[IMC-bristol] WED 4/9/02 - NEIGHBOURHOOD ACTIVIST SPEAKERS FROM ARGENTINA

[kebele]

HAVE SENT FOLLOWING TO WEB PAGE - 
PLEASE CAN YOU PRIORITISE AND POST ON 
MAIN PAGE, AS THIS EVENT IN NEXT 
WEDNESDAY, 4TH SEPTEMBER

...AND PLEASE COME ALONG AND SUPPORT IT!

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ORGANISING IN THE 
NEIGHBOURHOOD 
for survival and revolution 

ACTIVIST SPEAKERS FROM  
ARGENTINA (NEIGHBOURHOOD  
NETWORK, SANTE  FE) 

COMING TO:  
EASTON COMMUNITY CENTRE  

ON: WED 4 SEPT @ 7.00 PM 

all welcome - donations on the night  
please 

The =91pots and pans uprising=92 that rocked Argentina on 19-20  
December 2001, with hundreds of thousands of people taking to  
the streets all over the country, was not spontaneous.=A0In the past  
decade, the corruption of politicians and civil servants, the illegal  
deals and sale of public utilities, and the systematic destruction of  
industry, left millions of people out of waged work.=A0 Protest  
movements of unemployed women and men have occupied roads  
and highways everywhere.=A0What was new about the December  
nights which brought the government down was the massive  
presence of women in the street, banging their pots.=A0 Since then,  
mothers with their children, housewives and women pensioners,  
teachers and employees, have had an active presence in every  
neighbourhood assembly and every mobilization. 
The Sindicato des Amas de Casa has enormous credibility  
because of its many years of grassroots organizing independent of  
all political parties. Following its call to form women=92s assemblies,  
the squares in some of the poorest neighbourhoods of Santa Fe  
filled with women bringing their urgent needs and demands. It was  
the first step towards women=92s autonomous organising and the  
formation of the Red Interbarrial de Mujeres RIM (Inter- 
neighbourhood Women=92s Network), where all decisions are taken  
collectively in the assembly. 
Together women have been able to get hold of the monthly  
emergency payments for heads of household which corrupt  
politicians previously denied them. Winning this small financial  
recognition of their caring work has transformed what they thought  
was possible.=A0With their new independence and collective action,  
women have succeeded in: 
- taking control of the neighbourhood Health Centre for  
victims of domestic violence 
- shopping collectively to get lower prices for food 
- running a neighbourhood soup kitchen for more than  
200 children 
- denouncing State employees who deny subsidies and food  
parcels to women heads of household who refuse to sleep  
with them...  NOT BAD!!! 
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