Part 1
By The Mischief Makers
I put on my shoes and reach for my bag. As I open the front door, the cold England air blows in my face. Doing up the buttons on my coat, I walk down the steps and find my way to the bus stop. Looking up at the clear, star-filled sky, I am consider that in a few months the world most powerful economic leaders will be holding their annual summit in Scotland. They will meet behind closed doors and the details of their conversations will be kept secret from the public, despite the daunting reality that their decisions directly affect our lives. With Africa's debt to Western nations growing and an escalating climate crisis, many are calling on the G8 to take responsibility for the outcomes of their policies. In the silence of the night, I wonder if that day will ever come.My thoughts are interrupted by the squeaky brakes of a double-decker bus. I step inside and nod at the driver.
"Single please. Cheers mate."
As the bus makes its way towards the city I envision the rich politicians sitting down for exclusive dinners in extravagant hotels, wearing top hats and cleaning their whiskers. I find myself excited about the prospect of going to Scotland and dream of running through the highlands, making life difficult for the delegates attending the summit. I want to send a message; we are going to raise hell unless something changes. The G8 represents the destructiveness caused by the free market economy and the raping of the world’s resources. Even as I child I knew it was wrong to, destroys this planets natural beauty and treats its animals with respect. I'm ashamed to live in this 'civilised' nation, where peoples only cares revolve around sports, soaps and never-ending celebrity gossip. Isn’t anyone paying attention to the reality of our planet? I get off the bus and follow a stream of people heading out for a night on the town.
Crossing the road, my eye catches a display outside one of an art galleriy. I feel drawn to it, and amounst a small group of people I can see two women dressed in white distributing what appear to be copied banknotes. .
"We're asking people to write on this money what they would do if the world economy was in their hands."
With pen and paper in hand, I consider the question. Other notes are pinned to their white dresses;
'I would make sure everyone has a home to live in’
'Take from the poor give to the rich'
'Double taxes for the corporations and free tea for everyone else'
Some of the suggestions make me laugh Others make obvious the painful reality of our current global economic climate; the unequitable way in which our resources are divided, or how the current economy has turned the world upside down. I scribble something about justice and abolishing money on my fake banknote and pin it to the dress. I consider what a fun and clever way this is to engage people with an issue. Instead of handing out leaflets with facts and figures, this approach requires people to question themselves, arrive at an answer and exchange their ideas with others. I let the women know how impressed I am by this ‘conversation’,exchange contact details and I head off.
I later meet up with the two girls I had met dressed up this time in the Geisha like outfits. It was inspiring to see people getting active on issues that lay close to their hearts, even if in a small way. We discuss the upcoming G8 summit and about their performance piece outside the gallery. One girl remarked,
"It's really empowering to give people a pen in the street and ask them to write about their feeling on an issue. It makes them think for themselves. When they pin their note onto our dresses, they were reading other peoples' and in the dialogue that followed they would be enriching their knowledge about the subject. But it is the moment when they could either walk away or decide to talk to us which is most important."
Over the next few weeks, more of us meet up, hanged out, went for drinks and talked about plans for the mobilisation in Scotland. I had been involved in activism for a while and I guess a little set in my ways on how to go about making stuff happen. It was good to meet new people with different views who were eager to put their thoughts and beliefs into action.
With a few phone calls and a chat in the pub, a small group was formed. We decide to organise a workshop and replicate the white dress costumes worn by the girls that chilly winter evening several months ago. Our hope was that Geisha outfits, decorated with G8 policies, would deliver a powerful message while remaining peaceful enough to wort off inevitable altercations with the police. This wasn't a passive protest; there were no meetings or an information sessions. There were no forms to fill in or donations to make. This was something low key, attention grabbing and easy for people to participate in. Very soon we began to see our protest was something much larger than costumes and dresses walking around the G8 protest. You could see that people who had little interest in traditional methods of activism were suddenly becoming involved; talking about the issues and learning what's at stake. We began to hold costume-making workshops;soon more than 20 of us were dressed as beautiful Geishas and on our way to Edinburgh.
To be continued....see part 2
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Chapter 2: Creating the Message
Part 2
Continued from part 1
By The Mischief Makers
Once in Edinburgh, I split off from my Geisha friends and I went to work with other forms of activism. It was an intense fortnight of meetings, discussions, blockades, protests, riots and celebrations. I didn't see any of the original team until our return to Nottingham two weeks later. Everyone was exhausted but agreed it had been a life changing experience. It was the first protest for most of the participants and their first experience with civil disobedience or direct action. There were storie of police brutality, unusual creativity and fun times at the protest camp. I listened intently,
"Well, we decided on a really soft approach because we were feeling quite fearful of what could happen," claimed one group member
"Remember that day we went to the demo where they keep the Trident warships? It was such a powerful image when we stood there as a line of Geishas, opposite the police, who were looking scary and terrifying defending the weapons of mass destruction," said another.
"Yeah, with those people in the lock-ons and we just slid between them and the police, keeping the blockaders safe. It was calmness and madness," a third protester suggested.
