BEGIN:VCALENDAR VERSION:2.0 PRODID:-//Ensemble Independent//vPim 0.695//EN CALSCALE:Gregorian BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART:20090710T140000 DTEND:20090710T140000 SUMMARY:Anarchist counter-cultural festival in Tampere DESCRIPTION: \;Anarchist counter-cultural festival in Tampere\, Finland \, 10.-12. July 2009The 4th Musta Pispala will offer practical and theoreti cal workshops\, parties\, sauna\, book fair and children's activities in th e unique setting of Pispala.For us anarchism means for example the critique of all forms of domination and hierarchy and on the other hand creating no n-oppressive\, egalitarian culture. We see domination not only in large str uctures of society\, but also in oppressive customs among ourselves. Our an alysis is not limited only to human relations. It also includes our relatio nships with non-human beings. Our aim is to strengthen critical views and e mpowerment in the form of taking control of our lives. Kill the police with in!\n\nThrough the workshops in the festival you can get familiar with topi cs such as basics of anarchism and anarcha-feminism. There will be a couple of workshops on anarchist parenting and unschooling. Anti-psychiatry criti cizes mainstream views on mental problems\, and offers alternatives for men tal care. Environmental themes are approached practically and theoretically through worm-composting\, edible wild plants\, climate change and the envi ronment and technology thinking of anarchists. We also have workshops about specifically local struggles such as anti-gentrification/yuppification and a counter campaign against the city council's efforts to clean the streets of Tampere from street art and posters of small scale events.We are consci ously trying to work to ensure a safe anti-oppression atmosphere. In order to do this\, we come up with guidelines for situations of harassment\, and we'll have a specific conflict resolution / anti-harassment group. This doe sn't mean we wouldn't encourage everyone to take responsibility to ensure t hat the atmosphere would be positive. We have a conscious anti-oppression p olicy including but not limited to anti-sexism\, anti-heterosexism and anti -racism.If you need a sleeping place and/or help with child care\, please g et in touch via mustapispala (at) takku (dot) net beforehand so we can prep are. You can also get in touch if you want to offer your help in organising \, hold a workshop or come to the book fair with your distro. The workshops are in Finnish with English translation.We are sorry that we are so late w ith our announcement\, which makes it pretty much impossible for people who need visas to arrive. We'll try better next time.More detailed description s of the workshops\, timetables and other additional information: http://mu stapispala.takku.net \nHow to get therePispala is within a walking distance (3-4km) from Tampere railway station. You can get to Tampere easily from T urku or Helsinki (that's where your ferries will arrive\, check timetables and prices here: 1 2 3). Driving instructions to Vastavirtaklubi (That's wh ere the Info desk will be located).The festival locations in Pispala are Va stavirta\, Hirvitalo\, Kurpitsatalo and Tahmela beach. A map may be availab le later. \nShort revolutionary history of PispalaPispala has a rich revolu tionary history. During the civil war of 1918 Tampere was the "capital"&nbs p\; of the reds\, and Pispala was the last place where "the workers defende d themselves with guns in their hands" \, as the text in the memorial statu e of the "class war park" \; says.Pispala was built a little before the civil war as a neighbourhood for the workers who came to wage-slave in the first factory of Finland built in the centre of Tampere. It was chaoticall y built full of small wooden houses\, and it also had a lot of apple trees and berry bushes in a forest garden -ish manner.In the 70's it was almost c ompletely destroyed when the city and the construction mafia wanted to buil d it into "The Nordic Riviera". This would have been realised by destroying all the wooden houses and replacing them with big blockhouses. How creativ e!Another 70's plan which was blocked by peoples activity\, was to build a motorway just next to the Lake Pyhä\;jä\;rvi shore. Pispala is a ri dge between two lakes\, and there was already a motorway on the Lake Nä \;sijä\;rvi side. In the techno-enthusiastic 70's spirit the city offic ials probably thought that one motorway is obviously not enough. At the oth er hand they might have thought that it's a waste since soon everyone will be using flying vehicles anyway. Whatever the case\, the building company s hareholders would have pocketed some millions of taxpayer money on the proc ess\, which made it look appealing for them. Luckily the local folks manage d to prevent this project.The greatest example of the destructiveness of th e engineer-spirit\, and the logic of industrialism is the case of the well. There is a spring in lower Pispala\, or Tahmela\, which provided drinking and other water to the whole of Pispala from 1906 to 1966. Then some engine er thought that it might be a good idea to "improve" it a little bit\, and did something to mess the bottom. The sand never settled\, and the well has been useless since then.Pispala is a perfect example of the corruption of hierarchical systems such as representative democracy and at the other hand the potentialities of peoples co-operation. The area is booming with self- organised activities such as the Rajaportti Sauna\, the oldest public sauna in Finland\, Vastavirta club\, which is owned by a punk-co-operative\, Hir vitalo which is home to the Center of Contemporary Art\, Kurpitsatalo (The Pumpkin House)\, home of the community garden movement in the middle of the plots\, and the communally self-organised library in the neighbour of Hirv italo\, which has been independently kept alive after the council closed th e local branch of the city library. Currently the city council wants to sel l Kurpitsatalo and Rajaportti\, which they own\, effectively destroying the m as they are at the moment. Additionally they are planning to give a build ing permit for houses to be build over the community garden plots. This wou ld obviously be one of the stupidest things possible concerning the current situation - climate change\, peak oil\, the need for localised food self-s ufficiency etc. For capitalists and their lackeys in the city council short term monetary profits seem to be more important than anything\, including the survival of humanity.Pispala has also been an area of strong gentrifica tion despite the strongest special legislation in Finland to preserve the u nique historic spirit of the area. Rich bastards with friends in high place s have managed to build outrageous mansions\, wiping out many nice wooden h ouses with cheap apartments. Many owners leave their houses to rot hoping t o get a permit for de-constructing them later and so get a permit for a new house. In this situation they could sell the plot with a high price to som e yuppie.There have also been quite a few squats in Pispala\, currently the re is one in Hyhky\, Pispalan valtatie 72. END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR