Jan 27-28-29: Harder, Faster, Louder...

This weekend at the Commonplace promises to be kerrazee. Friday 27 Jan sees the first of our regular Friday night socials, featuring a film (6 pm) and first-hand report (8 pm) on indigenous resistance to coal mining in Venezuela, as well as food, licensed bar and DJs into the night (from 9 pm) (see full details below)

Just as you thought you were feeling better, Sat night 28 Jan (9 pm - 2 am) literally blows you away with brutally hard, brutally fast and brutally loud, live music. Gabba, hardcore, grind, noise, breakcore, dark D&B, death metal,
you name it, we've got it (as long as it is brutal). The bar will provide alcohol to help you lose your dancing inhibitions, and the cafe will serve delicious vegan food to rejuvenate you after your exertions (see full details below).

And then, with your head mashed and your body smashed, we give you our 'supa sunday' (29 Jan). Leeds' finest veggie breakfast served from 11am, followed by an afternoon of films and discussions all about social centres (2 - 7 pm), and finished off by a classic film, The Killing Fields (1984) at 7 pm (see full programme below).

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Friday 27 january

The first of the CommonPlace Friday Night Socials, 27th Jan, The CommonPlace, Leeds, 6 pm 'till late. Recommended donation, £3 incl. 2006 membership to the CommonPlace.

Featuring:

*First-hand report on indegenous resistance to coal mining in Venezuela (8 pm)
*film on venezeula (6 pm)
*food & licenced bar (from 6 pm)
*DJs into the night (from 9 pm)

***Advertise Widely***

The first of the CommonPlace Friday Night Socials, 27th Jan, The CommonPlace, Leeds, 6 pm 'till late. Recommeded donation, £3 including 2006 membership to the CommonPlace.

Venezuela: Bolivarian Revolution, Coal Mining and Indigenous Resistance

6pm FILM; ‘ Bolivarian Venezuela ; people and struggle of the fourth world war’, 1h 15 mins. by Marcelo Andrade and the Calle Y Media Collective. 76 min., 2004, Spanish with English subtitles.

Documentary examining the Bolivarian Revolution of Venezuela as connected to the world-wide movement against capitalist globalization. www.calleymedia.org

Followed by...

8pm Report back from a recent trip to Venezuela
Short film from a new libertarian social centre in Caracas
Information on indigenous struggles in the rural North West
News paper clippings and photos

Followed by...

9 pm onwards DJ's

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From the 24th to the 29th of January 2006 the attention of the global anti-capitalist movement will be focused on Caracas, Venezuela as thousands gather at the World Social Forum, hosted by the self proclaimed socialist Hugo Chavez.

At the same time, just a bumpy bus ride from Caracas outside of the media gaze, another mobilization will be gathering momentum. People who live in the beautiful forested Sierra Perija, in the North Westerly region of Zulia have been organizing, campaigning and taking action for over two years to defend their lives and the land they live on against multinational coal mining companies.

Learn more and find out what you can do to help.

In 1999 Chavez came to power, the new Venezuelan Constitution was written and people were thirsty for change. Neo Liberal policies were rejected in favour of ‘missions’ designed to empower the poorest communities. The left across the world celebrated while the right panicked. The political landscape in Venezuela was polarised; Chavez vs the capitalist opposition; black vs white.

But six years on and there is trouble in paradise. Big business is reasserting itself in Venezuela while indigenous people continue to fight for their lives and for the environment. Shades of Grey and bursts of colourful resistance are breaking through the black and white picture.

For more on the indigenous resistance in the Sierra Perija

www.noalg8.contrapoder.org. (“other languages”section)  http://www.nodo50.org/ellibertario (“English” section)

Lusbi Portillo www.soberania.org (all in Spanish)

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Saturday 28 January

Harder Faster Louder

On Saturday 28th January 2006, come to The Common Place and dance to brutally hard, brutally fast and brutally loud music:

gabba, hardcore, grind, noise, breakcore, dark D&B, death metal

The bar will provide alcohol to help you lose your dancing
inhibitions, and the cafe will serve delicious vegan food to
rejuvenate you after your exertions.

What: Harder Faster Louder
Why: Brutal music + dancing + vegan food + alcohol
Where: The Common Place, 23 Wharf Street, Leeds
When: Saturday 28th January 2006, 9pm to 2am

How much: £2 (Common Place annual membership included)
Map: www.thecommonplace.org.uk
Questions:  maryrosecook@gmail.com

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Sunday 29 January

*Social centres and autonomous spaces in the UK: where next after Gleneagles?*

A call out to all social centre activists and interested people in the UK

*"Crash accommodation is available for people wanting to travel down on the Saturday or stay Sunday night"*
*"Donations to the cinema will be shared out to help cover travel costs"*

Across Britain, people are buying, renting or squatting disused, empty buildings in city and town centres and turning them into vibrant political and residential spaces run by volunteers such as ‘social centres’, 'infoshops', and 'resource centres'. Inspired by many influences, from anarchist principles of mutual aid and self-management to Italian autonomism, these spaces often provide free or cheap food,
regular film and gig nights, political meeting spaces, libraries, free shops and independent media groups. Following recent attempts to boost their number in the run-up to the G8 protests in Scotland, social centres in particular are rapidly becoming a key battle ground in anticapitalist struggle. Why have these spaces emerged? What can they achieve? Are they activist ghettoes, radical community centres or
something else? We will show films and clips from across Europe about the rise and experience of social centres and the like, and invite activists from across the UK’s social, resource and radical info-centres to come and share their experiences and ambitions.

Day programme:

11am - 2pm Veggie Breakfast (regular cafe collective event) - read the sunday papers with a full 'inglish' and a Zapatista coffee

2pm - 3.45pm Films: clips from the UK (Aspire, Rampart, Summac, 1 in 12, The Basement, PAD, OARC) and across Europe (Canmasdeu, Christiania, Forte Prenestino, Molli etc)

4pm - 6pm Discussion: provisional agenda (please send on ideas)

* Why social centres and other kinds of autonomous spaces?
* What are our experiences so far?
* Where next for these spaces?
* How can we work together? e.g. do we need a national network or website?

6pm onwards Social and evening meal

including:

7pm Film: The Killing Fields (1984; dir. Roland Joffe)

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This started out as a local event but there has been such interest coming from existing social centres to make it a serious networking event that we decided to put a call out for a 'national gathering'. We really want to see as many people as possible coming up from previous and current spaces Kebele, OARC, PAD, Rampart, LARC, The Basement,
Matilda, ACE, ASBO, Sumac, Cowley, Chalkboard, etc etc - everyone is warmly welcome.

* there is a saturday night fundraiser for the common place (28th January)
* accommodation will be provided
* affordable food and drink - we will hopefully have a temporary licence
* contribution to travel costs from donations taken at the cinema

If you are planning to come, please let us know so we can plan for crash accommodation and food.
RSVP to stuart [at] riseup.net