It seems that the more lipservice is paid to the values of transparency and instantaneous communication, the more startling it is to discover what’s going on behind all our backs. On Monday the 21st of July the East Oxford Community Centre on Cowley Road was the venue for the launch of Oxford Indymedia, our local branch of the movement which aims to throw light on those corners of the world ignored by the mainstream. A dedicated core had set up the website, and now it was time to marshal forces, gather ideas and start really communicating.
The event began with a film showcasing the work of independent media organisations around the world. I’m ashamed to say that I only caught the end of this, but the pictures of police action in Genoa, proving conclusively that you can’t make a grossly unfair global economic system without breaking heads. It is chastening to realise that the dead weight of apathy and commercial pressure kept such things quiet, but the fact that this well put together, professional film had been made by people dedicated to fighting such inertia proved that this might not always be so.
Further hope was provided by the packed and diverse attendance. In the subsequent discussion there were contributions from old hands and fledglings, like myself, looking for a way to get involved. All were united in their enthusiasm for the project but, more than that, had ideas for its implementation on the local level. Contributions were often challenging – the lack of non-white faces in the group was noted, for example – but always constructive. Contrary to the received dogma on such matters, idealism and pragmatism proved to be perfect bedfellows, so that questions on the complexities of editing a website where anyone can contribute were interspersed with plans to hijack a local art gallery for the purposes of publicity, education and just plain mucking about.
When things got a bit more informal, I had the opportunity to ask why