wände kreativ streichen küche
let's not live like slaves the following is not a movie. the only thing i did wasswitch my camera to the video mode. the following is our own truth,inside our hearts, our being, our minds. in the ruins of a bad dreamand in the cradle of another world. the following is a bottle in the sea.that of the brothers of utopia. the following is a flaming bottle.from those that are ejected to the stars. the following is a bottle.let's drink from it together, remaking the world. "the driving forces of the world wake up froma deep sleep. greece is in the centre of thisviolence which precedes a new world...
...called upon to replace the unreasonableviolence of a world fascinatedby the progress of self-destruction." raoul vaneigemdirect democracy festivalthessaloniki, september 2010 athens,december 6th 2012 the thing is that the current economic situationdoesn't reflect our way of life. it's not that we are lazy or something.we work a lot. according to statistics, greeks work very hard. however, we are violently becomingpoorer and poorer every day. they're trying to turn us into cheap labour.that's all. - cheers!- cheers!
the cradle of another worldpresents a film byyannis youlountas music by: english subtitles:www.x-pressed.org coordination - distribution:maud youlountasloukas youlountas spring 2013 this is a social clinic. we offer primary healthcare services. the patients are half locals and half migrants,all of them without any health insurance.
they don't have to pay anything here,neither medication nor medical examinations. everybody, including doctors, volunteerso they don't get paid. i'm a chemistry teacher in a high school... ...and every monday from 4:00pm to 6:00pm i'm here. i volunteer because i want to help. i really think that under these circumstanceseverybody should offer their services. every day people lose their joband social insurance... ...so whoever is able to contributethey have a duty to do so. i'm a pharmacist.
i've been unemployed for the past three years... ...so i don't have any health insurancesince i lost my job... ...and i'm not entitled tounemployment benefits as well. it's very difficult for me to find a jobgiven the high unemployment rates in greece. the number of homeless people has increased a lot. the image of athens has changed a lot. athens doesn't look like a european city any more. yes... i would say that. i don't really know what i would advise someonefrom france or from another country to beware.
what i know is that we keep refusingto accept what is coming... ...this new, this hard, "awful thing". everybody did that. me, my family, friends that lost their jobs,they all did that. what i mean is that we didn't believethat this would happen to us. three years ago we didn't believe that we'd reacha point where there will be students starving... ...families living in warehouses... ...friends that had jobsand now they are unemployed... ...people that had bought housesand now can't pay them off...
...engineers, lawyers, doctors. it's not just the working class. so, an advise to a french friend would be... "beware... things can happen suddenly." "and they can be stormy... like here in greece." this isn't just a greek problem. "free and public education" "victory to the teachers" "we won't allow the expropiationof our dreams by modern slavery"
we are against these policies that kill people. there is a lot of unemploymentand we know that we won't find a job... ...so many young people are forced to go abroad. this concerns us a lot. it frustrates us. but we are always hoping for the best.we live for today and we fight for tomorrow... ...for a better tomorrow. despite the dramatic characteristics of the crisis... ...we can look through the problemsthat rose up with the crisis.
some serious problems that were well coveredunder the cloak of the pre-crisis period. we are in the era of a new revolutionthat has already started. just like the french couldn't imagine that they'd livewithout a king on the eve of the french revolution... ...but the revolutionary plan made that happen. neither could they imagine thatthey would find themselves in a paris commune... ...and that also happened with certain planning. social liberation is going to happenin the same way, through a certain plan,... ...which we have to elaborate as soon as possible. "time was flaming harder than anywhere else.we were feeling that the earth was shaking."
guy debord,in girum imus nocte et consumimur igni, 1978 the problem is that the systemis based on violence. that's the difference between the violenceof the people that revolt... ...and the violence of the systemthat exists simply because it uses violence. because by force it will throw you out of yourhouse and make you live in the street. it will force you out of your job using violence,it will treat you violently in school and in education. the whole thing is organised and based on violence. on the other hand, we envisage a future of peace,brotherhood and solidarity. we would only use violence either as an answer to all that,or in order to change the course of history.
it happened to be a rainy day and there wasa big storm, thunders and lightning. i know that in france or elsewherewhen there's a big storm... ...people switch off the tvand pull the plug. here in greece we do quite the opposite. most people stay at homeand watch more tv. so, there is the tv news where... ...people are aware that whateveris broadcasted is in fact a lie. people have become suspicious and don't believewhat they hear on the tv news. however, due to the constant repetitionof the same names and the same news,...
