Dear friends and comrades,
the preparations for the climate camp – or, even, climate camps! – in the Rhineland mining region near Cologne, Germany, have started.
In the last years, different so-called “barrios” have participated in a big climate camp. These barrios were thematic camping areas and meeting tents, focusing on “Agriculture & Food Sovereignty”, “Queer Feminism”, and “Resisting Climate Change and Racism” where campers would hold workshops and discussions on these struggles.
At the first organisational meeting for the climate camp in January, people from these barrios sat together and developed the idea to extend the barrio structures and possibly set up an own camp. But to be able to do this, we would need your support!
Why bring together these struggles in an extra camp?
Climate change, landgrabbing, inhuman deportation politics, sexist assault on women*, … to just name a few points, are results of intricately entwined mechanisms of oppression and systems of domination.
Climate change and its social and ecological consequences will not be solved by capitalist patriarchy, built on exploitation, forced competition, oppression, and marginalisation of people. Also, we ourselves are not free of sexist, racist and otherwise oppressive behavious, as well as competitive, performance-oriented thinking. The norms and roles resulting from socialisation often still have a firm grip on us.
For these reasons, we consider it important to both further investigate all of these issues specific to our struggles, and to look at parrallels between the systems of oppressions, where the effects intersect or influence one another. We want to look for points to connect our struggles, and organize together.
We want to create a space to retreat and reflext, to empower ourselves for collective action, for exchange, and furthering an understanding of these issues and struggles. The site or camp should cooperate closely with the existing structures and the two other camps (Climate Camp & Degrowth Summer School, and youth-camp) and at the same time be autonomous in its provisisoning structures (includig an own kitchen, own sanitary space, etc.).
To make this a reality, we still need a lot of support – meaning You!
Implementing this camp idea would require a lot of work and engagement. Therefore, we are looking for comrades and volunteers to think with us about how we want to shape this time in regards to subjects as well as interpersonally, and how the organisation of our infrastructure of camp structures could work. Also, if you want to host the camp with us or want to work to make these issues visible in the Rhineland this August in another way, please get in contact.
The next organisational meeting of our group will take place on Friday, February 24 (during the day) in Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany (the day before the big organisational meeting for climate camps on February 25 + 26, in the same place). We would like to invite you to this meeting, and will give details on the exact time and place soon, which will also be announced at www.klimacamp-im-rheinland.de.
We are looking forward to work with you!
The Barrios working group
contact: barriocamp@riseup.net