Solidarity Week with Ukraine – Voku Benefit for Solidarity Collectives + screening: “Where Russia Ends” (Oleksiy Radynski, 2024)

Solidarity Week with Ukraine, February 24 – March 3, 2025

Monday March 3, 2025,Voku Benefit for Solidarity Collectives & screening of “Where Russia Ends” by Oleksiy Radynski (2024). Volkseten Vegazulu, food served from 7pm, no reservation. Movie from 21:30.

Solidarity Collectives call out: As we enter the fourth year of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the urgency to act has never been greater. The situation grows increasingly dire, with the toll of the war deepening both on the battlefield and within the fabric of Ukrainian society. So today we need your voices, your solidarity, and your actions to amplify our actions for justice and resistance.

From 24 February we call on all our friends, partners and all anti-authoritarian groups in all parts of the world for a week of action! We encourage you to organise rallies, fundraisers, and public events that draw attention to the Ukrainian resistance struggle against Russian imperialism. Whether it’s a public demonstration, a direct action (the case of squatting in a Russian oligarch’s mansion inspires us), a music concert, a movie screening or an art exhibition, a fundraising campaign or a panel discussion, your efforts are vital to keep Ukrainians’ struggle visible and supported. The topic of the Russian shadow fleet and its environmental impact or international security challenges could be topics of such discussions. You could paint graffiti in the street of your city and send us a picture of it or even make a series of photos. We would be grateful for any kind of participation.

The alarming rise of far-right movements around the world demands that we stand together to counter these forces to fight imperialism and oppression. Supporting Ukrainians fighting Russian imperialism should be one of the priorities of the anti-authoritarian movement, and this goes hand in hand with supporting all refugees and immigrants in the West.

We believe that we should exchange practices and ideas internationally in order to develop our common struggles. And our team is ready to participate in your events, exchange knowledge, discuss difficult issues and assist in any way we can to make your initiatives impactful. Together, we can build a global network of solidarity that echoes beyond borders and languages.

Where Russia Ends by Oleksiy Radynski – Ukraine | 2023 | Short film / Documentary | 25’
In the late 1980s, a team of Ukrainian filmmakers undertook several film expeditions to remote areas of Siberia. Their forgotten film rolls were rediscovered in Kyiv in 2022, during the Russian invasion of Ukraine. This fascinating archive is the starting point for a cinematic essay that addresses Russian imperialism, the exploitation of raw materials, environmental destruction, and the ongoing oppression and extermination of indigenous peoples in the remote areas of Siberia.

Solidarity Collectives
https://radar.squat.net/en/solidarity-collectives
https://www.solidaritycollectives.org/en/ […Lees verder]

Cinerevolt: Commando 52 (1965) & The Laughing Man (1966) by Walter Heynowski & Gerhard Scheumann

Sunday February 23, 2025, Cinerevolt #2: Commando 52 (1965, 37 min) & The Laughing Man (1966, 66 min), two films by Walter Heynowski & Gerhard Scheumann * doors open at 20:00 * intro & first film starts at 20:30.

Today we hear of the Congo by means of its minerals first, and its people second. One determines the other: cobalt means poverty, gold means war, diamonds mean repression. There was a time when this dynamic was challenged, as Patrice Lumumba did when he asked “all Congolese citizens, men, women and children, to set themselves resolutely to the task of creating a national economy and ensuring our economic independence”. Nominal independence is no problem, economic independence is unforgivable. Mere months after taking office, Prime Minister Patrice Lumumba was removed from office, kidnapped, and eventually assassinated with the support of the American, British, and Belgian intelligence agencies. In the imperialist war on Congolese self-determination, brutal merdenaries came down upon the Lumumbaist rebels of the Simba and Kwilu rebellions. It is upon these agents of destruction, the mercenaries, that Heynowski and Scheumann train their lens. The two East-German filmmakers first made Commando 52, a short documentary combining still photographs taken of the mercenaries in Congo with interviews and voice over narration. The second film, The Laughing Man, was made by posing as West-German journalists in order to interview Siegfried Muller. The film consists of this single interview with Muller, a Nazi-turned-mercenary charged with the destruction of Lumumbaist rebels. Together these two films paint a sinister portrait of the perpetrators of these atrocities and the narratives they live in, and demonstrate clearly the direct translation of Nazism into American & NATO imperialism.

