Have you ever stood in a thicket of bamboo?
It seems impenetrable, like a green curtain that you could disappear behind so long as you were prepared to navigate a dense tangle of stalks and spears bound together by a unique root structure – a rhizome – that makes bamboo one of the fastest-growing plants on the planet. While the stalks soar upwards, the rhizome grows horizontally beneath the soil in a rapid and unpredictable fashion, serving as a communication network that connects towering thickets to each other and to the rest of the surrounding forests in ways humans are only beginning to understand.
It is no wonder that social theorists Gilles Deleuze and Félix Guattari took the concept of the rhizome to describe a revolutionary theory of social organization. Like a bamboo thicket, a rhizomic community spreads horizontally, without hierarchy, and its roots give rise to nodes and connections to like-minded communities. Unlike traditional structures, rhizomes possess unparalleled flexibility. They foster a harmonious, horizontally-structured network, enabling fluid growth and adaptability.
So what, then, is rhizōma?
rhizome (n.)
1832, in botany, "a stem of root-like appearance," from Modern Latin rhizoma, from Greek rhizōma "mass of tree roots," from rhizoun "cause to strike root, root into the ground, plant," from rhiza "root" (which is probably from PIE root *wrād- "branch, root"). Also in English in Modern Latin form rhizoma. Related: Rhizomic.
(Source: https://www.etymonline.com/word/rhizome)
Rhizōma is the living narrative of the growth and development of EMA Foundation’s impact network of partners. It aims to fill a critical gap by building a broadcast network for small nonprofit organizations to build awareness and bring more people into their work. It is a vibrant tapestry of stories of courage, resilience, and healing from places like Safeplace International’s Dream Academy and Haa Tóoch Lichéesh. It is a curated collection of stories of hope and promise from places like Children of the Forest.
Rhizōma is a space to learn about the underlying “why” that drives EMA and our partners, to develop empathy with the human beings behind the logos and statistics, and to consider how you might get more directly involved.
The stories that live on rhizōma are an invitation to join our community and become part of a global network. We envision rhizōma as a nexus for learning, where educators, learners, funders, and individuals from all walks of life connect with each other through diverse narratives, live events, and transformative courses designed to move people beyond donations to deeper empathy and action in support of equity.
You will hear conversations about the movement to decolonize philanthropy. You can take interactive courses from our growing Learning Center to dive deeper into the underlying issues driving the work of our partners. You will discover new and critical perspectives from young people as part of our commitment to youth agency, which we consider essential to any progress towards solutions to the issues that dominate current headlines.
For our partners and other value-aligned organizations, rhizōma provides a crucial space for networking and collaboration. Through convenings, calls for stories, and co-designed initiatives with partners and their networks, our aim is to help the rhizome grow organically. As the rhizōme grows, the thickets will converge into a thriving forest – a powerful network dedicated to equity and the growth of more just systems.
We invite you to dive into the thicket and join us for new stories every week that will move you towards empathy and action.
