Our first experience with native ways and forest ecoliving practices had bound us together in the same perspective. There were some experiences of experimental archaeology in Scandinavia, but no one in Europe was exploring the "old ways" on a permanent basis. This was something unique to us.

We needed the eco-operatives and their sister organizations as well. They were necessary to our survival, socially and economically. The eco-operatives had  created participation accounts for members who wanted to invest in alternative projects. This system had played an important role in creating cash money which had helped to expand the network internationally and support other initiatives socially and environmentally in connection with our activities. Maybe it was time to start franchising them and dedicate more energy to research, training and experimentation. 

As a natural consequence, we came up in 1981 with the idea to start our own university. In France, as in many countries, State Universities have a monopoly on science and higher education. This is too often associated with business and industry, without questioning the ethical foundation of society. To us, who were preoccupied with putting a high emphasis on peace, the environment and international solidaritty, the question of social responsibility had always been central. And so it was for many people.

Our interest was with what Raimon Panikkar calls the "metapolitical", the non-dualistic experience of reality which transcends the limits of theories and ideologies. We wanted to bring a native and southern perspective in the field of sicentific discourse too. It implicated research, training, but also a concrete commitment. 

In history, this approach had been at the origins of the university, where both theory and practice were part of the apprenticeship. Unfortunately, times had changed, and with them the substance of knowledge. 

In a cosmopolitan city like Paris, it made sense to promote educational opportunities in specific fields. Not only experts had the right to be trained. But normal and less privileged people too. Getting a better understand of the multifaceted problems of the world and be introduced to some of the people and organizations who were busy making solutions was one objective.

On the practical level, the eco-operatives with their flexible and decentralized organization, a wide range of stakeholders with many different backgrounds, offered an ideal platform from which to initiate and develop the concept of free and open university. Members of the eco-op had often expressed they wanted more formal training in order to take more responsibility and be able to improve their daily life according to ways that could be more sustainable for the planet and the environment. 

We had a demand for classes in eco-development, social economy, peace research, agroecology, ethnoecology, cross-cultural understanding and natural medicine. All these were new fields of science that were not part - or only but a few - of conventional university curricula. 
 

On the academic level, the building up of a transnational university required important financial and logistical resources, and a strong institutional support. Contacts were established with United Nations agencies, NGOs and private companies. In general, the idea was well received. However it did not mean they were ready to commit themselves as organizations or institutions. The fact that we were seen as very controversial people at the time by most of the media did not help. 
 

In the beginning of the eighties, people in Europe had called for peace, democracy and solidarity. There were many groups and organizations already involved with social issues including East/West co-operation, North/South dialogue, the environment, women's and children's rights. But these groups could not avoid the double trap, which I simplify by naming it, of Marxism and Liberalism. For the majority those groups were rather political, supporting and being supported by one super-power or another. We were still in the Cold War period and it was not easy to open to Eastern countries and emerging States from the South without being stamped "leftists". It has little meaning for us. We had people from all political wings among us. 

We wanted to open up in those directions because there were the real problems of the world. We then were introduced to an organization called United Towns, a growing federation of “sister cities” which had developed internationally after the World War II under the impulse of a charismatic leader called Jean-Marie Bressand. It had developed successful co-operation efforts  at municipal level - where it is easier to meet the needs of the people.- between small towns and cities of the East, West, North and South. 

Together with Baghel Sharan Prassad from India, Johan Galtung from Norway, Noboru Nishio from Japan, Bressand helped to establish a faculty of Irenology (from Irene, Peace in Greek). A peace project aiming at strenthening international solidarity called "Towns without Frontiers" was launched. Soon it led to an internal war within the organizationled by Bressand. French socialists who were very influential within the federation succeeded to place Pierre Mauroy - ex-prime minister in the government of Francois Miterrand - at the head of the organization. Bressand was fired..

It seemed we had made more enemies than allies. However  the African group was very supportive to both of us and Bressand. This situation would often repeat itself in the future and confirm the gap of understanding and interest between North and South, so called developed and developing countries.

It was not before the return of Johan Galtung from Princeton, in the Summer of 1984, that the project of university took shape. Galtung was the key person to lead this project. He took office as rector of the university in the beginning of next Fall.

To open the academic year, the university arranged a series of public courses in Paris. Arrangements were made with the Sorbonne. At the last moment, we were refused to run the courses there. It didn't affect the number of participants who enrolled in large numbers. However we could already sense that the concept of a free and open university specializing in peace, environmental and social issues would meet a strong political resistance in France, both from the right and the left. 

The first semester included public lectures by  international scholars and Galtung himself, including Three variations on Orwell’s 1984 theme: Hitlerism, Stalinism and Reaganism; Gandhi today; Introduction to the Social Cosmology of the West; Human Rights, a Western Concept; The Green Movement. Other international scholars were gradually involved and more courses were arranged the following year. 

The same year, famine erupted in Africa threatening millions of people in the Sahel region. African countries contacted us. Some of them were well aware of our position and approach to development issues.They were convinced we could be of assistance. We had plenty of experience in creating and managing community services with low costs and environmental impact. We had a practical knowledge in ecology and nutrition. Our agricultural methods had proved to work well, even in harsh climates. We knew many languages and were able to mobilize hundreds of people with many different professional and academic backgrounds. Moreover, we had adopted a life of voluntary simplicity. 

We constituted a task force to study the problem and produced the draft proposal of an action plan for the entire region - The Sahelian Front. The main goal was to support local communities, promoting endogenous technologies and know-how, and mitigating the effects of desertification by creating a green belt of living eco-villages at the fringe of the desert, extending from Dakar to Djibouti. Measures would be taken to promote partnership with the UN system and the international NGO community. We also offered to train volunteers in Europe.

The proposal was strongly backed up by Senegal. There was an enthusiasm among members of the national assembly and among governement officials. Among them we can name people like Ousseynou Niang, Ibader Thiam, Abdoulay Shimer Diaw, Lat Senghor. Even the directors of UNESCO and UNEP demonstrated a positive interest.

Up until the end of the 80s, struggling against desertification became our top priority. SOS Deserts was created in Dakar with field offices in Belgium and Germany to raise funds and gain institutional support. Studies of feasibility, public awareness campaigns and capacity building pilot projects were implemented. Negociatons were officially opened with UN agencies in Geneva, Rome and Nairobi and several internatonal organizations.

In 1990, Riel Huaorani, one of our youngest representatives, won the roll of honor for environmental achievement - so called UNEP’s Global 500 Award . He was in charge of an international campaign called "I've Planted a Tree for You". It was based on the idea of twinning initiatives in the field of reforestation between children and young people from Africa, Europe and South America.