...they are being brainwashedand become subject to propaganda. so, what remains in their subconscious is whatthe producer of the program wishes to remain. "as long as the sheep keep bleating,the wolves will keep howling." i have a tv, -i admit it-but i don't switch it on... ...and i hope we will break it with a big hummer. we will record the scene so as to inspireeveryone else to do the same. switch off the tvor even better break it, destroy it. it's an addiction! there is no television here.there is a piano!
break the tv! "my brother..." "...don't shed your tears..." "...and don't give up your dreams." "don't follow their orders..." "...and don't you ever become a slave." there is enough money for bulletsbut not for education and healthcare. "let's not live like slaves!" "let's hold our heads up high!"
cops - pigs - murderers! "let's not live like slaves" "we are not afraid of ruinsbecause we also know how to build." "the bourgeoisie may as well ruin its own world,before it is leaving the stage of history.we carry a new world in our hearts." buenaventura durruti,madrid front, 1936 we all suffer because we are all part of the societybut the question is what do we do. do you keep your head down or do you stand upand take the first step? perhaps people need a shockin order to look further. let's shock them with our manners,by setting an example.
with projects that can make our life simpler,easier and more substantial. with our actions of solidarity towards other peopleand within our neighbourhoods. i think that's the way people can stand upand look further. self-organisation is a way of resistance. we can rebuild the structures that are beingdestroyed one after the other by the state... ...and get them back again,since everything has been built by us anyway. so we can rebuild them, like durruti has said. we can do self-organised social projectswithin our neighbourhoods. these are ways of substantial resistancebecause it's not only theory, it is real action.
to approach people that are not ideologicallyclose to us, we need action. these people are tired of just wordsthey want to see real action. they might then understand and converge ideologically,as it has actually happened. we are located in ilioupoliin the north suburbs of athens,... ...in the free social space "synergio". the free social space "synergio" is a placewhere free citizens can discuss and cooperate. we are active within our local society and elsewhere,taking part in every issue that concerns our society. apart from that, there are many activitiesthat take place in "synergio",... ...such as spanish classes and creative workshops,...
...by which knowledge is spread in a collaborativeand collective manner. this place used to be an auto repair shop(called "synergio" in greek). so, we decided to call our free space "synergio"(literally means "co-work")... ...as a way to express the collective mannerin which we operate. it's important for us to transform social movementsinto self-organised social projects. free spaces like these can evolve into cooperativesand can set new conditions of living... ...so as people who take partin these cooperatives or communities... ...could live their lives under such new conditions. not just by substituting the state...
...but by creating autonomous and self-institutedstructures in the city. we get our products from various cooperativesfrom greece and abroad. for example from zapatistasor from the brazilian movement without land(movimento dos sem terra)... ...as a way to show them our active support. at the same time, there are productssuch as soaps, candles or jewels,... ...that are made and distributed by groupshere in "synergeio"... ...as their first attempt to go into production. we are both chemists, we took some lessons hereand we've learned how to make olive oil soaps. our goal is to increase our productionso as to create a job for ourselves...
...since our sector facesa lot of unemployment in greece... ...and distribute our products tocollective networks, such as zapatistas. the idea is to create a different societyin which labour will be important... ...but human beings will be more important. so that we don't live like slaves. some time ago, i remember it was sundayaround 4:00 in the morning,... ...we were attacked by fascists. you can see the evidence up there in the wall. fortunately there was a comrade inside "synergeio"at that time.
he managed to put the fire outalong with the fire brigade... ...and we didn't have further problems. after a while there was a second attack. there were fifteen motorbikeswith thirty persons on them. they wanted to intimidate usbut there was a direct response... ...from many people who gathered hereshowing their solidarity. so we prevented the attackand we headed them off from future attempts. this is dedicated to the audience of "radio entasi" we're going to listen to a song by "alpha bang"...
