Consensus & Consent

We need core shared values. Open spaces where we can practice enacting what it means to live in a different kind of world that we envision.

I showed up at the Basecamp this evening not fully prepared for the program at hand. My head was already thick with other work from the day, and I was hoping for a moment of relaxation. One thing that you’re almost always sure to have at the Basecamp, if it already hasn’t been evident in the previous blogs, is a tasty treat if you come in the evening. This time it was a Lebanese bean soup which was so rich in flavour it warmed my soul and cleared up my brain fog.

Reading, now I love reading but it’s been a while since I’ve read aloud in public, gulp! This evening we were going to do just that, only if you consented of course, no pressure. This evening is organised by Reading Counter Power group and representing the different groups was the trio Zazi (they/them) & Katja (she/her) from Amsterdam and Iliada (she/her) from the Rotterdam.

“Thank you all for coming and thank you for inviting us to the Basecamp.” Says Katja “We are Reading Counter Power from Amsterdam and we are very much inspired by the group in Rotterdam. We also felt that Amsterdam also needed to come together to meet collectively to read text of revolutionary movements from around the world. To see what we can take from it, see what we are already doing and basically to just come together to resist in multiple ways. Today we were here reading two texts on community building. What we mostly do is we read together. There are two moving texts, they move around, and you can also read along with your own text.”

With freshly brewed spicy ginger tea in hand I take a seat at the round circle in between two lovely ladies. We receive the two texts and evidently take turns holding it between us so we can all read along. Mutual Aid - Building Solidarity During This Crisis (and the next) by Dean Spade and The New Paradigm: Weaving ecology, democracy, and gender liberation into a revolutionary political paradigm by Viyan Querecox.

Laying on the ground is brown paper, pens, cookies, and more tea. “In case anything sprouts up during the reading, write it down or draw something, we are trying to archive these readings in some way.” Announces Katja. “First, we are going to read both the text and then we will talk about it. The reading of the text began to swirl around with accents, tempos and flows shifting from person to person and before I knew it both the texts were complete and stirring dialogs began. Since I won’t be able to share everything with you here are just a few of the highlights from the conversation that I took away with me.

Being aware of the structures that dominate our subconscious or ways we were raised in that are not wholesome from the planet.

Things need to change or be done differently in each space or place. This can be done using different modules within the system or outside the system.

We need to shift from individualism to collectivism.

When we want to change something, society nowadays makes us feel like we need to find quick fixed solutions. But instead, we shouldn’t feel rushed as it takes daily labour both individual and collective to experiment and learn together to find out what works best for us in our own context. By doing these smaller things collectively we are contributing to something bigger.

Being aware that it’s hard work and regular physical labour behind change. Not everyone wants to do this part when it comes to creating change.

We must be constantly changing, trying, playing, evaluating and testing out modules together.

Most communities don’t have to start with a big fixed idea for an end result in mind, rather they just start from a burning ember and the process leads them.

We need core shared values. Open spaces where we can practice enacting what it means to live in a different kind of world that we envision. We’ve got to be ok with failing and learn from it in the long run instead of rushing to things that offer immediate results. Also being open, embracing and welcoming the fact things shift and change when new groups of people come through and into a community.

What are you working towards….?

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If you want to know more about what the groups are doing, then I highly recommend signing up for their newsletter. They do a summary of the latest reading, post recommendations about protests, film screenings, books, or stuff that they think fits or is urgent now. You can also find out when the next meetings are happening here’s their info: @zazicreyghton @katttt______
@iliadacharalambous

Also, if you have been inspired by this then feel free to create your own Reading Counter Power group. They find it super important that this idea spreads and that it breeds pockets of communalist practices everywhere.