I was elated and filled with a sense of pride. This group of young artists were excitedly discussing taking collective action against a major global financial institution that was partly responsible for the problems facing our planet today. They had learned how to inform and organised themselves and even managed to devise their own tactics rather than melting in with the masses of protesters that descended upon Scotland during those epic weeks. In the weeks that followed we continued to meet up and make more plans. Not long after that, we became known as 'The Mischief Makers'.
Our goal was to become a collective that offers support to campaign and action groups by suggesting creative elements to their protests. We focused on street performances, costume making, puppets and banners. We activly encouraged recycling, cycling and vegan cakes. We joined a protest demanding rights for migrant workers. We decorated our bikes with flags and streamers to join a Critical Mass of cycle activists. Some Mischief Makers protested at the 60th Hiroshima and Nagasaki commemoration dressed as Geishas. Personally, I was more comfortable with traditional ways of protesting and direct action; this had a steep learning curve. I began to see the benefits of this different approach. There is power in the creative; , whether it's dressing up in costumes or performance art, is by acting in uncommon ways, it makes passersby stop and question what your doing. Often, it sparks a conversation.
I have spend year trying to discover the way to engage people and inspire them to get active. The Mischief Makers seem to have a solution. . We were building a bridge between the heavy political and inaccessible academic approach and those who are uninformed or uninspired. Whatever we do and wherever we go, we always make sure to create an open, accessible and friendly environment to allow for all people to participate. It is much easier to draw your own conclusions and develop new ways of think when you don’t feel judged or preached at. Just as crucially, we never pretentious to have all the answers. We We listen and talked, to share our ideas and experiences.
Inspired by concept ‘Think Globally Act Locally’ most of our work work with local groups and campaigns in Nottingham,our home town. One of emerging issue was an application lodged by a waste company to expand on a incinerator facility in the city. The incinerator, had been originally built in the 1960's, was already outdated and repeatedly been cited for breaching its emission quotas. Expanding the facility meant more waste would be imported from nearby counties and, as a result, more emissions would be belched up into the air and be 'dispersed'. In addition, the noise pollution increased traffic and planning issues. Needless to say, the expansion proposal didn't go over very well with nearby residents, environmental groups and several local councilors. Also, Nottingham had one of the worst recycling rates in the UK. We were burning an abundance of waste that could be recycled and reused. It was time to take action to ensure that the expansion would be denied and the local waste situation improved.
We helped the local group NAIL (Nottingham Against Incineration and Landfill) organise a public meeting, to raise awareness in the community. Then we dropped a huge banner across a street in Sneinton, the area most effected by the incinerator. Next we also distributed leaflets and posters to spread the word and held a protest rally at the town hall. Within a few months we had enabled the campaign to go from small to un-ignorable. Local councilors began to consider their positions and the media took notice of what was happening. One of our main purposes was to encourage understanding about what was happening to the cities waste. For example,if you buy a sandwich and throw away the wrapper, the garbage is burned. As the emissions are belched out of the incinerator, you breath in the particals that used to be that very bit of packaging. By helping people understand the impacts of their behavior we hoped they would demand the council and the waste companies be held responsible for their behavior.
As the incinerator campaign continued, so did we. We continually campaigned using visuals and had a clear message. Working with the local community most affected by the incinerator’s emissions, we promoted recycling by making wallets, art and costumes out of waste. We made numerous banners and even baked special cakes to get the message out. One of the most important aspects about this campaign was that we had fun.. Having fun and enjoying yourself is vital within activist work, as it can be hard to see results straight away. At times, this can be disheartening but by if your having fun, hopefully you stay inspired and active. We went on to organise more community events, banner drops and presented the council with a petition demanding that they refuse the facility permission to build. Within the group, one of us made a short film, someone organised a benefit concert and we helped to promote 'Green-weeks'; a week of activities to promote environmental issues with a focus on local sustainability.
Over the years people have come and gone from the group. Some had kids, others moved to far away places. Some went on to work in theater and others focused on more specific campaigns. The case of the incinerator expansion is ongoing and the G8 still thinks it can make decisions for us. The original Mischief Makers no longer work collectively but continue to use the ideas and tactics learned from the group in their individual efforts. My work with The Mischief Makers showed me that being creative as an activist is an effective, fun and inspiring way to raise awareness and encourage people to get active. We might not have done anything that spectacular, but it all added up. We were just a bunch of friends who cared enough to fight together on issues we found important. In doing, so we learned to creatively communicate our ideas and beliefs in and beyond the activist community and to inspire each other and the people we worked with. That, if anything, is a worthwhile achievement.
Continued from part 1
By The Mischief Makers
Once in Edinburgh, I split off from my Geisha friends and I went to work with other forms of activism. It was an intense fortnight of meetings, discussions, blockades, protests, riots and celebrations. I didn't see any of the original team until our return to Nottingham two weeks later. Everyone was exhausted but agreed it had been a life changing experience. It was the first protest for most of the participants and their first experience with civil disobedience or direct action. There were storie of police brutality, unusual creativity and fun times at the protest camp. I listened intently,
"Well, we decided on a really soft approach because we were feeling quite fearful of what could happen," claimed one group member
"Remember that day we went to the demo where they keep the Trident warships? It was such a powerful image when we stood there as a line of Geishas, opposite the police, who were looking scary and terrifying defending the weapons of mass destruction," said another.
