from Genoa to Porto Alegre

[claudia westermann]

DIALOGUES

"THE VILLAGE OF THE DISOBEDIENTS"
>From Genoa to Porto Alegre


THE GIRL WITH A GREEN BAND:
I was here with another girl from the university and with some boys 
from the social centres and they gave us  this stadium to run, we 
have some welcoming groups, some security groups, some cookery 
groups, some logistic groups and we are trying to put up all the 
people  that want to come here, that share with us the theme of civil 
disobedience.


ASSEMBLY (a man):
When I speak about civil disobedience, I mean a pacific practice, 
only defensive, where the use of any offensive weapon is not  allowed 
for any reason.

THE BOY WITH A BEARD:
I do not belong to any group, I take part in an anarchic collective 
in  my province, the  province of Cuneo. I didn't go to vote because 
I don't believe  that these governments can represent my ideals, but 
I practice politics, probably I mean, I think of practicing politics 
every day in my choices and when I am in touch with people and at 
work.

THE GIRL WITH SUNGLASSES
I am above all against consumerism and for the defence of the 
environment. These are the battles that I have more at heart.


SPANISH MAN (I)
The most mpressive thing is when  you get up in the morning and 
switch on the television : they are selling the same  images they 
sell images they sell all over the world. I believe that before the 
birth of Seattle people we had  a sense of general defeat: the fall 
of the Wall and the collapse of the classic left wing has produced 
fatal consequences across the years.


THE SPANISH BOY (2)
Now we people of Seattle know that we can organize ourselves.We 
constantly see millions of injustices, in the world, and we 
understand that the global system, is not anything unrestrainable, it 
is not an unavoidable phenomenon, it is not a product of the new 
technology, of the deterministic development of history, but a 
political choice of economic power, of a political egemony of 
northern-american administration. We see that all this structural 
violence is condemning millions of people to live on a dollar a day.


THE GIRL FROM BENEVENTO (I):
I'm here with the social Centre from Benevento " sidetracking", we 
came here with the comrades from Naples. We arrived this morning, 
fortunately the journey was without incidents, unexpectedly. I hope 
there will be no problems, that there will be no obstacle, they will 
let us do something that I believe is guaranteed by the Italian 
Constitution, so I think we have every right.


RASTA BOY (I):
My purpose, the same as everybody else's , I think is that of trying 
to block the summit , to try to show however that a different world 
is possibile, that the only economic system is not the one proposed 
by these eight people.



THE GIRL FROM BENEVENTO (II):
Between the '68 and the Seattle people I think there are basic 
differences , if only because of the
different historic period we live in and also because of the 
different social economic context in which we find ourselves.There 
are different methods of information, of communication,different 
battle instruments.Then I think the ideas and the wishes that push us 
to demonstrate in the squares,
to fight and unfortunately risk our  safety, in the end are the same.


FRENCH MAN:
In 68 there was the State, there were the States, now there are, how 
do you say in Italian, Multinational companies. We say there is a 
mondial system now.


THE BOY that speaks about  '68.
I did not live the 68, I am not old enough. Perhaps it was felt by 
more people,anyway the positive element is that here, in Genoa, they 
are really afraid of us and the  number of protesters is increasing.


ASSEMBLY (II)
So it will be more difficult for those who do not try to invade the 
red zone to claim their rights,than for those who , on the contrary, 
try to enter.
For us that are among the disobedients it will be politically easier 
to claim a demonstration that has no element of danger.It has been 
decided that all these actions must be carried out in a frame.The 
frame decided by the Genoa Social Forum is that each action meets 
absolutely the criteria of pacifism and non-violence.



BOY WITH A BEARD
We suggest a debate on willingness, on malleability that we all have 
to listen to the others, to reach a common goal. We have always 
succeeded in avoiding mechanisms of viting, we have always succeeded 
in running , in a collective way, technical things as practical 
things, as well as the conceptual and political things, we say.
Today, we have established the presence of immigrants at the 
demonstration, of a  student group that will be first of all  a way 
to express, even organizing technically the flow of the 
demonstration, our solidarity to all the discriminated all over the 
world, to anybody who suffers and  to those who have no rights, to 
those who suffer and come to the richest countries and  are enclosed 
in lagher or sent back home. We express our solidarity and our will 
to fight, to present our antagonism against a global system that 
foresees borders even clearer while it should theoretically pull them 
down.



BOY THAT IRONICALLY SPEAKS ABOUT THE SEA.
Why am I here ? Because it is a beautiful place on the sea , there 
are many foreign people: from Japan,from all the most industrialized 
countries.
I could not miss that, me that I aim at being the ninth most 
industrialized country in the world.


