Get Involved in Organizing the Festival del Pueblo!
FESTIVAL DEL PUEBLO
Boston, MA May 1-5
Converge Against Capitalism
Organize to Build Dual Power and the Culture of Resistance
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The five day long Festival del Pueblo will consist of many activities, some of which include:
*Teach-Ins
*Homebrew Festival
*Theater *Art Exhibit
*Workshops *Speakers
*A Bookfair *Debates
*Literature *Potluck/Picnic
*Revolutionary Soccer Tournament
*Ultimate Frisbee
*Three Nights of Concerts
*A Community Carnival
*Trainings
*Demonstrations and Direct Actions
...and More!
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This text contains 13 sections. These are...
1*Statement of Purpose
2*Anarchist Bookfair and Free School
3*Revolutionary Music Festival
4*Direct Actions and Demonstrations
5*Revolutionary Cultural Gathering
6*Revolutionary Soccer Tournament
7*Community Carnival Against Capital
8*Outreach
9*Fundraising
10*Participant Registration
11*Organizing Structure
12*Contact Info
13*Endorsers
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1*Statement of Purpose
The purpose of this festival is multifaceted.
First, it is a conscious attempt to build links between the "protest movement" and more community oriented initiatives, without compromising the militant flavor of the large mobilizations. It is a recognition of the need to reconcile the emerging anti-capitalist and anti-war movement with the day to day struggles of our communities and workplaces. It is also a recognition that the myriad of different issues and struggles, ranging from environmental to labor, can all be attributed to one root cause: capitalism.
Furthermore, because we are not flocking to a gathering of the elite, but instead acting on our own initiative, it is a festival of a proactive nature, rather than a reactive one. As such, it is an opportunity for us to set the tone, thus dictating the when, where, and why of the festival.
Finally, by encouraging a wide variety of cultural and social events, we hope to strengthen the culture of resistance by providing opportunities for individuals and groups from across North American (and hopefully beyond) to interact, socialize, and share ideas.
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2*Anarchist Bookfair and Free School
The 4th New England Anarchist Bookfair and Free School will be held in Boston on May 1st.
We are looking for groups, collectives, publishers, infoshops, and whoever else to table the event. If you are interested in having a table at the bookfair, please fill in the relevant information on the registration form. Full tables are 20$ to 40$, half tables are 10$ to 20$ (give what you can). Space will be provided on a first come, first serve basis. If registering online, please pay promptly after registration.
We are also looking for people or groups who wish to speak, do workshops, give presentations, and organize debates. Please use the space at the end of the registration form to tell us a little about your activity. The deadline for submissions is January 15th.
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3*Revolutionary Music Festival
The Festival del Pueblo will include three concerts. One the night of May 1st, another on the night of the 2nd, and a large concert the night of th 4th.
We are currently looking for individuals, bands, and groups of all musical tendencies to participate, with the sole condition tha the group or act put forth a revolutionary message.
Please keep in mind that we will give priority to musical forms outside of the "punk/hardcore subculture scene" in order to give a greater diversity to the event. This is not to say that there will not be a fair amount of punk and hardcore style bands, but we strongly encourage people or groups performing other types of music to contact us.
If you are interested, please get in touch with us as soon as possible and, ideally, send a demo tape. Also, use the registration form space to provide us with the relevant contact information and the writing space at the end to tell us more about your band or act.
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4*Direct Actions and Demonstrations
Every year in our respective cities across North America we have small, primarily activist oriented, Mayday celebrations. Invariably, these events do not have the impact we would hope, and they fail to involve the working class communities that the first of May is all about. Furthermore, in our isolation, we often become easy targets for police repression.
Therefore, this year we urge revolutionaries of all anti-authoritarian stripes to converge on Boston for a massive show of working class solidarity and strength in a demonstration side by side with the impoverished and oppressed communities of the city, be they immigrants (legal or otherwise), unemployed, working poor, or any other sector of the community victimized by capitalism. Together with these communities, we intend to take the battle to our oppressors.
MARCHES: MAY 1ST, REVOLUTIONARY MAYDAY
MARCH FOR A REVOLUTIONARY ALTERNATIVE, FOR A CLASSLESS, STATELESS SOCIETY
MAY 5TH, CONVERGE AGAINST CAPITALISM, A UNITING OF STRUGGLES
A march through the city of Boston to denounce all that is wrong with capitalism; from high rents, to dead end jobs, harassment of immigrants, racism, sexism, and all forms of oppression.
DIRECT ACTIONS:
Throughout the week, we would like to encourage participants to organize and carry out direct actions of all forms. From banner-drops, to housing occupations, to lock-downs and everything in between. These direct actions will culminate in the RAC march on the 5th.
