Syndicate: Budapest repor

[kitblake@v2.nl (kit blake)]

A Gathering of Differences
the Syndicate meets in Budapest
23-25 april

The diversity is immediately apparent. 35 people from more than a dozen
countries. Stories exchange in the intro session, and a multifocus picture
emerges, from the distanced telephoto of media coverage, to the zoomed-in
terror of eye contact laced with military hate. The meeting theme is
default, and the favorite word becomes the 'situation'. What to do.

Consensus over the capabilities of Syndicate influence emerges quickly.
Attitudes are realistic, experienced. Most people operate in the media
sphere, and the discussion singles out information exchange as the central
issue. We hear some facts:
- carrying of cameras - video or still - is prohibited in Yugoslavia
- writing in public is dangerous
- even gathering on the street is risky
- independent media doesn't exist (only outside, like helpB92)
- a split persona is necessary for survival - professional and private
space is military territory
- in the last 10 years Yugoslavia was killed from the inside, with
international help
- first question: what should be saved?

The complexity of the intrigue surpasses any fiction. There are many
subplots, domestic effects, conflicting beliefs and ideologies, hidden
agendas. It is entirely possible that well meaning people can - unknowingly
- endanger the lives of others. Publishing a comment  with a name, for
instance. Anonymity is paramount.

Coincidentally, the NATO summit is taking place in Washington at the same
time. The Syndicate summit spends the next day focusing on actions. A
whiteboard fills with ideas:
- residencies for protecting intellectual properties
- air drop 5000 video cameras on Kosovo
- publish diaries, reports, testimonials, conspiracy theories
- develop the intellectual communication structure
- means to export independent media

Generously hosted by C3 (Center for Culture and Communication), the meeting
unfolds in the Budapest castle. The afternoon divides into 4 groups:
residency program, media strategies, the period after, an emigrant library
- and plans are made. Some projects:

ECX - european cultural Xchange
A program to provide selected artists, academics, curators, journalists and
related cultural practitioners from the European conflict regions with an
opportunity to continue their work in an open and secure environment.
----------------------------
Alta Libra - an emigrant library, http://www.xs4all.nl/~becha/MLE/
A network of libraries with books in the languages of former Yugoslavia,
donated by emigrants. The friends of the library (donors and users) are
connected via www. On the website is an online database with books and
e-mail addresses of the friends. The physical part of the project will
start in Budapest or Amsterdam.
----------------------------
The State of Balkania
Invention of a new state with a broad territory, a totally mixed populace,
passports, information ministries - "Ich bin ein Balkanier!"
----------------------------
Inside information source
Publishing of alternative viewpoints, stories, experiences and advice,
collected at one of the network websites
----------------------------
Film and video distribution
Curation of film and video selections, for broadcast and tour, with program
indexes published online
----------------------------
Message Board for camps, shelters and cafes
A means for people to find and contact each other after displacement.
Intended for people who do not have internet access. A database driven
website generates message listings, with paper printouts posted at social
centers
----------------------------

The Syndicate at war. At dinner. In the morning. The atmosphere is good,
tensions subside, and the meeting is amazingly productive. To close,
Comrade Tito's dictum was borrowed and reversed:
We have to live
like the war will last forever
but be prepared
that peace might start tomorrow


                                                 herwig turk/kit blake


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