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May 30, 2007

dizzidenza 2007: Queen's Pier

B dizzidenza , the annual commemoration of the June 4, 1989 actions by citizens in Beijing, is appropriately going to be held at Queen's Pier this year. Starting after the return of HK to China in 1997, dizzidenza tries to remember the spirit of peoples' actions by taking over and holding an area of public space, rather than simply mourning the massacre that took place in 1989.

In previous years the action has been held on the waterfront in Kowloon, but with the recent struggles of the Local Action Group in occupying and using Queen's Pier as a public space, there is surely no better place in HK to hold the action this year. The Local Action Group has put a lot of effort, energy, and heart into the struggle to prevent Queen's Pier and other areas of the city from being demolished, and have even been followed and harassed by police as a result. Hopefully this year's dizzidenza can be yet another use of the space that people's efforts have created, so at 8:09pm on June 3, go down, show your support, and show your strength!

Details of the action below... also see dizzidenza and InMedia for more information.

dizzidenza 2007

please forward and propagate

dizzidenza (echoes from tinanman)

19890604
thinking beyond patriotic.
wanting true democracy.
making people's movement.
love, hate and sadness, echoes on.
20070604
wanting to trek the paths again.
Lovers and comrades.
to the square we go.
death or life, together we will be.

Since '97 (the return of hong kong to the mainland), dizzidenza has been an annual music gathering at the area in front of the "the soaring frenchman" sculpture in front of the tsimshatsui cultural centre which echoes the independent dissents raised during june 4th, 1989.

18 years have gone by..................people's voices are still being controlled, voices of dissent are still being neglected and marginalised. We believe that people's independent voices of dissent should be mutually honoured and facilitated. We also noticed the 'return the harbour (hong kong) to the people' movement raised by the 'local action network' which is a gathering of people from various groups concerned about the building of local communities and cultural development. their movement started from the preservation of the star ferry and queen's pier and developed into people's participation in community and societal planning and their vision of 'our home, we plan' are deeply rooted in the nurturing of community autonomy and the fertilizing of the growth towards a truly democratic society. moved we are, therefore we would like to move our gathering this year to the frontline of struggle to express and voice our support and solidarity.

therefore, we send out here an open call to hold this year's gathering at the 'queen's pier', the people's square cultivated by the steadfast struggling by the 'local action network'. we hope those who get the message shall bring along their own equipments of amplification; performance or display to gather at the 'queen's pier' at 8:09 p.m. on june 3rd to realize an cultural square of the voices of the independent dissents and the freedom to action.

in a square of openness, any voice must certainly be honoured. if any discord should happens, accord should be made with proactive mutual care of the involved participants to achieve a just co-ordination and arrangement.

furthermore, we think that a people's square is of the people and for the people, any uninvited interruption by any governing parties are un-necessary and is actually a repressive act to suppress the people's freedom of expression and action. therefore, this gathering of cultural action will not submit any application or notification to any governing bodies. thus, the participants might have to face and react to interruptions by the governing parties. since we called this gathering a square of the people, the mutual care and support between people to face up to and resolve any pressing problem will be of utmost importance.

if you should have any question, please email to dizzidenza@mail.com
or visit www.dizzidenza.blogspot.com/

dizzidenza
from southeast of mainland china

異議聲音二零零七 dizzidenza 2007

異議聲音二零零七

(please scroll down for the english version)

請廣為轉傳發播

異議聲音(天安門迴響)

一九八九六四
想超越愛國
要真正民主
做人的運動
愛恨哀怨 迴響不絕
二零零七六四
要再上路
愛人同志
到廣場去
死生相隨

異議聲音為一個由九七回歸開始,迴響八九六四人民自主提出異議

,於尖沙咀文化中心外「翱翔的法國人」雕塑前的空地舉行的年度文化演展聚匯。

但十八年後的今天‧‧‧‧‧‧‧‧‧‧‧‧‧‧‧‧‧‧人民的自主性仍然被監控,異議的聲音依然被茫視及邊緣化。我們心信人民自主的異議聲音必須互相確認及鼓動,亦留意到半年以來,由不同關注本土社區及文化建設的朋友匯聚而成的「本土行動網絡」所持續推展,由保衛天星皇后出發,直指社區以至整體規劃參與的「還港於民」運動所提出的,我們的家園、人民的規劃,實為深耕社區自主及建設真正民主社會的運動。所以我們希望今年的匯聚走進抗爭現場以表達我們的聲援及及結連。

因此我們呼籲本年度的異議聲音匯聚在由「本土行動網絡」堅守而開拓出的人民自主廣場「皇后碼頭」舉行。希望接收到此訊息的朋友,帶同自己的發聲、演展、播放器具,於六月三日晚上八時九分匯聚「皇后碼頭」,共構一個自主發聲、自由起動的文化廣場。

誠然,在一個開放的廣場上,任何一個聲音都應被尊重,當中如出現任何不協調之情況,亦期望各參與的朋友本著互相關顧的原則作出積極協調及安排。

另 外,我們認為人民的廣場本就屬於人民,任何規管者於未被要求的情況下之干預,實為不必要及壓縮人民自主表達的空間的行為。故此,此次的文化廣場匯聚,將不 會向任何規管機構發出實為不必要的申請或知會。所以,期間各參與朋友將可能需要面對規管者的干預及作出回應。當然,既稱人民匯聚廣場,人民之間,互相關顧、支援,以至共同面對及化解任何眼前的困難,將會是其中極為重要的一環。

如有任何疑問,請電郵至dizzidenza@mail.com
或瀏覽www.dizzidenza.blogspot.com/

異議丹剎
中國大陸東南

May 25, 2007

Support Alem Assefa

Alem So here's the first post in a brand new category for this blog, Music! (the '!' is because Typepad apparently thinks already have a category by that name).