..."pira mia mera tis zois mou to dromo"(i took my life's path one day). r r e r e s r e s i r e s i s r e s i s t r e s i s t a r e s i s t a n
r e s i s t a n c r e s i s t a n c e r e s i s t a n c e . r e s i s t a n c e . . r e s i s t a n c e . . . "social kitchen - free food for all" we are the mobile social kitchen "the other human". our purpose is to cook every dayout in the streets... ...and eat together with our fellow humans.
the meals are free for everybody, whether unemployedor homeless, or even those who are not in need. "the other human" is all of us. in every neighbourhood there are peoplewho are hungry. it's not nice to just give them food and then go... ...because they might be offendedand throw it back to you. you better invite them to eat together. i came from germany nine years agoin order to live in greece. i first came on holidays, i liked it,so i moved permanently. it's been five years since i last visited germany.
i don't really like it there, i'm fine here. at first it was very nice,but now the crisis has stricken... ...and many greek people go abroad. to germany, france or other countries,where life seams better to them... ...more convenient or wealthier. they call me crazy because i'm still here... and it might have been easier for meif i went back home, but i don't want to. and i refuse to be forced to go awayfrom the place i have chosen to live... ...and where i have the freedom i want.
from the place where i can live the way i want... ...doing exactly what i likeand what makes me complete,... ...such as playing the accordion on the streetor making jewels. so i'll stay here for as long as i like. we are at "doc4life". we are a press agency,different from other agencies. we are a self-organised cooperative. we are a group of 23 people, photographers, filmmakers,journalists, translators, it technicians etc. we are self-organised and independent. in that way,we feel better and we are more productive.
it depends on us exclusively. our main concern is to give our clientsutmost professional services. that's what we want to offer. "we are treated like guinea-pigs. it's a new stage ofcapitalism that is being tested on us by some 'magicians'before they spread it across the continent." "they test our ability to survive, increasing the hardships.we must revolt, escape, dream and create alternatives.if they manage to knock us down, you will be next." leonidas - student(injured from a stun grenade, 2013) thessaloniki,may 2013 the privatisation of the water companyto the 'suez' company has started. this means that the 90% of our bodythat comprises of water is at stake.
namely, something that directly concerns our own lifewill be under the management of speculators. they want to control our life completely. we are located in thessaloniki, northern greece. we are the open network of citizensand organisations called "save greek water". we're trying to save the water of the city,namely keep it under public control... ...because the government has already turned itinto a private monopoly. the hellenic republic asset development fund (taiped)has already launched the tender process... ...for the privatisation of the 51% of thethessaloniki water supply & sewerage sa (eyath). it will probably be bought by 'suez'.
thousands of households in greeceare left without electricity every month. when the water is privatised, the same will happento households, schools and hospitals. we are determined not to allow this to happen. vio.me.workers' union "we can manage without a boss""for the self-management of work and society" we are located at the factory of vio.me. the factory was abandoned by its ownersin july 2011 and left to its fate. the workers' union took the initiativeto operate it under their control... ...and the workers' general assemblyadopted the framework of its operation.
we must stress that from the very first moment ofthe establishment of vio.me's solidarity committee... ...many autonomous social spaces and groupsoffered their assistance. and without the support of this solidarity committeewe wouldn't have found the courage to do anything. with their support we found the courage to continue. up to now they support us by letting usdistribute our products inside their spaces. we mostly exchange our products with other goodsunder the rules of barter economy... ...and we couldn't have done it without the supportof these social spaces and groups. "to envisage a different economy, different social relations,different modes and means of production and different waysof life, is regarded 'unrealistic', as if a society basedon commodities, wages and money were insurmountable." "in reality, a multitude of convergent sings suggest thatthe overcoming of that society is already under way."
andre gorz,the exit from capitalism, 2007 we are located at "micropratirio syntrofia",located at the free social space "micropolis" "micropolis" is a free social spacein thessaloniki, northern greece. "syntrofia" is an economic structure of solidarityeconomy spreading in our country in recent years. basically, it's a cooperative involved in food. one of our main purposes is to establish a directconnection between producers and consumers... ...through which they will develop other relationships. we operate as a cooperative, i.e. an open assemblymakes all the decisions. the assembly is open to every producer, consumer,or anyone who would like to take part.
there are informal meetings of people working hereabout the current business of "syntrofia". the jobs here are alternate, i.e. every now and thenwe make an open call to people who'd like to work here. local and ecological products, as well asfair working relations, are some of our principles. this is just one of the five structures of "micropolis". there is also a restaurant, a playground, a bookshop,a photocopy shop and a furniture manufacturing team. all of them operate within the frameworkof social and solidarity economy. we're trying to establish fair and equalconditions of living. "give-away bazaar" we are located at "school of learning freedom";a free social space.
