November Magic: People's Globalisation, not Corporate Globalisation
CALLING all concerned citizens, progressive NGOs, environmentalists, community builders, visual and performing artists, writers, ecofeminists, workers, musicians, storytellers, students, activists, independent mediatricians, deep ecologists, social change workers, organarchists, radical optimists, utopians, culture jammers and earthlovers ... to an information evening about November Magic, Thursday 9th August, 6:30pm, City West Lotteries House conference room, 2 Delhi Street West Perth ... or to one of our regular fortnightly meetings before or after this.
November 9-13 this year sees the Fourth Ministerial Conference of the World Trade Organisation, the first since the failed Seattle talks. Groups throughout the world will take this opportunity to call for a people's globalisation based on social justice, direct democracy, nonviolence and ecological values ~ rather than the current obsession with market fundamentalism and corporate culture.
In Western Australia, a growing network of people are evolving a decentralised, innovative and concentrated festival to take place during these five days. Rather than occurring at a single venue, a range of activities and events will unfold in a variety of outdoor and indoor locations in Perth, Fremantle and suburbia. These will be designed for community interaction and education, and will welcome a range of ages and (sub-)cultures, provide safe and non-threatening environments, link local issues with global roots, and encourage informative and heart-felt discussion rather than one-way propaganda.
Through multiple public forums, visible and invisible street theatre, conversation groups, creative art installations, street-level strategic questioning, giant agitprop puppetry, information products and stalls, culture jamming, letter-writing campaigns, critical mass bike rides, independent media, teach-ins, laugh-outs, film and art/photographic displays, a major march/rally, union- environmentalist collaborations, organarchy gigs, heart ecology spaces, elm dances ... happening on hundreds of occasions at a range of locations during these five days ... tens of thousands of West Australians will be exposed to and interact with multiple edges and nodes of the festival.
This will be a non-confrontational festival where humour, absurdity, tragedy, colour, conversation and movement will create experiential and informative spaces for the thousands of people who have a growing concern about corporate globalisation, but who have not yet participated in the 'movement'.
The festival of events will be organised through a decentralised yet richly inter-connected affinity group structure, where networks and individuals will be supported to make their own contributions that add to the general vision and intentions. We will encourage self-organisation, diversity, direct democracy, autonomous responsibility and heart-felt interconnectedness.
We would love to talk with environmental, social justice, peace and development groups and NGOs about how we can accommodate spaces for your participation ~ in ways that draw attention to the issues you are passionate about, and to how they relate to corporate globalisation.
The purpose of the 9th August evening is to introduce people to the vision and intentions behind November Magic ~ to provide opportunities for connecting with existing affinity groups, and with other people around any ideas you have about what you would like to see happen during the festival.
Information will be provided on the project from 6:30pm, where the diverse range of affinity groups will make presentations about their plans and possibilities. If you wish to stay beyond the information session, from 7:45pm a workshop space will be created to connect with particular affinity groups that inspire you, or to link with others around your ideas for events or activities ... no matter how big or small.
The evening is free-of-charge but a gold coin donation would be appreciated to cover the costs of drinks and fruit ~ please bring your own snacks to keep the hunger pains away! For more information, contact Rodney on (08) 9337 7217 or ecoheal@iinet.net.au ... if you can't make this evening, we would love to hear your comments and ideas ~ we hold regular meetings every two weeks (the next one is 10am - 12noon, Wed July 25th, at Starfish Cafe opposite Fremantle Hospital on South Terrace) that anyone who's curious of what it's all about can attend.
Join us in the joyful R/Evolution of the everyday!
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BACK to Citizens' Voice July 2001