After a kind of forced-exile I've started playing much more music again over the past couple of years, and have always been interested in how music can both reflect larger issues in a community or the world, can be a cohesive force between people, and also a means of action. So blah, blah, blah, expect to see some more pieces on music, musicians, and interesting political/music mutations in the near future.

For now I'm going to plug a project that some friends of mine in Moscow have put together. These guys are in an antifascist hip-hop/punk group called Hoods Up 495, and have been very bravely standing up to the increasing swell of fascist activity on the streets and in the boardrooms of their city. They recently put together an international compilation CD to benefit Alem Assefa, one of their friends who was beaten into a coma by neo-Nazi skinheads on the Moscow metro.

Definitely check out more about the band and the charity, as well as the situation in Russia, in the links above. In the mean time, here's the official text on Alem's story and the CD's release...

Planet Of Friends Compilation
PLANET OF FRIENDS is an international antifascist punk/hardcore compilation, put out to support a guy named Alem Assefa, who was attacked and badly crippled by nazi boneheads in Moscow just because his skin was black. Alem got very serious brain traumas, he spent a very long time in coma and couldn't even talk and move by himself.

It's a shame, but that white power crap is extremely huge in Russia today and there are lot of subhumans around, who think that they may take away your right to live, just because of the color of your skin. Nazis here feel absolutely free to cripple and even kill people of "different" race, nationality, sex and antifascist activists in the broad day light, while the authorities don't seem to care even a little about it.

Now Alem is slowly getting better and doctors say he even has chances to get back to normal life. But he needs a very expensive medical treatment, while his family isn't rich at all. All money from this comp will go to support Alem and his family.

The comp was released by Russian DIY label Boycott The Fencewalkers Records, but it would never see the light without huge help and support of our friends from all over the globe. This CD is a result of common work of people from 12 countries.

BANDS - The compilation has 43 songs (more than hour of music - hardcore, thrash, crust, OI!, street-punk, hip-hop etc) from 27 bands :

VITAMIN X, A.N.S., BLACK S.S., COMMON ENEMY, LxExAxRxNx, ENDSTAND, SUCK STUFF, KNOCKAROUNDS, NANAHARA SHUYA, EYES OF HATE, THE 4 SIVITS, CxAxP, RAZOR BOIS, THE ANSWER LIES, MASSACRE, F.C.G.B.Y.N! DYSNEYLAND, JUST WENT BLACK, HOODS UP 495, SUCK STUFF, REBEL SPELL,DEAN DIRG, ALARME, SATANAIZ, ALTERNATE SYSTEM, MIGRA VIOLENTA, THE TANGLED LINES

GOALS - Releasing this compilation, we try not only to collect money for Alem, but also goin' to

- show Alem that he's not alone. There are lots of people around the whole world who are eager to help him since they heard about his tragedy.

- demonstrate that we're not gonna let fascist scum grind us down. Fascism, nationalism, bigotry and ignorance are not just problems of the victims. It is our common problem. Because tomorrow everybody, incuding us, our friends and relatives may become another victim. Fascism and hate knows no race, color, sex etc. We all must stand shoulder to shoulder and show boneheads that they can't do shit to nobody of us. Not on this planet, motherfuckers!!

HOW IT WORKS - All profits from this compliation are being transferred to the charity organisation POMOGI.ORG, who are helping to collect money for Alem and lots of other people who really need help. This is a really great organistion that can be trusted, NO BULLSHIT!

If you'd like to know more about them visit their page:

http://en.pomogi.org/

Here's the section of the site, dedicated to Alem:

http://en.pomogi.org/help/alem/

HOW TO BUY AND SUPPORT - CHECK THE BLOG TO LEARN ABOUT HOW TO BUY THE COMP AND THE OTHER WAYS TO SUPPORT ALEM!

May 24, 2007

Insert water-related cliche here...

It's been almost a year since my last post, but I've been convinced/inspired to start writing this blog again thanks to some friends. All the posts from the past couple of years are still around, but you'll have to check them out in the archives... I wanted to clear this main page to avoid confusing myself, and to purge the main page of the comment-spammers that have descended like an army of robotic weeds upon this neglected blog.

Anyway, it's been a long, crazy year. Short story is that I'm moving out of HK within the next two months. There's going to be a lot to talk about in that time, and I guess it's good to have this thing up and running so I can document all that.

If you want the long version you can write me an email. It feels good to sneak back into this blog world, much like this spring roll sneaking into the picture below... yes, more soon!

Bunfest03