The ProvinciaPolitan Manifesto

Provincial. Cosmopolitan. ProvinciaPolitan recognizes these once antonymic adjectives can be allies in a globalized world. This site values place and the culture and features that can derive from it. It values people in all their myriad and wondrous incarnations, and the transformations that happen when different cultures discover each other. It values the cool things people inspire each other to do for work, for fun, or (perhaps especially) “because it’s there.”

People living in all sorts of communities, from all over the globe, and doing all sorts of interesting things are provinciapolitans. You, or someone in your family, might be one, or becoming one. Provinciapolitans can be rooted in rural values without being bigoted or closed-minded. They celebrate differences with pride but not chauvinism. They can enjoy the mixing of cultures found in world capitals without being snobbish and condescending. They love to learn, try new things and unlearn preconceptions. You might meet a provinciapolitan at a museum or a rodeo, riding in business class or on a chicken bus, in a boardroom or on a job site. When you meet a guy who works outdoors carrying home-cured meat for lunch, or a gal at a museum who barrel races for fun, they’re provinciapolitans.

So on these pages, This Provinciapolitan aims to share stories and reflections on how people and place shape and adapt to each other; the joy people have in connecting to places and people, old and new; the challenges we have living together; and the fascinating ways people spend their time when given a choice.

Bem-vindo! Akwaaba! Velkommen! Murakaza neza! Bienvenu! Welcome!