A-Infos (en) Finland, Musta Pispala - Black Pispala Anarchist counter-cultural festival in Tampere, 10.-12. July 2009

The 4th Musta Pispala will offer practical and theoretical workshops, parties, sauna, book 
fair and children's activities in the unique setting of Pispala. ---- For us anarchism 
means for example the critique of all forms of domination and hierarchy and on the other 
hand creating non-oppressive, egalitarian culture. We see domination not only in large 
structures of society, but also in oppressive customs among ourselves. Our analysis is not 
limited only to human relations. It also includes our relationships with non-human beings. 
Our aim is to strengthen critical views and empowerment in the form of taking control of 
our lives. Kill the police within! ---- Through the workshops in the festival you can get 
familiar with topics such as basics of anarchism and anarcha-feminism.

There will be a couple of workshops on anarchist parenting and unschooling. 
Anti-psychiatry criticizes mainstream views on mental problems, and offers
alternatives for mental care. Environmental themes are approached practically and
theoretically through worm-composting, edible wild plants, climate
change and the environment and technology thinking of anarchists. We
also have workshops about specifically local struggles such as
anti-gentrification/yuppification and a counter campaign against the
city council's efforts to clean the streets of Tampere from street art
and posters of small scale events.

We are consciously trying to work to ensure a safe anti-oppression
atmosphere. In order to do this, we come up with guidelines for
situations of harassment, and we'll have a specific conflict resolution
/ anti-harassment group. This doesn't mean we wouldn't encourage
everyone to take responsibility to ensure that the atmosphere would be
positive. We have a conscious anti-oppression policy including but not
limited to anti-sexism, anti-heterosexism and anti-racism.

If you need a sleeping place and/or help with child care, please get in
touch via mustapispala (at) takku (dot) net beforehand so we can
prepare. You can also get in touch if you want to offer your help in
organising, hold a workshop or come to the book fair with your distro.
The workshops are in Finnish with English translation.

We are sorry that we are so late with our announcement, which makes it
pretty much impossible for people who need visas to arrive. We'll try
better next time.

More detailed descriptions of the workshops, timetables and other
additional information: http://mustapispala.takku.net
How to get there

Pispala is within a walking distance (3-4km) from Tampere railway
station. You can get to Tampere easily from Turku or Helsinki (that's
where your ferries will arrive, check timetables and prices here: 1 2
3). Driving instructions to Vastavirtaklubi (That's where the Info desk
will be located).

The festival locations in Pispala are Vastavirta, Hirvitalo,
Kurpitsatalo and Tahmela beach. A map may be available later.
Short revolutionary history of Pispala

Pispala has a rich revolutionary history. During the civil war of 1918
Tampere was the “capital” of the reds, and Pispala was the last place
where “the workers defended themselves with guns in their hands”, as the
text in the memorial statue of the “class war park” says.

Pispala was built a little before the civil war as a neighbourhood for
the workers who came to wage-slave in the first factory of Finland built
in the centre of Tampere. It was chaotically built full of small wooden
houses, and it also had a lot of apple trees and berry bushes in a
forest garden -ish manner.

In the 70's it was almost completely destroyed when the city and the
construction mafia wanted to build it into “The Nordic Riviera”. This
would have been realised by destroying all the wooden houses and
replacing them with big blockhouses. How creative!

Another 70's plan which was blocked by peoples activity, was to build a
motorway just next to the Lake Pyha"ja"rvi shore. Pispala is a ridge
between two lakes, and there was already a motorway on the Lake
Na"sija"rvi side. In the techno-enthusiastic 70's spirit the city
officials probably thought that one motorway is obviously not enough. At
the other hand they might have thought that it's a waste since soon
everyone will be using flying vehicles anyway. Whatever the case, the
building company shareholders would have pocketed some millions of
taxpayer money on the process, which made it look appealing for them.
Luckily the local folks managed to prevent this project.

The greatest example of the destructiveness of the engineer-spirit, and
the logic of industrialism is the case of the well. There is a spring in
lower Pispala, or Tahmela, which provided drinking and other water to
the whole of Pispala from 1906 to 1966. Then some engineer thought that
it might be a good idea to “improve” it a little bit, and did something
to mess the bottom. The sand never settled, and the well has been
useless since then.

Pispala is a perfect example of the corruption of hierarchical systems
such as representative democracy and at the other hand the
potentialities of peoples co-operation. The area is booming with
self-organised activities such as the Rajaportti Sauna, the oldest
public sauna in Finland, Vastavirta club, which is owned by a
punk-co-operative, Hirvitalo which is home to the Center of Contemporary
Art, Kurpitsatalo (The Pumpkin House), home of the community garden
movement in the middle of the plots, and the communally self-organised
library in the neighbour of Hirvitalo, which has been independently kept
alive after the council closed the local branch of the city library.
Currently the city council wants to sell Kurpitsatalo and Rajaportti,
which they own, effectively destroying them as they are at the moment.
Additionally they are planning to give a building permit for houses to
be build over the community garden plots. This would obviously be one of
the stupidest things possible concerning the current situation – climate
change, peak oil, the need for localised food self-sufficiency etc. For
capitalists and their lackeys in the city council short term monetary
profits seem to be more important than anything, including the survival
of humanity.

Pispala has also been an area of strong gentrification despite the
strongest special legislation in Finland to preserve the unique historic
spirit of the area. Rich bastards with friends in high places have
managed to build outrageous mansions, wiping out many nice wooden houses
with cheap apartments. Many owners leave their houses to rot hoping to
get a permit for de-constructing them later and so get a permit for a
new house. In this situation they could sell the plot with a high price
to some yuppie.

There have also been quite a few squats in Pispala, currently there is
one in Hyhky, Pispalan valtatie 72.
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