our purpose is to show that knowledgeshould be free and accessible to everyone. but also, that the way we manage knowledgeis of equal importance. here, we give free lessons of foreign languages,martial arts as well as art lessons. it's an example of how our societycould be in the future. you have the opportunity to learn foreign languages,to buy biological products, to get organised. here, you can get information about whatever concernsthe movement, such as demonstrations or other activities. you have the chance to discuss these issues or takeinitiatives, so as to be part of the movement yourself. the only way for creating a fair, equal and free societyis resistance towards the system and solidarity. i am one of the fifteen antifascists who werearrested during an antifascist demonstration...
...that took place in one of the tougherneighbourhoods in the centre of athens... ...where the neo-nazi party golden dawnhas repeatedly attacked migrants. we deliberately chose to demonstrate in that area, so asto pass the message that they don't own these streets,... ...that we won't tolerate xenophobiaand racism in our society... ...and so as to express our solidarity and supportto the migrants that live there. during a clash with golden dawn supportersthe police came immediately... ...-unlike what happens when migrantsare being attacked by fascists-... ...and they arrested fifteen of us. we almost went to prison, because of thehuge bail amounts set by the greek state.
and we're free thanks to the enormoussolidarity movement that emerged across europe... ...which helped us collect the amount of 45.000 eurosfor the bail within a month. "fascism wants you to be a slave" "hunt down the fascists" "fascism never again" "execute the fascists" kick the neonazis out" "say no to fascism" "kick fascists out of schools"
europe knows very well what fascism means. it's not something new and we know what will happenif we are not careful. those that now invoke freedom of speechare the ones that were exiling or jailing dissidents. the ones that deny dialectics and dialogue. we must stand against these people and stop them. here in exarcheia the fascists don't come, becausethey'll be recognized and they'll end up naked and beaten. for example, last summer a fascist came,and while chasing him in order to stop him... ...his clothes were torn and he left naked. under these conditions of a deepening crisisand growing inequalities...
...fascism appears as the ideologythat can pull people who suffer out of the mire. it's the easiest thing to say or do,namely to blame the others. fascists could easily speak even for direct democracyjust because it comes from ancient greece. they might even claim that they are anti-capitalists. they borrow any ideology in order to attract people.historically, they have always done that. metaphorically speaking fascism is like a wolfin sheep's clothing in order to eat them all. they wear a flag and disguise as patriots,so as to subjugate people under an awful slavery. unfortunately, it's rising both in greece and in france,but it's always the same; a wolf in sheep's clothing. fascism wears various masks in greece,in france or elsewhere.
but its face is the same.beware! exarcheiaan antifascist area,a nursery of utopias in the heart of athens. i'd like to think of exarcheiaas the symbol of resistance across europe. i don't know if a utopia has been born here,but if a utopia is to be born this will happen here too. i came here to exarcheia. i have problemwith my papers sometime now... ...but i'm welcome here. there is freedom here and community life. there is no race, colour or nationality discrimination. in a way, you can feel like home.people will gladly accept you here.
that's what i like here. the police does not bother you here.they don't check your papers all the time. in my opinion, it's the best place in greece. it's great. maybe it's a utopia! exarcheia is a historic area. the greek military junta collapsed after an uprisingat the polytechnic school here in exarcheia.many other uprisings have also started here. there are a lot of leftists and anarchists herethat act through various communities and collectives. that's why exarcheia is a politically mobilised area. most bookshops and publishing housesare here in exarcheia.
that's because many universities are locatednearby and so is knowledge. we are a self-organised publishing house,involving publication, trading, bookshop etc. it's a self-organised cooperative,which means that an assembly makes every decision. our publishing house and "babylonia" magazine aimsat the preservation of quality in written language... ...and at the diffusion of radical ideas in society. "babylonia" magazine in particular, is concernedmainly with the movement... ...and the diffusion of a modernanti-authoritarian speech in the society. after you cross solonos street the air changes;there is a breeze of freedom. that's what we had written oncein an article about exarcheia.
exarcheia has always been the coreof resistance in greece. that's why the air changes here. fascists and racists don't come to exarcheia,because they are afraid of anarchists. "resistance - self-organisation - solidarity" "nosotros" is a free social spacethat promotes freedom and self-organisation,... ...both necessary for people in order to move on. people here help you learn the language.i attend free lessons every day. they offer us food for free. i like it here. it's the best place!