"Yeah, with those people in the lock-ons and we just slid between them and the police, keeping the blockaders safe. It was calmness and madness," a third protester suggested.
I was elated and filled with a sense of pride. This group of young artists were excitedly discussing taking collective action against a major global financial institution that was partly responsible for the problems facing our planet today. They had learned how to inform and organised themselves and even managed to devise their own tactics rather than melting in with the masses of protesters that descended upon Scotland during those epic weeks. In the weeks that followed we continued to meet up and make more plans. Not long after that, we became known as 'The Mischief Makers'.
Our goal was to become a collective that offers support to campaign and action groups by suggesting creative elements to their protests. We focused on street performances, costume making, puppets and banners. We activly encouraged recycling, cycling and vegan cakes. We joined a protest demanding rights for migrant workers. We decorated our bikes with flags and streamers to join a Critical Mass of cycle activists. Some Mischief Makers protested at the 60th Hiroshima and Nagasaki commemoration dressed as Geishas. Personally, I was more comfortable with traditional ways of protesting and direct action; this had a steep learning curve. I began to see the benefits of this different approach. There is power in the creative; , whether it's dressing up in costumes or performance art, is by acting in uncommon ways, it makes passersby stop and question what your doing. Often, it sparks a conversation.
I have spend year trying to discover the way to engage people and inspire them to get active. The Mischief Makers seem to have a solution. . We were building a bridge between the heavy political and inaccessible academic approach and those who are uninformed or uninspired. Whatever we do and wherever we go, we always make sure to create an open, accessible and friendly environment to allow for all people to participate. It is much easier to draw your own conclusions and develop new ways of think when you don’t feel judged or preached at. Just as crucially, we never pretentious to have all the answers. We We listen and talked, to share our ideas and experiences.
Inspired by concept ‘Think Globally Act Locally’ most of our work work with local groups and campaigns in Nottingham,our home town. One of emerging issue was an application lodged by a waste company to expand on a incinerator facility in the city. The incinerator, had been originally built in the 1960's, was already outdated and repeatedly been cited for breaching its emission quotas. Expanding the facility meant more waste would be imported from nearby counties and, as a result, more emissions would be belched up into the air and be 'dispersed'. In addition, the noise pollution increased traffic and planning issues. Needless to say, the expansion proposal didn't go over very well with nearby residents, environmental groups and several local councilors. Also, Nottingham had one of the worst recycling rates in the UK. We were burning an abundance of waste that could be recycled and reused. It was time to take action to ensure that the expansion would be denied and the local waste situation improved.
We helped the local group NAIL (Nottingham Against Incineration and Landfill) organise a public meeting, to raise awareness in the community. Then we dropped a huge banner across a street in Sneinton, the area most effected by the incinerator. Next we also distributed leaflets and posters to spread the word and held a protest rally at the town hall. Within a few months we had enabled the campaign to go from small to un-ignorable. Local councilors began to consider their positions and the media took notice of what was happening. One of our main purposes was to encourage understanding about what was happening to the cities waste. For example,if you buy a sandwich and throw away the wrapper, the garbage is burned. As the emissions are belched out of the incinerator, you breath in the particals that used to be that very bit of packaging. By helping people understand the impacts of their behavior we hoped they would demand the council and the waste companies be held responsible for their behavior.
As the incinerator campaign continued, so did we. We continually campaigned using visuals and had a clear message. Working with the local community most affected by the incinerator’s emissions, we promoted recycling by making wallets, art and costumes out of waste. We made numerous banners and even baked special cakes to get the message out. One of the most important aspects about this campaign was that we had fun.. Having fun and enjoying yourself is vital within activist work, as it can be hard to see results straight away. At times, this can be disheartening but by if your having fun, hopefully you stay inspired and active. We went on to organise more community events, banner drops and presented the council with a petition demanding that they refuse the facility permission to build. Within the group, one of us made a short film, someone organised a benefit concert and we helped to promote 'Green-weeks'; a week of activities to promote environmental issues with a focus on local sustainability.
Over the years people have come and gone from the group. Some had kids, others moved to far away places. Some went on to work in theater and others focused on more specific campaigns. The case of the incinerator expansion is ongoing and the G8 still thinks it can make decisions for us. The original Mischief Makers no longer work collectively but continue to use the ideas and tactics learned from the group in their individual efforts. My work with The Mischief Makers showed me that being creative as an activist is an effective, fun and inspiring way to raise awareness and encourage people to get active. We might not have done anything that spectacular, but it all added up. We were just a bunch of friends who cared enough to fight together on issues we found important. In doing, so we learned to creatively communicate our ideas and beliefs in and beyond the activist community and to inspire each other and the people we worked with. That, if anything, is a worthwhile achievement.
- The End -
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