MANU CHAO
The fucking walls could fall down in six months by themselves. They 
look like being resistantŠ But they are not different from the 
armour-plating of the red zone here in Genoa, that it is not a sign 
of strength for me but a sign of weakness. It is incredible that the 
eight people probably the most powerful people all over the world, 
should be locked in a castle to meet. That is a sign of weakness, not 
of strengthŠ I am capable of changing myself, my family, of changing 
things in my neighbourhood, I do not believe in a world revolution 
indeed.


THE GIRL WITH A GREEN BAND
If I were at the table with the "eight great powerful or domineering, 
I would not probably be capable of discussing the economic situation 
for example, but I could inform them that if they looked through the 
window they would see 200,000 people that have different ideas from 
theirs.



GIRL FROM BENEVENTO (III)
I sincerely think violence as an end itself has little value and 
leads you to reach a result Šor better no result. So to demonstrate 
with the intention of using violence is necessary if only to debase 
the movement for what it really is.


RASTA BOY (II)
My civil disobedience will be to look for , with my body,without 
having weapons at all, but only some protective element like a crash 
helmet or something like that, trying to show the G8 and  riot cops 
that are there to defend these eight people, that they are nobody and 
that they are only eight while  we are 200,000.


BOY WITH A BEARD  (III)
What I think of doing these days is to give all I've got, because the 
tension is high and an army like that, ready to welcome you , does 
not make easier a violent action. But I really believe in a non 
violent direct action, in a direct action, so we will stakeŠ I don't 
know, my hands.


FROM MINIBUS
There will be a group that will bring instruments of fantasy. After 
this group there will be another that will be heading the procession, 
using wheels as shields.
These collective shields will be useful not only to break the red 
zone or the blocks we'll find but they will be useful to protect the 
side wings of the whole processions.


BOY WITH GLASSES AND PROTECTION.
Bullet-proof vest Šyou tie together here with the lacesŠ a moment : I 
am a little bit tied up.
Plexiglas, rubberŠ They will be a couple of centimetres to soothe the 
stroke; shoulder pads: they are made of cardboard, Plexiglas with 
some wire twisted inside and normal Plexiglas under it ; covering for 
the shoulders and at the back an extension for the back so that when 
we bend it is attached; crash helmet, basic,with a mask.


BLOND BOY
All useful things: we can't be faster than bullets
M. BALSAMO
Really ? Is it so dangerous ?
BLOND BOY
Ah, yes.

ACT II> PORTO ALEGRE
BOY WITH A PONY TAIL:
The important thing is that we are here , present, alive.



NOTICE
"Carlo Giuliani" Camp. January- February 2002. The proposals.

M: BALSAMO
Were you in Genoa, too?

GIRL WITH PIERCING (I)
Yes, I was at the Carlini. I was in the procession on the 19th July 
with the white tracksuits.In Genoa there was a contrast between the 
fear of processions and the clash with the Police and the hope and 
the sensation of community among the young people that were there at 
the Carlini stadium. Sincerely if there had not been that atmosphere 
of collaboration I believe I  would have come back completely shocked 
from Genoa, instead we have, I don't know how to say, we encouraged 
each other, all unknown people, during the whole time we were there.


TRAVELLING GIRL
Practically this story began two years ago. Because I left after 
Grammar school ; I left in September, to spend six  months in 
Ireland, in the end  I stayed there a year, I worked there. Well in 
Ireland salaries are higher than Italian ones, so I saved money, when 
I came to Italy I could go to Genoa last July. In short I saved my 
money, to come here too. I arrived by plane, I travelled a lot.
I arrived  here in Porto Alegre, it is expensive, but when I was in 
san Paolo I could have two meals with the money I earned.Now I am 
here, it is free, you find a camp where it is possible, even if it is 
hot, you can also sleep in the open and  if you want to leaveŠI don't 
know, those who travel should do like this: money are necessary for 
the journey and for travelling. However the budget is nearly three 
-four millions, not more, three or four millions for nine months,a 
year.


SOCIOLOGIST
I'm a sociologist from Barcelona and i am at Porto Alegre to create a 
better world, linking the proposals of all the people and the 
movements that are here, people that are making proposals to overcome 
the world order or better, the world disorder,  and to have a better 
world more bearable for everybody. This is a wonderful place here we 
are creating Utopia and living in Utopia. Thousands of different 
cultures togetherŠYoung people with the strength of hope.We are not 
here to criticize the structure of the power, but to do something 
more; to overcome them, to present an alternative programm, to 
discuss the future.
I think the only protest G8, Fmi  and the world Bank means to 
reproduce paternalism.
It should be like "Please dad, state dad, dad G8, dad  Fmi , give us 
more , give us more work". Here instead we are creating new 
work,giving life to a tolerable world. We don't want our dad Fmi
to change his structure, we want to create our structure, from here, from low.