"i'm not saying that the constitution of ancient athens'scity-state is a model. that would be madness." i'm just saying that it's a seed, from which we can beinspired in order to try to think in a different way ourrelation with the law, the community, the power." cornelius castoriadis,interview with chris marker, 1989 here in exarcheia we have taken the initiativeto create an assembly... ...in which the residents, the collectivesand the free social spaces of exarcheia participate. we discuss and make decisions, using anonymityand unanimity; mainly unanimity. we use direct democracy if it's necessary. but it hasn't happened until now;we usually come to an agreement. thus, we decided to start theself-organised grocery store "zikos".
"zikos" is a structure we started here in exarcheia. it's a market without intermediaries, wheresmall producers from all over the country are involved. both the producers and the organiserstake part in the assemblies. namely the structure is horizontal not vertical. as it should be; we are all equal. the greatest thing, small producers that didn't know us,came in contact with us and asked for our help... ...in order to show them how they can operatein a horizontal structure without hierarchies. it's so great that people, who aren'tanarchists or anti-authoritarians,... ...realise that these structures are the proper ones.
we have also decided to starta self-organised health structure. we organised some fundraising festivals. we placed financial aid kits here in nosotros,in k-vox and in other social spaces in exarcheia. we are at the occupied social space k-vox,functioning for 13 months in an old coffee shop. anarchists and anti-authoritarians have occupied it. in the basement, various events take place,such as theatrical performances, meetings etc. in the ground floor there is a cafeteria and a library. with the cafeteria's revenues we support the politicalprisoners and the prosecuted activists in greece. apart from theatrical performances, movie shootingsand photo exhibitions take place here as well.
but what's most important for me, as a paediatrician,is the social health centre,which is going to operate here in k-vox. the idea of helping people, especially children,regarding their health keeps me here. "as with the rice so with words, everything is patented.nothing is for free anymore." "'for free' is considered scandalous nowadays.it's absolutely illegal, since it's actually subversive." sergio ghirardi"we are not afraid of ruins", 2003 so, this space is called "skoros" (moth). the initial idea was that it's better to bringold cloths here, for someone who might need them... ...instead of keeping them in a closetonly to be eaten by moths. that is why we called it "skoros".
here at 'scoros', you can bring anything thatyou don't use, anything that you don't need... ...you can leave it, and, if you want, you cantake things from the shop without money. the tendency of this space is not charitybut the creation of a solidarity way of exchange. the ideological framework has been that peopleshould extricate themselves from consumerism. that's why on the store-front we havewritten "criticise consumerism". people have to stop buying new stuff all the time, stuffthat will be thrown away -some even with the labels on. yes, along with the crisis, in greece there has alsobeen a crisis in the meaning of things. people have lost sight of the traditions,of what the standard has been up to today... ...and are trying to add new meaning to their life.
we see more and more people turning towards ways... ...that we have always referred to, but noware becoming mainstream. people are turning towards horizontal structures;structures and actions of solidarity. the point is that all this should not be limitedonly to exarheia, to the present, to greece. in general, whatever does not evolve, ends up dying. and the goal of such moves is to be preservedeven after the crisis -if it actually goes away-... ...and to affect more people so that they realizethat they can survive on their own... ...without the stereotypes that,intentionally or not, have been forced on them. the october revolution essentially failed becausethere was no other revolution in europe.
if an equivalent revolution were to happen somewhere else-because we are hopefully starting a revolution here- then, there would be hope. "slaves, let us not curse life the true life is absent,we are not in this world."arthur rimbaud, a season in hell, 1873 i don't know what is the true life,but i do know what is not. certainly, true life is not spending 10 hoursin a factory pushing the same button. and it's not clubbing til 10 o'clock in the morning. true life is about something else. so if we stop doing the things that are not true life,we can come closer to what true life really is about. we need more self-confidence and compassionwhich we have totally lost...
...because we have lost our morality,our conscience which is not free anymore. we shouldn't follow the norms that are beingsocially constructed for us. there is a stereotype from school and our studiesto work, our relationships... ...that we should be and behave ina certain way. everything that we buy brings us moreresponsibilities that we don't need. first, we need to free ourselves. this is the beginning for us to grow withinour society and become free. everyone should be their own boss, and fightthe urge of always wanting more stuff. you have to spend so many hours working hardin order to buy a nice car...
