A-Infos (en) Czech, Prague: Infocafe Krtkova Kolona

[Worker <a-infos-en@ainfos.ca>]

 ________________________________________________
      A - I N F O S  N E W S  S E R V I C E
            http://www.ainfos.ca/
        http://ainfos.ca/index24.html
 ________________________________________________

Infocafe Krtkova Kolona (formerly Infocafe Praha) is an
anti-authoritarian and anti-Capitalist intitiative taken by
people who were involved in the anti-IMF/World Bank protests of
Sept. 26th 2000.

Members of the groups Ora-Solidarita, Ulice Lidem (Reclaim the
Streets) and the Czechoslovak Anarchist Federation are involved,
as well as individuals who aren't aligned with any group. The
infocafe is also being used by Feminist Group 8 March, Earth
First!, CarBusters, IMC Prague, FoodnotBombs and a street medics
group.

We began renting an unused basement complex in a residential
area in northern Prague one year ago, with the aim of a)
providing an educational and cultural resource to be used by the
local community; b) providing a space for the Czech movement to
use for its political and cultural needs; and c) providing a
space for our own social and political needs.

Plans were to create a bar/cafe space, a library and an office.
After one year of continuous activity, including largescale
reconstruction, the bar/cafe space is operating and the library
is now ready to be used. There are plans to establish a
community garden behind the building.

So far the space has been used for film showings, craft
workshops, medical training, lectures as well as for local
meetings. Also, Infocafe Krtkova Kolona has been used to host a
number of international meetings and comrades from the UK,
Germany, Poland, France, Italy, the US and Sweden have visited.

The process has not been without its difficulties and we have
had to learn from many mistakes. We have experienced a very
steep learning curve, but we are succeeding in our aims of
encouraging new people to get involved with the infocafe, and
making the space usable on a week-by-week basis. Members of
different groups from different backgrounds and even different
countries with no common language, are learning to respect each
others' differences and to work cooperatively towards common
goals.


Infocafe Krtkova Kolona mission statement:

who we are and what we want to do

The infocafe is an anti-authoritarian and anti-capitalist
intitiative taken in the wake of the anti-IMF/World Bank
protests of S26. People who had come together in the course of
that gathering decided there was a need to use the energy
unleashed by S26, to make sure something of use and value was
left behind, when all the demonstrators had gone home. One year
to the day after those protests, the infocafe was opened.

Yes, we are for a classless society; we are for the abolition of
waged labour; we are for the collective ownership of the means
of production, producing for people's needs, all of these
things. And we are not linking ourselves to any one particular
issue - the issue for us is class struggle, and we see what we
are doing as being class struggle, even if it is outside the
point of production.

But we want a society that produces not just for people's
material welfare, but that provides true quality of life - bread
yes, but roses too. We want a society that places play right
back where it belongs - at the centre of life. So we are taking
the initiative to provide what we feel is denied us by the
present system of social relations. We see this struggle as part
of the evolution towards social revolution. By experimenting
with new ways of social interaction and collective organisation,
we are walking towards utopia - even if that place retreats one
step for every step we take towards it.

United by certain wider aims, alienated, exploited, we envision
a different world. In order to reach an anti-Capitalist world,
we feel the need to act in new ways, and to wipe out the notion
of suffering from our activities. We say NO to martyrdom, NO to
sacrificial mentality. Because a movement that just wants to go
down in (another) glorious defeat is not worth being part of. We
intend the circulation of energy as well as struggles. We want
to win this revolution, because it's the only one we've got.

So - we invite participation from those who agree with our
analysis and our aims. We can be contacted virtually at:

    infocafe@ziplip.com

or in the flesh at:

Infocafe Krtkova Kolona, Socharska 6, 160 00, Prague 6, Ceska
Republika.



What we want from this project

The personal is political - what we want as individuals

A source of energy. Freedom to be yourself in an easygoing
environment. Fun and creativity. Friendship. And
experimentation.

The commons - social needs

Comradeship and solidarity - a 'real' collective, developing our
internal community. Open-mindedness in a welcoming atmosphere.
Escape from the 'ghetto' and openness to/engagement with
'difference'. An international spirit. And diversity.

Wider aims - politics

Identity of aims and means. To promote circulation of struggles
and to be open to the outside community. Be 'political' even at
expense of efficiency. And continuous evolution.

Technical points

Clarity of procedure. Responsibility to ourselves and the
'outside'.

Appeal for help

Right now we are facing a financial crisis. The space is not yet
completely ready, and the amount of revenue coming in through
the bar and other activities has been insufficient to cover our
outgoing costs. An exhaustive effort to reorganise the way we
work is underway, but it won't yield immediate financial
results.

We expect the situation will improve over the next few months or
weeks, but right now we are short of cash and have debts to pay,
as well as mounting bills.

The amount we are faced with having to find is high by Czech
standards - a month's salary for a well-paid worker. but by
western standards, it is perhaps one week's wages only. $500
would make a huge difference. That is why we are appealing to
our international comrades to help in any way they can.

To send contributions, our bank account details are:

Name of Account Holder: Spolecnost 2000
Address of Account Holder: Socharska 6, 170 00 Praha 7, Ceska
Republika
Name of Bank: eBanka a.s
Address of Bank: Na Prikope 19, 117 19 Praha 1, Ceska Republika
Account Number: 948700001/2400

TACT1 (tact = temporary anticapitalist teams) can also help you
get donations to Infocafe Krtkova Kolona - please email us for
details: donations@temporary.org.uk.   www.temporary.org.uk


*******
                       ********
       ****** The A-Infos News Service ******
      News about and of interest to anarchists
                       ******
  COMMANDS: lists@ainfos.ca
  REPLIES: a-infos-d@ainfos.ca
  HELP: a-infos-org@ainfos.ca
  WWW: http://www.ainfos.ca/
  INFO: http://www.ainfos.ca/org

-To receive a-infos in one language only mail lists@ainfos.ca the message:
                unsubscribe a-infos
                subscribe a-infos-X
 where X = en, ca, de, fr, etc. (i.e. the language code)