In the past week there have been two events to advance the campaign against the eviction of the Hotel BAUEN. Neither were marches. There was no long list of speakers or any political target. They were concerts and block parties – festivals. They could also have been called rallies, except that they were more fun. Organizations brought out their banners and signs, there were chants, and there was media coverage. But each also included live musical performances and barbeque.
On Sunday, we gathered outside of the expropriated factory Gráfrica Patricios, a printing factory in the neighborhood called Barracas. With no permission or permit, the workers and activists taped off a block, built a stage, and began cooking. A few hundred people would arrive to this first concert billed as a “festival in defense of the recuperated factories”. Mostly Argentine folk music was played, people danced, radical documentaries were distributed, photographers displayed their work, and flyers were handed out for the next festival two days later outside of the Hotel B
AUEN.
That Tuesday we gathered on Avenida Callao, one of the busiest streets in Buenos Aires, at the doors to the Hotel. As the stage was built, street theatre performances were held and food was sold, with all funds going to the defense campaign. Thousands were in attendance with delegations from dozens of groups – workers from the Hospital Francés and the Subte, socialist and communist parties, anarchists, organizations of the unemployed, the University at Buenos Aires student government and many others.
The diversity of the performances was an incredible achievement to me. There were typical Argentina rock bands, a metal band, a hip hop act, and the closer was an inspirational folk singer. León Gieco has been a politically charged musician in Argentina since the early 70´s. He spent part of the dictatorship living in Los Angeles to escape the censorship of his music.
This blend of culture, music, and political action seems to me something incredibly important for the movements of the United States. We seem to have a simple and formulaic response to the problems within our country. While the importance of rallies and serious, direct discussions is obvious; these are only some of the tools available to our movements. I wish I could point to the place that this separation began in US organizing. Are political organizers not doing what they should to incorporate the activities of artists and musicians? Or, are politically oriented artists and musicians content to say what they feel through their art while not directly supporting specific fights? Whatever the answer, I hope that we can begin to over come this separation and build a closer relationship between organizers and artists. We need to build a culture of revolutionary organizing and activities like this can help to broaden our audiences, provide excellent fundraisers, build people’s inspiration, and are just plain fun.
The block party atmosphere of these events was so important, as they were clearly events for anyone to attend. But this doesn’t mean there was nothing militant about them. While there was no worry about police attacks, as their likely would be in the states, this seemed to come from a true sense of power that the people had. Rather than chanting it, these really were their streets. There was never a need to question it, they controlled their community and they would do with it what they liked. That true sense of autonomy and culture struck me as something more radical and powerful than most of the protests in which I’ve participated. When I asked someone at the first festival if they had obtained a permit for the event, I was laughed at. It did seem more likely however, that the BAUEN event had asked for a permit as they closed down one of the major city streets at rushhour. But it was this willingness and ability to assert control of the city that was so empowering to me.
In the end, these fun and popular events aren’t the end of the fight by any means. Throughout the concert two rallies were announced repeatedly. One rally and march next week in support of the Hotel BAUEN cooperative, and another calling for an end to the occupation of the Hospital Francés. The concert helped to expand the audience that was there to hear those announcements. Not only those in the crowd, but those on TV watching the León Gieco.
For more pictures of the events:
Festival at Gráfica Patricios: http://argentina.indymedia.org/news/2007/08/541155.php
Festival at the BAUEN: http://argentina.indymedia.org/news/2007/08/541688.php
On Sunday, we gathered outside of the expropriated factory Gráfrica Patricios, a printing factory in the neighborhood called Barracas. With no permission or permit, the workers and activists taped off a block, built a stage, and began cooking. A few hundred people would arrive to this first concert billed as a “festival in defense of the recuperated factories”. Mostly Argentine folk music was played, people danced, radical documentaries were distributed, photographers displayed their work, and flyers were handed out for the next festival two days later outside of the Hotel B
AUEN.That Tuesday we gathered on Avenida Callao, one of the busiest streets in Buenos Aires, at the doors to the Hotel. As the stage was built, street theatre performances were held and food was sold, with all funds going to the defense campaign. Thousands were in attendance with delegations from dozens of groups – workers from the Hospital Francés and the Subte, socialist and communist parties, anarchists, organizations of the unemployed, the University at Buenos Aires student government and many others.
The diversity of the performances was an incredible achievement to me. There were typical Argentina rock bands, a metal band, a hip hop act, and the closer was an inspirational folk singer. León Gieco has been a politically charged musician in Argentina since the early 70´s. He spent part of the dictatorship living in Los Angeles to escape the censorship of his music.
This blend of culture, music, and political action seems to me something incredibly important for the movements of the United States. We seem to have a simple and formulaic response to the problems within our country. While the importance of rallies and serious, direct discussions is obvious; these are only some of the tools available to our movements. I wish I could point to the place that this separation began in US organizing. Are political organizers not doing what they should to incorporate the activities of artists and musicians? Or, are politically oriented artists and musicians content to say what they feel through their art while not directly supporting specific fights? Whatever the answer, I hope that we can begin to over come this separation and build a closer relationship between organizers and artists. We need to build a culture of revolutionary organizing and activities like this can help to broaden our audiences, provide excellent fundraisers, build people’s inspiration, and are just plain fun.
The block party atmosphere of these events was so important, as they were clearly events for anyone to attend. But this doesn’t mean there was nothing militant about them. While there was no worry about police attacks, as their likely would be in the states, this seemed to come from a true sense of power that the people had. Rather than chanting it, these really were their streets. There was never a need to question it, they controlled their community and they would do with it what they liked. That true sense of autonomy and culture struck me as something more radical and powerful than most of the protests in which I’ve participated. When I asked someone at the first festival if they had obtained a permit for the event, I was laughed at. It did seem more likely however, that the BAUEN event had asked for a permit as they closed down one of the major city streets at rushhour. But it was this willingness and ability to assert control of the city that was so empowering to me.
In the end, these fun and popular events aren’t the end of the fight by any means. Throughout the concert two rallies were announced repeatedly. One rally and march next week in support of the Hotel BAUEN cooperative, and another calling for an end to the occupation of the Hospital Francés. The concert helped to expand the audience that was there to hear those announcements. Not only those in the crowd, but those on TV watching the León Gieco.
For more pictures of the events:
Festival at Gráfica Patricios: http://argentina.indymedia.org/news/2007/08/541155.php
Festival at the BAUEN: http://argentina.indymedia.org/news/2007/08/541688.php