...that no matter how fast you get to workwill not help you win back this time. so this time is lost anyway. "work kills, work pays." "time is bought in the supermarket." "the paid time doesn't come back." "the youth is dying by the loss of time." "the eyes made for love..." "...are the reflection of a material world." "without love and reality..."
"...we are condemned to live like images." during slavery, the chains were onlyfor people's ankles. whereas today the chains are meant for the mind. now we have to realise that we areresponsible for ourselves... ...and we need to bear this burden, to becomeindependent, to take our lives in our own hands. what capitalism presents as freedomhas nothing to do with freedom. being able to go freelyand buy a product is not freedom. the system is creating needs that imposes on us,and this has nothing to do with freedom. freedom is to chose a product myself, make itmyself and use it for me and for society.
"the modern slave is convinced that there is noalternative for the organisation of the world andfinds this kind of life sufficientbecause they think there can be no other..." "...and here lies the power of today's dominance:the conservation of the misconception thatthis system that has colonised the whole earthis the end of history." jean-francois brient,in modern slavery,ch. xiii, 2007 let's not live like slaves,this is a slogan. in greek, the words "work" and "slavery" ("doulia")are distinguished only by the intonation. all our life, what we do, is a fake freedomthat gives the illusion of freedom. "i buy thus i exist." but everything is controlled.you will watch an add, you will go shopping. you will exercise your political rightsevery 4 years.
there is a very specific structure for what you do. and if you don't follow it and you do somethingthat is not programmed, then you will face the law. it might be that you plant a flowerwhere you not supposed to. you are not truly free.it's just an illusion they have created. i am a slave to a habit i have which i never break. i am a slave to the comfort of my lifewhich i never disturb for any reason. i am a slave to an ideology in whichi feel comfortable. if i manage to change, to free myselffrom this personal slavery... ...to an ideology, my comfort and my habits...
...then something can change in a collective level. the slogan "let's not live like slaves"is exactly what we felt when... ...we started thinking how to operate the factory. not to be slaves any more, as the euand the troika want us; just to be able to survive. we chose to be poorer but free to think and act. that was the framework we formed,talking about survival and dignity... ...being free to think and act. for me the essence is found in the slogan"let's not live like slaves", the plural. it's not only about me not living like a slaveor having my freedom.
the essence lies in that my freedom isrelated to all of us being free. a society of symmetry, collaboration and cohabitation... ...a society that will be organised from the bottom,by all of us and for all of us. i don't know whether this will be called socialism,anarchism or direct democracy. all these forces can work togethertowards this common goal. the point is for people to stop being products,consumers and victims, and to become independent. "the light burn in our hearts." "hope runs in our veins." "are we reborn through a new life?"
"are we reborn through a fresh start?" the fighter against the regime is like a child. always having the hope that things will changeand always trying to create. and no matter how old they get, they keep thischaracteristic, wishing the change for the better. and there lies the difference with those thatdo grow up in their soul and who become robots... ...with a career, to make money and buy houses,have a family -not that family is bad-... ...and live the dream of having it all,when a child is interested in living better. of course, a fighter is not a child when it comesto responsibility, opposite to what the others do. a fighter always holds the responsibility not onlyfor themselves but for those around them as well.
these are the things that characterisea fighter, always looking ahead with hope... ...and with a smile, because if we stop smilingthere is no point in it. from the theatre to the streets: the provenanceof a slogan that was spread all over greece. with great joy, i heard that you were making a filmwith the name "let's not live like slaves". so i looked for you in order to explain howthis phrase and this graffiti came to be. in the winter of 2010, along with the void networkand the institute of experimental arts,... ...we decided to present the maids,the play by jean genet. i was the director and i also translated thetext into greek. this play is about 2 girls who plotto kill their bosses.
so, in the script there is a phrase that the heroine,suffocated by the conditions of her life... ...turns to the other heroine and says... "we must do something, so as to not live like this.let's not live like slaves." - come on, get up! let's leave!let's take our stuff and just leave... ...by train, by boat, it doesn't matter. - leave? easy to say. go where? with whom? - wherever, claire, just anywhere!- where? how will we survive? we have nothing! - we'll find something. if need be,we'll take from here, money, jewellery, anything! - money?- yes.
