Festival of Alternatives: Workshops, Talks & Discussions
One of the main aims of the Mayday Festival of alternatives is DIY skills-sharing, empowerment and political discussion. To this end there will be a series of workshops on themes as diverse as the history of Anarchism, juggling & plumbing. Some workshops will offer a hands-on chance to learn new skills, others will consist of theoretical discussion.
Practical Workshops
Saturday 27th April
Day of workshops and discussions on the theme of social centres,
squats & how to set them up. The aim of the day is to transform a
disused building into a vibrant social centre, and to learn & share
new skills.
Workshops on plumbing, electricity, finding a good building & legal
advice. Speakers from London Social Centres Network & Advisory Service
for Squatters. There will also be talks from collectives who have set
up both permanent & reclaimed social centres. Cleaning & decorating
will go on all day, so please come down and lend a hand.
Squat electronics - 10.30am
Get the electricity connected without frying yourself.
Practical Plumbing - 12pm
Hands-on session covering elementary fix-it skills relating to whatever
needs doing in the particular reclaimed space we'll be working in.
Lock-changing, securing a building & fire escapes - 1.30pm
Carpentry - 2pm
Learn to make your own bookshelves, tables etc.
Advisory Service for Squatters talk - 3pm
Help and legal advice for squatters.
London Social Centres Network talk - 5.30pm
The dutch experience of squatting - 7pm
Differences in law, police repression, defence, activist community mobilisation
and cultural representation of the scene.
Venue for all of the above social centre workshops: Temporary social
centre - phone: 07786 716 335 on Friday 26th April for details.
Sunday 28th April
Women's Football Skills workshop - meet 12pm Clissold Park,
Stoke Newington. (bottom side of park, near lake, behind tennis courts.
A chance to brush up on tackling, headers etc for the Looney Left footie
tournament on Sunday 5th May.
A series of workshops with a focus on useful skills for
mass actions:
Legal workshop on 'dealing with public order situations', including
'Section 60'. Essential if you're going to Mayday. (2 1-hour workshops
from 2-3pm and 5-6pm).
Medical workshop: 2-5pm 'First Aid on demonstrations'. (3
one-hour basic first aid sessions from 2-3pm, 3-4pm, 4-5pm).
Banner-making workshop - 12pm onwards. Bring material, paint,
brushes etc.
Circus skills workshops - come along & join the 'Anarchist Travelling
Circus':
Juggling & juggling-ball making - 11am - make your own juggling
balls & learn to use them.
Poi Spinning & poi-making - 1pm
Marching band - 3pm - bring a drum, tambourine, rice shaker or
other portable instrument.
Venue for all of the above: Social Centre - phone: 07786 716 335
on Friday 26th April for details of venue.
Monday 29th April
Banner-making workshop - 12pm onwards.
Self-defense - 2pm
Costume-making - 3pm onwards. Make a carnival costume for Mayday
- bring material, sequins, ribbons, glitter etc.
Venue for all of the above: Social Centre - phone: 07786 716 335
on Friday 26th April for details of venue.
Theory & Discussion
Friday 26th April
London Anarchist Forum meeting - 8pm, Conway
Hall, Red Lion Square, London WC1.
Saturday 27th April
Anarchy, Anarchism and the Anarchists - 2pm
An informal talk on history, anthropology, psychology and ideology with
special reference to the movements of the working class and disinherited,
plus reflections on the anti-capitalist movement and the future. (Followed
by open ended discussion, if so desired).
Venue: Temporary social centre - phone: 07786 716 335 on Friday
26th April for details.
Sunday 28th April
'Gender & women-only spaces' - all genders are welcome.
4pm.
'The War on Terrorism' - discussion hosted by Anarchist Youth Network-
6pm
Venue for the above workshops: Temporary social centre - phone:
07786 716 335 on Friday 26th April for details.
Monday 29th April
Palestine - a talk from women who have been to Palestine as part of
a 'human shield' international peace mission. - 7pm
Venue: Temporary social centre - phone: 07786 716 335 on Friday 26th
April for details.
Tuesday 30th April
Workshop: Outlaw Women - 1pm
From the Chinese straits, Mediterranian, Atlantic and Caribbean, to the
streets of Philly, Bonn, Delhi and London, this workshop charts the rise
and fall of gender-bending pirates, radical black eco-warriors, gun slinging
bandit queens, freedom fighters and beatnik bomb girls - critically.
Venue: Social Centre - phone: 07786 716 335 on Friday 26th April
for details of venue.
Post-revolution and post-capitalist visions - 4pm
An brief history of counter-revolution and insurrectionary failures;
including 1930s Spain, France 1968, English Civil war and beyond, followed
by group discussion amd simulated scenario outlines, focusing on post-capitalist
social organisation, culture, and the shape and scope of counter-revolutionary
elements; How could we be recuperated?What will we do about police, paedophilia,
politicians with secret weapon stockpiles, us with weapons stockpiles?,
food production, industry, work, religion. Could it happen here? And what
would it look like if it did? If we cannot make it here, where will it
smoulder first? What about the concept of an anarchist Permanent Revolution?
