http://www.a-camp.info
Anarchist summer camp
14.07. - 23.07.2006
What is an anarchist camp?
“Holiday” as a concept originates from the separation of work and leisure time. In this sense, an anarchist camp is not a holiday: the camp is an opportunity to meet, get to know each other and be active together, in a context which is free from pressure. It gives us room to try and combine anarchist theory and praxis and to live free from authority.
We are aware of the fact that this can only ever be a “relative” freedom, firstly because we carry the mechanisms of authority around with us in our heads and bodies, and then because the anarchist camp is an island which is limited in time and place, within a society which is shaped by authority. But who knows - we may still manage to create a free space, outside of social normality and its daily pains, where we can experience what it is that we are fighting for and where it is that we want to go.
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Shaping a camp together does not mean uncritically embracing some kind of “togetherness feelings”. It is important to bring disagreements to the surface and voice our mutual criticisms when appropriate, so that we can learn from each other and get used to questioning our own behaviours. In this sense, arguing can also be sometimes good. Nevertheless, our behaviour in an anarchist camp must be shaped by the principles of solidarity and mutual respect, which include the acceptance of different approaches and points of view.
With love and strength
The organisation group for the 2006 A-Camp in Austria
http://www.a-camp.info