[New-imc] Re: CAIRO IMC

Wed Apr 2 09:16:31 PST 2003

Date: Mon, 31 Mar 2003 
To: new-imc at lists.indymedia.org
From: Jay <idiot at jaysand.com>
Subject: Re: [New-imc] Re: CAIRO IMC

Petros and all,

At 3/30/2003, boud wrote:
>hi petros,
>    IMHO, there is clear consensus that
>
>(1) new-imc will not propose IMC Cairo as an IMC without
>taking the time to go properly through the process.
>
>(2) it is OK to encourage a new group to make a web site
>quickly if they wish to, while at the same time reminding
>them that there is a process to go through.
>
>On Mon, 24 Mar 2003, Petros Evdokas wrote:
>
> > It would really be nice if our friends at the new-imc
> > working-group would ask to consult some activists from
> > the Eastern Mediterranean, or Middle Eastern region in
> > all these deliberations.
>
>During the time period that IMC Cairo goes through the
>full process, volunteers like you from East Medi/ West
>Asia will be quite welcome to build a political
>relationship with IMC Cairo people. IMHO you know this
>perfectly well.
>
>
> > It seems to be a recurring theme among us, doesn't it,
> > to just ignore politics and go for "spreading the
> > technology" crucade, far and wide? What happened to the
> > basic (instictual, for any activist) approach, of
> > building *political relationships* first, before
> > undertaking co-operation?
>
>Several people in Cairo have been building a political
>relationship via jay for about 12 months. jay has forwarded
>many of these emails to the list. For security reasons, their
>emails were kept secret until a few chose to make their
>addresses available a week ago. But you could have asked jay
>for building up contact if you wished to.
>
>There were some crossed emails due to sarai being down.
>
>Here's is jay's message:
>http://lists.indymedia.org/mailman/public/new-imc/2003-March/003584.html
>which IMHO perfectly agrees with (1), (2), (2a) above.
>
>pozdrawiam
>boud

I've just happened to be the point person on the Cairo
new-imc application 
because Ian, the primary organizer, sent an e-mail to
the new-imc list over
a year ago inquiring about the forming of a Cairo IMC
and I wrote back.  We
communicated a couple times over the year.  Several
days ago Ian wrote to 
me saying the situation was really urgent, so I sent
along the information 
to the new-imc list and have tried to act as an
intermediary.

I do agree that I could have been more active in
soliciting support from 
other IMCs in the region over the last few days.  This
was/is an urgent 
situation, and the idea is to set up a temporary site
to meet it.  All 
along we've all been saying that this is not a
substitute for the intricate
organizing that has to go on before a permanent Cairo
IMC is established, 
both inside and outside of Cairo.

As for opportunities for IMCs in the region to show
support, the Cairo IMC 
first contacted the new-imc list over a year ago, and
there were lots of 
discussions at that time.  Since then, it's true, other
IMCs in the region 
have formed.  I believe Ian and other members of the
Cairo group have 
worked with members of the Palestine IMC in Palestine,
though I don't know 
if they've met others from the Beirut group or ventured
into Israel to meet
with them.  I have received an e-mail from an active
IMC-Israel organizer 
supporting the formation of the IMC Cairo (which he
sent to me, though I'll
ask him to send public support along to both them, and
the new-imc working 
group).  Also, Petros, you are a contact for the Cyprus
IMC, and blue has 
been acting as a contact for the IMC-Beirut.  Sounds
like word is 
spreading.  I'll forward a note along to the
imc-palestine saying that an 
IMC Cairo group is forming so they can make contact.

Jay

--__--__--

Hello Boud and Jay,

Thank you very much for facilitating contacts with the
new group that's forming an imc in Cairo. Can you
please forward a copy of this letter to our colleagues
there? 

It would be wonderful if our colleagues in Cairo had an
interest to contact any of the regional imc groups - in
the Eastern Mediterranean region we have imcs groups in
Palestine, Israel, Beirut, Cyprus, Istanbul, Athens,
Thessaloniki, plus a few more evolving. Contact with
any one of our groups, would have facilitated better
co-operation with our Cairo colleagues on the basis of
our shared politics (if that proves to be the case) and
in a spirit of regional alliances. 

As it is, since perhaps it did not occur to them, it
should have been the initiative of whoever was in our
initial contact team with them, to suggest it. Actually
I'm glad, Jay, that you did most of the contacting and
not certain others (who have a tendency to not want to
discuss our policy toward new imc groups at all). Also,
because so far I've seen that discussion with you is
comfortable, even if it involves a  small degree of
disagreement (and this *is* about a small degree of
disagreement, only, on a subject which is very
important, around which I know we mostly agree). The
important thing is not any person's "fault"; it's a
question on what seems to have become our unstated
policy.

There is a *continuous* attitude by our new-imc
working-group toward new (forming) imc groups, to avoid
the building of political bonds with them, and to just
plunge straight into the project with them. Avoiding
poltics has been very detrimental to the quality of imc
entities. If we had our politics better clarified among
us - as a global organism - in this time of terrible
global crisis (the war) and of magnificent
mobilizations of millions against it, we would have
been able to serve the body global community- in-
revolt much better, as the unofficial media and
communications branch of the planet- wide mobilzations.
As it is, instead of us (global Indymedia) being able
to facilitate the Movement's need for news and
dialogue, and therefore to be enabled to determine its
own self- awareness, self-definition,  and direction,
the shape of our global mobilizations is now being
directed by governments and authoritarian parties -
Indymedia is only  running after it to catch up!

Both of you, Boud and Jay, have been very good at
removing tension from disagreements among us, and by
helping to re-state our problems in non-confrontational
ways which clear the space for solutions. I respect and
appreciate that. But unfortunately, somehow, in  this
approach you also seem to divert attention from the
core of the problem, which keeps coming up
continuously, whenever we make contact with groups
where politics actually *matter*. We need to be able to
discuss these things, without being afraid that the
process of forging bonds on the basis of politics might
somehow make sour or inflame our discussions. On the
contrary, I feel there will be an enrichment and a
bettering of our relations.

Anyway, back to the Eastern Mediterranean: please feel
free to invite our Cairo colleagues (and anyone else
you think should be invited, perhaps re-sending our
invitation to our colleagues in Israel?) to also
participate with us in the dialogue of the Eastern
Mediterranean imc grouping, here:
http://lists.indymedia.org/mailman/listinfo/imc-eastern-mediterranean

Now that there are new imc technologies evolving
(dadaimc software) it may become more feasible, sooner
that we had thought, to create a regional Eastern
Mediterranean imc website operating in all the five
main languages of our region. Print, as a medium, is
also more feasible these days, since there has been
more spreading around the internet of files in the
".PDF" format and free reader- software for them. 

We really would like everyone in our area who has
active involvement in imc projects to be part of this
effort.

But politics is the only reason that Indymedia exists,
and poltics must guide everything we do, both together
and also separated.

Thanks again,
Petros
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