Film night at Joe’s Garage, cozy cinema! Free entrance. You want to screen a movie, let us know: joe [at] lists [dot] squat [dot] net

Aki Kaurismäki night: Shadows in Paradise (1986) & Take Care of Your Scarf, Tatiana (1994)

Saturday February 22, 2025, Aki Kaurismäki night: Shadows in Paradise (1986) & Take Care of Your Scarf, Tatiana (1994) * doors open at 19:00 * first film starts at 19:30 * second film starts at 21:00 * free entrance.

Shadows in Paradise (Varjoja paratiisissa, by Aki Kaurismäki, 1986, 1h 14m, in Finnish with English subtitles) – movie effectively set the template for the maestro’s singular style. Punctuated with bursts of primary colors, this beautiful wisp of a film finds a delicately negotiated optimism amid the ruins of its dashed dreams… An episode in the life of Nikander, a garbage man, involving the death of a coworker, a love affair and much more.

Take Care of Your Scarf, Tatiana (Pidä huivista kiinni, Tatjana, by Aki Kaurismäki, 1994, 1h 5m, in Finnish with English subtitles) – Lugubrious Finns Valto and Reino take to the road in search of coffee and vodka, without which their lives are not worth living. But their reveries are interrupted by the arrival of garrulous Russian Klaudia and Estonian Tatiana – who are clearly interested in the two men, despite the language barrier. But what are the chances of getting a response from men who prefer staring at vodka bottles to talking?

Film night at Joe’s Garage, cozy cinema! Free entrance. You want to screen a movie, let us know: joe [at] lists [dot] squat [dot] net

Aman molli: Rebetiko concert with Kostas P. & Panos T.

Friday February 21, 2025, Aman molli: Rebetiko concert with Kostas P. & Panos T., door opens at 20:00, music from 20:30.

Aman molli and Joe’s Garage are hosting a rebetiko concert with Kostas Patsis (Bouzouki, vocals) and Panos Tsamouras (Guitar, vocals). They met at a rebetiko jam session where their musical connection became apparent: a shared love for Greek urban folk (rebetiko/laiko) of the early post-war era (40s & 50s). They strive to preserve the essence of the original recordings while at the same time injecting their own musical character into the songs and experimenting with original compositions.

Aman Molli https://radar.squat.net/en/aman-molli

Benefit dinner to support the Barrio Bravo popular autonomous gym project

Thursday February 20, 2025, Benefit dinner to support the Barrio Bravo popular autonomous gym and its future sport climbing wall. Food served from 7pm, no reservation.

The Barrio Bravo Popular Autonomous Gymnasium is located in the Cuxtitali neighborhood, on the eastern part of San Cristóbal de Las Casas, Chiapas, Mexico. Cuxtitali is one of the oldest neighborhoods, founded by the first indigenous settlers used by the conquistadores for the construction of the city. For always maintaining its own identity and an attitude of community self-care, it has long been called “Barrio Bravo” (Untamed District). A legacy of that old pride continues today and is expressed in the popular cultural manifestations of the neighborhood, in the community self-management of the drinking water source and in the struggle to defend the territory and forests that surround this area. Despite its extraordinary example of popular organization for the urban context of San Cristóbal, the neighborhood of Cuxtitali encounters the social difficulties characteristic of the Chiapas context, marked by historical structural inequities: low wages, low schooling, insecurity, exploitation of its people and resources, institutional abandonment and, especially in the last three years, the dramatic incidence of drug trafficking groups and organizations that have subjugated the city and the entire region. In this context, sports, health, coexistence and community can create the physical, mental and political space for the young people of the neighborhood to have healthy and constructive alternatives and feel relief from the alienation of today’s society, which in San Cristóbal sees in them only the future cheap labor for the bars of the various walkways of the city at the service of tourists or, worse, as the basic forces of increasingly violent criminal groups. It is a long-term ambition, just like any social project that also wants to radically transform the unjust social relations imposed by capitalism.