- we are not thieves. the police willbe on us right away. money will betray us. - damn! to hell with everything... we must find a way to escape our life. do you get it? we must find a way. let's not live like slaves, claire. come on! get up! let's go!" so, we took this phrase out in the streets,we started tagging the walls during protests. then in may 2011, the square movement kicked-offlike everywhere else in the world. and we started tagging walls even morewith the phrase "let's not live like slaves".
we understood that this phrase expressed andwas embraced by many people. it can be found in poems, in protest placards,it was written on walls all over the country. everyone, anarchists, autonomists, leftists,used the phrase. that's why we continued tagging walls with itin order to encourage people to revolt... ...so that they don't live like slaves,and to stop the destruction of their lives... ...and to make people understand that, throughparticipation, we can change our life. participating, being active and wanting to fight. but also through friendship with people whomwe trust and with whom we can be active. contributing to the struggle with them,in our own way resisting and fighting the system.
for us it is a slogan that symbolises the revolt,friendship, love and participation in the struggle. that's what "let's not live like slaves"means for us. and now, dedicated to sofia,and all the listeners of radio entasi: "let's not live like slaves"by limania xena. halkidiki(northern greece) "friend, can you hear thefeast of vultures in the world?" "friend, can you hear thecities replying?" "they are selling off our land,resist" we are in ierissos, halkidiki,in the north of greece,...
...where the canadian company eldorado goldwants to build an extremely damaging factory... ...that will destroy our water, our mountains,our nature and our environment. we are all in the barricades, in solidarityto our two unjustly imprisoned brothers... ...and to the other 18 people who runthe risk of being arrested as we speak. i'd like to add that the way in whichthe police invaded the homes of those arrested... ...was totally inappropriate and unacceptable. they kicked the doors down and arrested themin their pyjamas in front of their under-aged kids. the kids are under a tremendous psychological violence,a terrifying behaviour inside their own home. here in halkidiki the population has beenfighting and resisting for years...
...against the gold mining industryand against eldorado gold. and all of us are revolting. peopleof all ages, kids, youths and elder people. we are united in this struggle. i don't know whetherwe will succeed, but our conscience is clean... ...because we have at least tried,and this for us is very important. and we will be able to look our kidsin the eyes and tell them... ...that we tried to save these mountainswe didn't sell them off. the police is gone from here some time now,... ...after the riots and the struggleof the people here. there was an attack against the police stationand they decided to close it down.
"dark storms agitate the airdark clouds prevents us from seeing" "even though pain and death awaits us,duty calls us against the enemy." "the most important thing is freedom.let's fight for it with faith and bravery." "keep high the revolutionary flagthat will emancipate people." "imbeciles! shame is not a job.." "dont be scared,we are winning" we are determined not to allow them to proceed,we are determined to go all the way. and no matter how hard they try with theirdirty ways, the misinformation, the propaganda... ...that create a totally wrong impression of us,we are determined to go on.
you need to understand that in orderto move closer to a utopian society... ...even if we never make it there,you will get your ass burnt. it cannot be done by sitting on a couch,you have to get up. i think that the biggest problem is that wefight but we are imprisoned in our own limits. the time has come to spread our ideas,exchange opinions and actions,... ...to demonstrate together in order to achieve ourcommon goal and take our life into our hands. "there is no conclusion, because nothing is finishedand everything is starting." "only an invitation:with the same words, in one language or another,promote it here and elsewhere..." the workers of viome have made a decision.
and this decision is:let's not live like slaves! let's not live like slaves! we invite you to make ourcommon slogan a reality: let's not live like slaves,for everyone's sake. one more time, it has to be perfect:"let's not live like slaves" (in french) "those who live are those who fight,are those whose mind and soul are ingrainedwith a firm planning. those for whom..." "...a steep slope symbolises a big destiny.those who walkcontemplating a wonderful cause."victor hugo, les chãÿtiments, 1853 alexis(we do not forget, we do not forgive) non-profit co-production: the cradle of another worldaneposmaud youlountasserge utgi-royoand 173 supporting subscribers
website - it:minga, iric jousse,anne merlieux script - production - camerawork - editing:yannis youlountas in memory of:alexis grigoropoulos (1993-2008)climent miric (1995-2013)