Thursday 1 May 2008

War and Peace

Open Publishing

1 comment:

  1. War and Peace, The Short Statement

    Many years of constructive dialogue between radical Turks and Hellenes (Greeks) of Cyprus, Turkey and Greece have generated a very good set of values and principles around which we continue to be united.

    These enable us to carry out significant and forward-looking community work within the anti-war and liberation movement, both in its vanguard branches and within its deeper, foundational elements.

    Our countries are still a long way from eliminating our borders, States, Capitalism, exploitation, oppression, and the armies sworn to protect and prolong their existence. But those remain our goals, and we vow to achieve them by any means necessary (thank you Malcolm X) - even if it takes us several generations to actualize them.

    We recognize that certain elements of our populations are very advanced in this struggle, helping to generate more friendship, solidarity and unity between our peoples, while other segments of our societies are fooled by authoritarian forces and continue to provide support for the system of oppression. We recognize that the liberation movement must continue to work both on the material plane - through concrete tasks - and on the ideological plane, to help our peoples move forward toward embracing the common interests of all our people in the region.

    The core of the values that unite us is sketched out and briefly explored in the document linked below and titled "The Short Statement". That document formed the foundation on which we have built the IndyMedia (Independent Media Centers) of Istanbul and Cyprus, and the KaliMerhaba BiCommunal friendship group (link below). These, in turn, have been active for the length of this entire past decade in various important political struggles and mobilizations within our region that have been essential to the liberation and peace movement.


    "The Short Statement" opens bridges to issues, values and principles that are very difficult for most activists and community organizers to deal with, especially within one's self. Even more so, the struggle to materialize those values and principles as goals wthin the movement and society at large, is extremely difficult... yet essential. Nothing significant can be achieved in our countries if these principles are by-passed or ignored.

    The document addresses issues such as these:
    Spiritual Politics
    Religion, Unity, Freedom, "tolerance" vs. "embrace".
    Sexual Politics
    Freedom, Authoritarianism, dis-empowerment, sexual and political maturity, Class- consciousness.
    Social politics
    Class, Property, Ownership and Control, Ecology,
    Racism, sexism (male -chauvinism), homophobia.
    Personal Politics
    Lifestyle, appearance, symbols, mainstream culture and alternative /radical culture.

    Please see the rest of "The Short Statement" here:
    http://www.cyprusindymedia.org/The_Short_Statement-KaliMerhaba.htm


    KaliMerhaba
    Please consider visiting the KaliMerhaba BiCommunal friendship group. If the values expressed in "The Short Statement" inspire you, please consider joining us:
    http://groups.yahoo.com/group/kalimerhaba_HellenoTurkish_Community/.

    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

    "...By any means necessary" - Malcolm X

    The speech:
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WkTnUxLjO2E

    More Malcolm X files:
    http://malcolmxfiles.blogspot.com/


    ~~~~~~~~~~~

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