[Spotykach] final call-out

[Olga Samborska]

here the text of call-out with correct date as a base text for spreading around:

Moja tvoja ne ponimaj/Mine don’t understand yours:
Eastern European-Konference 7-11 June 2006 in Berlin.

Pretext: Mutual understanding expresses, and brings to our lives a special sense of an interest in each other, and brings us, in some form, into the lives of others.  
Tolerance is the approach of not interfering with another’s the actions and convinctions. 
How can the two be brought together in examining different constructions of values, beliefs, backgrounds, experience and ideological convinctions?
 
It’s almost a century now that humankind has dealt with two polar constructions.
The so-called West and East used to confront each other directly, and persist in manifestations of two different kind of mentalities:  the ‘rational individualistic profit-oriented’ West and ‘irrational communal full-of -soviet-’achievements’’ East. Each has a right on existence only if they tolerate each other. And if not, what then? What should be done if
∑ one claims domination in order to surpress the other by imposing (its) “civilized” values
∑ another one blindly believes constructed myths of Western paradise and wellbeing
∑ the criteria for what is correct/desirable lies only profit-oriented schemas
∑ mainstream tendencies based on deceptions of power-bearers corrupt all spheres of societies? 
This seminar is a meeting of politically active individuals and groups who don’t want blindly accept, and actively seek to change 
∑ circulated prejudices, labels, false identities about East and West
∑ one-side negative approach towards soviet history and ex-soviet people values
∑ western dominance and eastern passivity towards a neo-colonial approach to the East
∑ repressive border policy towards Eastern European citizens
∑ a mainstream discourse of an unavoidable and “positive” EU enlargement
∑ absolute and perceived desirable  “Europeanization” of Eurasian continent
∑ liberal economic approach as the panacea to Eastern European poverty
∑ a myopia that views the world as the ‘haves’ versus ‘have-nots’, the desired versus the pitiful, and the knowers and the known, stemming from a disproportionate value placed on economic circumstances as determinates of worth

Instead they want look for alternatives and put the right accent on east-west relationships, particularly on example of political activist’s collaboration.  
We make our seminar “Moja tvoja ne ponimaj” (Mine don’t understand yours”) for those
∑ who feel capable of thinking differently and finally moving beyond the ‘always right’ Westerner and a ‘subordinate/ dependant-on-Western-finance’ Easterner 
∑ who still want to find the understanding into historically developed construction of “East” and “West”
∑  who are able to hear a personal stories and opinions
∑  share an experience of being “foreign” in the East/West
∑  who want to analyse different identities to be able distance yourself from imposed roles/characters by systems propaganda- no matter if it be capitalist or soviet
∑ to reopen true realities about each other outside mainstream games and media constructions and Kusturica’s images
∑ want to formulate a position of Eastern European intellectuals in cultural studies categories 
Together with the above-mentioned theoretical side, we would like
∑ to use our discoveries about each other for practical collaboration without stereotypes, clinches and dominance
∑ to break through the continuous cycle of miscommunication and failed projects
∑  to develop a common East-West discourse
∑ to build up successful networks across Europe based on political alternatives to capitalism
∑ discuss recent developments and experiences of past East-West projects with all their positive and negative achievements
∑ give more space for Eastern European initiatives, projects and ideas to be presented and discussed with an intentional reduction of those that have traditionally enjoyed more exposure, namely, well-established western European initiatives
∑ to look for practical solidarity against imposed policy of those who believes they got power
∑ to create a space within western activism to explore new modes of organisation, strategies and interrelations, benefiting from knowledge of those successfully employed amongst eastern activists
∑ to allow western activists a self awareness that ensures models of domination are truly called into question and not unintentionally replicated 


Organizers: spotykach-mailing list community (https://lists.nadir.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/spotykach together with volunteers from EYFA (European Youth for Action) network