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5*Revolutionary Cultural Gathering
Come and experience firsthand the richness of revolutionary culture on May 2nd as we gather for an evening of homebrew tasting, art viewing, and movie screening. If you would like to participate by providing art for the exhibition, homebrew for the tasting, or movies for screening, please fill in the relevant information on the registration form. The deadline for submissions is February 1st.
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6*Revolutionary Soccer Tournament
Join us on Saturday, May 4th for the Revolutionary Soccer Tournament (RST). Cheer on your favorite team as you feast at the people's picnic of food for all!
Guidelines will be mailed to every registered team. Teams should be comprised of 8 players (6 starters, 2 substitutes), of which at least 3 should be women, and at least 2 women should be on the field at all times.
On the general registration form, please include your team name and jersey colors as well as all other relevant contact information.
Team registration costs 20$ to 50$ per team (give what you can), and the deadline for team registration is March 1st. Please include payment along with registration (or please pay promptly if registering online).
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7*Community Carnival Against Capital
Dunk the landlord! Pin the badge on the pig! Watch crusties eat fire! Lose yourself in a sea of red and black balloons! All this, and much, much more, on the evening of Friday, May 3rd at Boston's Community Carnival against Capital. If you would like to be a part of the carnival by organizing an attraction, please contact us as soon as possible.
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8*Outreach
What you hold in your hands (or are reading if you are viewing the online version) is a preliminary brochure intended to get the word out about the Festival del Pueblo and open it to participation from others.
A second brochure will be distributed sometime in February or March of 2002 which will include the full list of events, bands, speakers, and everything else. This will also include information for housing, childcare, and a general registration form for people outside of Boston who wish to attend the event.
However, before we can reach that point, we need to spread the word as extensively as possible in order to make all the activities listed above a reality. For this, we need everyone's help.
Please distribute this as much as possible. Make copies if you can (or forward it if you have received the online version). Ask us for outreach packets of brochures and posters. Contact bands or individuals that might be interested, or give us the contacts so we can do so. The possibilities are endless!
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9*Fundraising
As with any such event, the economic costs incurred will be high. Venues need to be rented, outreach materials printed (we intend to do intensive fliering and pasting in many communities), housing needs to be provided, as well as many other assorted costs that tend to arise.
For this reason, we strongly urge people to collaborate economically with the Festival del Pueblo. Please send checks or money orders to our mailing address (leave pay to field blank please). Send cash at your own risk.
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10*Participant Registration
Individual Name:
Group Name (Or Team Name):
Telephone:
Email:
Address:
City:
State:
Zip:
Country:
We are interested in making the Festival del Pueblo as inclusive and broad based as possible, and therefore are seeking contributions and participation from anyone interested.
If you are interested in conducting, or participating in, any of the following, please check the appropriate space...
Soccer Tournament:
Give Presentation:
Musical Performance:
Bookfair Table:
Homebrew festival:
Debates:
Legal Support:
Art Exhibition:
Film Screening:
Theater:
*Under no circumstances will party front groups or electoral politics be accepted*
If you are planning on participating in any of the following-giving a presentation, art exhibition, film screening, or theater- please use the following space to tell us more about your contribution. Please ensure that your project is in some way related to revolutionary issues. We reserve the right to reject proposals which do not meet this (very broad) criteria.
Description of Activity:
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11*Organizing Structure
The Festival del Pueblo will be organized through open General assemblies held every two weeks beginning in January. These general assemblies will be open to all who agree with the points of unity which are available on request. A flier and web mailing is being prepared for Boston based activists who wish to become part of the Festival del Pueblo organizing coalition.
There will also be two large scale general assemblies that activists from other cities are encouraged to attend (dates tba).
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12*Contact Info
Festival del Pueblo
c/o Barricada
PO Box 73
Boston MA 02133
USA
festivaldelpueblo-AT-hotmail.com
barricadacollective-AT-hotmail.com
Also, please contact us if you wish to be kept informed via the Festival del Pueblo announcement list.
13*Endorsers
Current Endorsers of the Festival del Pueblo include: Sophia Perovskaya Collective (NEFAC Supporters, Boston), ARA McGill (Montreal), Insurgence Records (Toronto), Ever Reviled Records (New Jersey), Tute Nere (NEFAC Supporters, Washington DC), GMAC (Vermont), Turning the Tide (Los Angeles), Barricada (NEFAC Supporters, Boston), and CRAYON (Chicago)
If your group or organization wishes to endorse, please contact us.