a "third way" seemed like a great starting point in the search for ways that would move human society beyond the limits of national identity. Since in the Olympics athletes carry the torch and compete on behalf of their countries in a kind of simulation of warfare between nations, Deidre, Tadej and Peter decided to create a pan-national team, Equipo Terrestre (Team Earth), which would be open to everyone. Instead of running for the "homeland," each torch bearer was invited to choose their own reason for participating. Examples of some of the actual personal dedications are: For Freedom; Correr por el fuego del arte; Por los niños del mundo; Por la salud de mi mamá; World Peace; For street cats; En homenage a la Fundación Antorchas, Argentina; Mi hija Claudia Sofía de solo 23 dias; Por el Caribe unido nimporta la lengua.

    When we began looking closely at the history of Puerto Rico, we quickly realized that there were many correspondences to our project. In particular, the country’s quasi-national status as a Commonwealth of the United States – not the 51st U.S. state, not an independent nation, not a colony – seems to highlight the possibility of a country successfully participating in the global economy and yet still maintaining its cultural independence. Although certainly imperfect, this model suggests that there may indeed be alternatives to traditional forms of nationalism.

    Also inspiring is Puerto Rico’s long struggle against foreign imperialism that is well represented in the story of the torch bearers of La Rogativa (See the image above to the left). According to legend, during the British siege of San Juan in 1797, the bishop of San Juan led a group of women carrying candles and torches in a religious procession through the town. The action, and the pealing of the town’s church bells, successfully fooled the British into believing that armed reinforcements had arrived, and they withdrew their forces.