Ya Basta! and the Squatted Social Centre Movement

We are privileged to host two prominent Italian activists at this week's Perth Praxis.

Friday the 28th of August @ 7pm
Earthwise, 317 Bagot Rd Subiaco

Matteo has been taking part in the Milanese-Italian social movements for 15 years. He has been an activist in the Leoncavallo social centre and then moved to CasaLoca where he manages the Cafe Rebelde project together with other people.

Valeria has been an activist since 1999. First in a libertarian social centre called Cascina Torkiera and then in CasaLoca since 2005. Valeria has since attempted to bring her activist interests into academia as well, since 2003 she have been teaching radical geography with a focus on social movements, alternatives and political tourism, she currently completing a PhD on this subject at Loughborough University in the UK.

Matteo and Valeria will be discussing the Ya Basta! association as well as European social movements and squatted social centres, focusing on their centre, the CasaLoca. Their presentation will be followed by discussion, with a focus on how we can organize a social centre here in Perth.

Ya Basta

Ya Basta is an Italian association involved in autonomous political activities questioning neoliberalism on local, national and international level within the social movements scenario. This association, that defines itself as political body, was born in 1996 when a group of activists from squat centres together with thousands of people from all over the world gathered in Chiapas, to take part in the global meeting known as the Ist International Meeting for Humanity and against Neoliberism. This event called by the Zapatista movement.

During this international experience, the Italian delegates decided to found an association named Ya Basta as an answer to the Zapatista’s request to the Europeans to "start a revolution” in the power centres of the international market and capital system.

Since 1998, this group has been maintaining direct relations with Chiapas, organizing and collaborating on different political projects in accordance with the EZLN plans.

CasaLoca

CasaLoca is a squatted building in the area of the Bicocca. From a geographical point of view this territory is meaningful as it was the previous main industrial pole of Milan while at present second university pole of the city.

CasaLoca can be understood as an interstitial location committed in the territory of the city, a space where new forms are constituted, experienced and practiced, resources are creatively re-used and skills are shared.

This is a structure where everyday alternatives are put into practice (Pickerill, Chatterton 2005) or as Lefebvre says:” counter-hegemonic space which allow challenges to the dominant order” (77: 2000).

This is a space where making protest is part of everyday life making life into a collective workable alternative.

This is evident in the project Ya Basta promotes in Casaloca.

www.casaloca.it
www.caffezapatista.it

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As with all Perth Praxis events some food will be provided but please bring along a dish for all to share (if we ALL bring something none of us will go hungry).