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An uprising that with popular power - with people by the hundreds of thousands taking to the streets,on dec 19,2001, cacerolando (banging pots and pans), singing and chanting Que Se Vayan Todos! (They All Must Go!) forced out 4 governments in two we...eks. But that was only the beginning. What occurred in the days, months, and now 10 years since has been a transformation in the ways in which people organize in Argentina. This year, 2011, is coming to an end, and ... it is also a beginning. Not at all dissimilar from Argentina, this has been a year of popular uprisings, popular power, and new ways of organizing and doing politics.
I am inspired and love the changes that have been taking place across the globe!
Something has broken open. It is not just our frustration – which absolutely has – we are all shouting NO! We will no longer tolerate the inequality, oppression, injustice and crisis in the world – a crisis that was not created by us. We are refusing, and we refuse together. We will no longer remain passive in this untenable situation. We are shouting our own version of Que Se Vayan Todos! We are coming together to begin to create something new. ... and we are not even sure what exactly it is ... and that is good. We know we want to create open free spaces. What that looks like we are all discovering together, as we create it. And this is also how we are creating it - together, horizontally and with affect.
There is so much we can learn from the experiences in Argentina, from the struggles with horizontalidad to the problems of the state, cooptation, incorporation, repression etc. There is also so much to learn from what is taking place right now in Egypt, Spain and Greece to name only a few other places.
But right now, what I want to do is take a breath. To stop for a moment and look at our movements in the world and say YES! Of course will continue to say NO! But what we do not do enough is celebrate our successes. And we have so many. We can look at 2011 as a year when we began ...
Our movements today begin with the assumption of some form of horizontal organizing, attempting to create new, liberatory relationships with one another. Our movements today are not about homogenizing, but about being different and accepting difference as we try and break down hierarchy. Here we can borrow from the Madres of the Plaza de Mayo who say “el otro soy yo”. Our movements today are not about fixing the state or making a new and better party, but together finding a totally new way of doing things ... do we know this way yet ... no ... and that is ok ... we are beginning ...
Happy New Year!
With love & autonomy,
Marina Sitrin
I am inspired and love the changes that have been taking place across the globe!
Something has broken open. It is not just our frustration – which absolutely has – we are all shouting NO! We will no longer tolerate the inequality, oppression, injustice and crisis in the world – a crisis that was not created by us. We are refusing, and we refuse together. We will no longer remain passive in this untenable situation. We are shouting our own version of Que Se Vayan Todos! We are coming together to begin to create something new. ... and we are not even sure what exactly it is ... and that is good. We know we want to create open free spaces. What that looks like we are all discovering together, as we create it. And this is also how we are creating it - together, horizontally and with affect.
There is so much we can learn from the experiences in Argentina, from the struggles with horizontalidad to the problems of the state, cooptation, incorporation, repression etc. There is also so much to learn from what is taking place right now in Egypt, Spain and Greece to name only a few other places.
But right now, what I want to do is take a breath. To stop for a moment and look at our movements in the world and say YES! Of course will continue to say NO! But what we do not do enough is celebrate our successes. And we have so many. We can look at 2011 as a year when we began ...
Our movements today begin with the assumption of some form of horizontal organizing, attempting to create new, liberatory relationships with one another. Our movements today are not about homogenizing, but about being different and accepting difference as we try and break down hierarchy. Here we can borrow from the Madres of the Plaza de Mayo who say “el otro soy yo”. Our movements today are not about fixing the state or making a new and better party, but together finding a totally new way of doing things ... do we know this way yet ... no ... and that is ok ... we are beginning ...
Happy New Year!
With love & autonomy,
Marina Sitrin
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