Venue: Social Centre - phone: 07786 716 335 on Friday 26th April for
details of venue.
Talk from Ex-Black Panther, Robert King Wilkerson. 7pm. Venue tba.
Robert King Wilkerson was held in solitary confinement in Angola maximum
security prison, Louisiana, for 27 years for a crime he didn't commit.
He was framed because of his political organising at the prison as a member
of the Black Panther party. Released in February 2001 after a long campaign,
he's now spending his time doing speaking tours around the world to raise
awareness of the brutality, corruption, racism and injustice of the Louisiana
criminal justice system. His co-accused, Albert Woodfox and Herman Wallace,
are still in prison and entering their thirtieth year of solitary confinement.
Thursday 2nd May
Showing of a documentary film (Spanish,
no subtitles) of the SINTRAEMCALI trade union occupation
of the Emcali tower in Cali, Columbia. On Christmas Day last
year, 800 workers occupied the nerve-centre of the state-owned municapal
company which runs water, electricity and telecoms, for over three
weeks,and won their fight to stop essential resources being privatised.
A talk by former SINTRAEMCALI President Alexander Lopez plus a member
of the Colombia Solidarity Campaign, follows. Colombian food possibly
available.
Venue: The Union Tavern, Camberwell New Rd, nearest tube Oval or
BR Vauxhall, in the luvly back room called The Latin Palace.
7.30pm
Friday 3rd May
Workshop/discussion: Feminism 101 - an introduction to feminist
arguments for men. time & venue tbc.
Monday 6th May
Workshop: Food Autonomy - 4pm.
A one to one-and-a-half hour talk plus gorgeous slide show featuring images
of diverse agriculture and grass roots resistance to corporate control
of the food chain. Workshop also includes updates from the Resistance
is Fertile ( www.resistanceisfertile.com/english/
) actions in Den Haag April 8 - 19 against the Sixth Meeting of the Conference
of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (phew! - aka
Cop6) which looks at the commodification and privatisation of 'genetic
resources'- plants, ecosystems, land, agriculture, and knowledge.
Venue: London Action Resource Centre, 62 Fieldgate Street, E1 (corner
of Fieldgate St & Parfett St). Nearest tube: Aldgate East or Whitechapel.
Evening:
Incitement to riot - 6pm; followed by a followed by a discussion
about how police tactics during public order situations have changed over
the past few decades.
"Incitement To Riot" is an hour long video that does just what
it says on the box! Packed with footage from all the best riots of the
past, and a hard hitting soundtrack, from Gil Scott Heron to Conflict!
Venue: London Action Resource Centre, 62 Fieldgate Street, E1 (corner
of Fieldgate St & Parfett St). Nearest tube: Aldgate East or Whitechapel.
Simon Jones Campaign - talk & film. venue tba.
Alternative Health
Radical Yoga:
free yoga classes with opportunities for discussion, practice and
meditation. You will be very welcome to participate…wearing loose
clothing, bring a happy heart, an empty stomach and an open mind.
There will be 3 free yoga sessions throughout the week:
Saturday 27th April: 3pm-6pm – Diorama One (Movement Room
1st floor), 34 Osnaburgh Street, NW1.
Monday 29th April: 3.30-5pm - Social Centre - phone: 07786 716
335 on Friday 26th April for details of venue.
Thursday 2nd May: 4:30pm-7pm – London Action Resource Centre,
62 Fieldgate Street, E1. (part of a 'Health & healing' day - see below
for details).
Thursday 2nd May:
'Health & healing' day
Central to Anarchism is the belief in self-empowerment and the notion
that we, the community, should control our lives as much as we possibly
can. One way we can do this is through looking after both our own health
and that of the wider community. We are holding an alternative health
and healing day in order to learn more about how our bodies work, their
relationship with the earth, and how we can help one another in the community
to cut out the state (doctors) and capital (pharmaceuticals) as much as
we can.
The day will feature: Shiatsu workshop, massage, herbal treatments, healing
with chocolate, Yoga, discussion on mental health. A chance to relax and
unwind after the stresses and strains of Mayday, and try out alternative
health treatments for free.
Venue : London Action Resource Centre, 62 Fieldgate Street, E1.
Details below (further details tba):
Sports massage - 5pm
radicalyoga - free yoga classes with opportunities for discussion,
practice and meditation. You will be very welcome to participate…wearing
loose clothing, bring a happy heart, an empty stomach and an open mind.
4:30pm-7pm – London Action Resource Centre, 62 Fieldgate Street,
E1
Throughout the Week
A temporary Social Centre, will host many of the
workshops, in addition to many other events. ofind out more about the
social centre,go to social
centres page>>>
