Encuentro News
From the 25th July to the 3rd August, over 3000 people from all five continents gathered in Spain to discuss how current economic policies are affecting our everyday lives around the world, and how we can create a global network of local organisations that can resist them (no small feat..!). Amidst a rainbow representation of people’s movements, unfunded groups, unions, individuals, co-operatives and NGOs, the Encuentro opened with a public meeting in the Plaza de Torros on the outskirts of Madrid, where two members of the Zapatista National Liberation Army (EZLN), Dalia and Felipe, spoke of the current militarisation of all parts of Mexico - not only Chiapas - and the struggles of Zapatista communities today. Where neoliberalism had meant an end to hope for millions of people all around the world, the message and demands of the Zapatista movement offer renewed hope and energy, and this was more than evident from the way in which Dalia and Felipe were warmly welcomed wherever they travelled.
The week was organised by themes: the neoliberal economy, struggles for culture and education, for land and ecology, and the struggle against patriarchy, and all forms of marginalisation.
In the land and ecology workshops participants heard of struggles in the Philippines against the proposed development of a golf and “Country Club” on 8,650 hectares of land which is currently composed of four villages, rich agricultural land and a beautiful landscape of mountains and sea; of thousands of Indian farmers protesting directly against multinational companies such as Cargill and Kentucky Fried Chicken for their part in the monopolisation of the seed market and of local food-growing areas for meat production; and of the Sem Terra movement in Brazil which has been organising among landless families in 23 states in Brazil, occupying land and campaigning for agrarian reform.
The Encuentro culminated in a meeting of over 2,000 people in the scorching heat, where each group gave feedback on their discussions, and the possibility of creating “an international network of resistance” came closer to realisation. Despite the diversity of all those represented, the struggle is for a common goal and against the same system driven by the laws of profit, and together we are more powerful. As stated in the summons to the Encuentro, “perhaps the most urgent thing to do is to try and break out of this isolation and open spaces to hold in common our struggles, our frustrations and our desires for change”.
The energy and encouragement that the Encuentro gave to people as they return to their disparate communities was immense. Not only have concrete plans for international actions emerged (for example against the World Trade Organisation 50th anniversary to be held in Geneva next February, and an international week of action against Maastricht in the first week of December, to name only two), but perhaps most importantly the Encuentro showed that human beings all over the world are seizing the spaces left by the destruction caused by the free market today, and filling them with proposals for self-organisation and viable alternatives.
Contact: http://www.pangea.org/encuentro
NB The World Trade Organisation (WTO) is holding its second Ministerial Conference on May 18-20 1998 in Geneva - this offers a high- point for networking and coordinated action for humanity and against neoliberalism.