GIRL WITH PIERCING (II)
I have been here for a few days and I think it is very beautiful, in 
the sense that it is a place of
world meeting, in the sense that  there are all possible and 
imaginable realities from all over the world, from East to West. Then 
it is very beautiful because with anybody you meet in this camp you 
live a sense of collaboratio. You have a sensation of knowing that 
whatever you do is not done for personal outcome and goals, but we do 
it for  Social Forum.


SOCIOLOGIST
I worked at a pizzeria in  Spain to pay my air ticket and to live a 
year in Latin America without working or better, working for 
voluntary enterprises as the net to exchange, namely the exchange of 
products without using money, where you create a social and local 
currency to exchange in your neighbourhood and community.These nets 
are part of a real , pacifist, creative and solid revolution that 
creates a social tissue in the net there isn't hierarchy we are all 
equal.
Here, in this place we are leafing through pages of a book with many 
things that soon will not exist any more, as the hierarchyŠ things  
that in the third millennium will not exist any more if we want  our 
planet to survive.


GIRL WITH PIERCING (III)
We had the first assembly yesterday, the subject was the political speech
from Seattle to Genoa and then the function of this Forum Now there 
has been another debate that
dealt with the theme of repression together with that of  the war, 
and then the function of this Forum.


ASSEMBLY
For us from Intergalactika next stop will be Buenos Aires , because 
people at the camp that are not from Argentina ask us to go. So we 
are organizing a list of people to hire a charter plane and a minibus 
to go to Buenos Aires. Once there Intergalactika will observe what is 
happening.
We intergalactikos are going to move to the Argentina capital to 
record all the experiences
carried out.


AUGUSTO BOAL
I really believe in the enlivened effect of dialogue.
People here are thrilled and they are very happy because they listen 
to things which not necessarily
everybody agrees with, but they speak, communicate and through 
dialogue , they often change their views or learn things they didn't 
know before. So this second Mondial Social Forum, even if it will not 
reach another practical result, has just reached a great goal: to 
promote exchange , the identity of people, because when you speak , 
you are expressing your ideas, your thoughts , your personality and 
are communicating with other people.



SOCIOLOGIST
Indymedia is completely free medium of news based on a horizontal 
structure so that anybody
Can broadcast a piece of news without using a large medium of communication.

SWEDISH GIRL
With these small digital video cameras  can shoot films.
  Mass Media are liers , now any person can shoot their own film, 
representing their own objective views. I like this very much.


A PEASANT
Our youth has a loud voice to say: we are asking for a better world, 
we want the world of our fathers.


SOCIOLOGIST
Now the hegemonic system only worries about the richness of the 
Northern world,and that the North lives on the shoulder of the South 
,  when in the South they live worse than in the North,
the debt  with the Countries of the Third World is an income for the 
North, that lives on the poor.
In Europe we are living on debts that the Latin America pay us .This 
is unjust,unbearable,irrational and economically reprehensible.


A PEASANT
The most important thing for us unemployed workers is to form groups 
of people , to do base work with them and to take possession of the 
land and create little camps where these people cultivate the land.

SOCIOLOGIST
Even the  Tobin Tax is something necessary.
It is not possible that our products are burdened with taxes , apart 
from the financial transactions that shift more money than any other 
activity and they are directed by the people among the richest all 
over the world, that create richness only for themselves.

A PEASANT
Youth today is very oppressed.
And the rate of infant mortality is very high. So it is very 
important for the young from all over the world to meet, as it 
happens here , to talkŠ.I'm 43 and I hope in the future poor 
countries can live in a better world.

A BOY WITH A PONY TAIL
A utopian dream that is transformed into a reality completely 
different. There is no doubt  about thatŠ We must be happy, we must 
cry, cry with happiness, because we always cry for sad things.
Now we have to cry with happiness and with great proudness, with 
great proudness.


---------------------------

English subtitles out of the documentary 'from Genoa to Porto Allegre'.
director: Mario Balsamo, part of the film collective Luna Rossa

from the same film collective there are two more documentaries on the 
events in Genoa last year:

"Un mondo diverso è possibile" (R: Franceso Maselli)
which got a prize on the Berlinale in Germany and is in fact a 
collaborative film
http://www.berlinale.de/en/presse/pressemitteilungen/friedensfilmpreis2002/f_main.html

and
"Carlo Giuliani, ragazzo" (R: Francesca Comencini)
which was also shown on ARTE a few days ago. ( I was told that this 
is shown in some cinemas in Italy )