The Barrio Bravo Gym opened its doors on May 3, 2021 and since then has received more than 200 students (mostly children between 5 and 15 years old) and offered courses in 9 sports disciplines: KungFu, Calisthenics, Parkour, Boxing, Contemporary Dance, Yoga, Polynesian Dance, Kenpo and Capoeira. The plan is to raise funds to be able to build a wall and open a climbing course for the children of the Gym. We see the climbing wall as a link between the body and the territory; An element to reconnect with nature, with new people, to regain confidence in the body by recognizing the abilities that each one has. It’s like a window to see beyond violence, a great tool to overcome bad times. A wall is a first encounter with a sport that can take young people to new places, which they didn’t know existed. The wall has the power to help them free their mind and body.

https://tekio.org.mx/red-beta-libre.php
https://nodosolidale.noblogs.org/ […Lees verder]

Proxy Cafe: Speed Comp and sharing Vol 1

Wednesday February 19, 2025, Proxy Cafe: Speed Comp and sharing Vol 1. Door opens at 18:00.

Come and show your music skills at the first event of “Speed Comp and sharing”, which is an evening where you will be given a bunch of samples, some instructions, a limited amount of time and you’ll have to make a track!
After that we are going to show each other our tracks and explain how we did it.
The first episode is open to all musicians with any kind of electronic instrument and software, although opensource software or/and running on Linux is preferred. 🙂
– 18:00 Opening
– 19:00 Food
– 20:00 Start workshop
– 21:00 End workshop
– 23:00 Door closed

Proxy Cafe, a place and moment where we gather to talk about computers, free and opensource software, to follow or give a workshop, share skills. Feel free to come for a workshop, to have a chat, a drink around a pizza!
Free software workshops. Discussing tech and politics, GNU/Linux, fixing computers and revive old laptops, free and opensource software workshops. Zapatista coffee.
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Proxy Cafe, Amsterdam https://radar.squat.net/en/amsterdam/proxy-cafe
https://proxycafe.puscii.nl/

Voku in solidarity with Belarusian political prisoners

Monday February 17, 2025, join our vegan Voku dinner in solidarity with Belarusian political prisoners. Food served from 7pm, no reservation.

Currently, at least 1,245 people are imprisoned following the mass resistance to the illegitimate 2020 elections. Yet another illegitimate presidential election has just begun, and we can expect more politically motivated arrests.
Although we cannot directly contact political prisoners, we can still support them financially. Donations will go towards (food) parcels, legal fees, newspaper and magazine subscriptions, and other necessities. As the situation in Belarus is not improving, the least we can do is continue supporting those who are serving time for trying to change that. […Lees verder]

Movie Night: Za dvoma zaytsiamy – Chasing Two Hares (Viktor Ivanov, 1961)

Sunday February 16, 2025, За двома зайцями * Za dvoma zaytsiamy * Chasing Two Hares * directed by Viktor Ivanov * 1961 * 77 minutes * in Ukrainian with English subtitles * doors open at 20:00 * film starts at 20:30

This comedy is an adaption of play by Mykhailo Starytsky that tells the story of Svyryd Holokhvistyi, a barber who tries to get rich by marrying a wealthy bourgeois woman, Pronia Sirko, while at the same time courting a poor, beautiful girl, Halia. The story raises the problem of social inequality and ridicules the life of Ukrainian Russified bourgeoisie in Kyiv.
The title of the movie is “Za dvoma zaytsiamy” which means the “to chase two rabbits”. In English, they use the phraseology – “to chase two birds” a person’s desire to do two things at once and result is rhetorical.
The film was shot in Ukrainian at the Dovzhenko Film Studios, as it was originally rated second category and was planned to be shown only in the Ukrainian SSR. Later, when the movie gained huge popularity, it was partially re-dubbed into russian by the same actors, and was launched in all-Union distribution. The original soundtrack in Ukrainian was long thought to be lost, but was found in the Mariupol film fund in 2013. On October 27, 2013, the film with the original Ukrainian-language was presented to the public in Kyiv.

Film night at Joe’s Garage, cozy cinema! Free entrance. You want to screen a movie, let us know: joe [at] lists [dot] squat [dot] net