“If there exists a place where the ownership of capital is not a source of pride and valorization, it is surely this zone. Many…
“If there exists a place where the ownership of capital is not a source of pride and valorization, it is surely this zone. Many things are free here; you can use tractors, tools or books without ever reaching for your wallet. This doesn’t mean that, like anywhere else, there isn’t any money circulating. But it’s the use made of it and its symbolism, that differs: we would want that paying for something is not an easy reimbursement for a lack of involvement in common life, a way of exempting oneself. If there is little money here, there is however a fierce daily fight against the economic logic that wants to measure the value of every gesture. Instead, we are trying to replace it with our bonds, our attachments, our trust in each other, and a certain sense of commitment.”—
An English translation of a statement by several groups of La ZAD’s residents, offering an up-close look at the tensions, prospects, and challenges presently faced by the West’s largest autonomous zone now that the airport has finally been ‘officially’ canceled. (via Ill Will Editions)
“La ZAD (Zone A Défendre) is Europe’s largest postcapitalist land occupation, a rural protest camp on the outskirts of Brittany in Notre-Dame-des-Landes.
Ever since 2009, this 4,000-acre space comprised of farms, woodland and abandoned properties has been inhabited by environmentalists opposing the construction of an international airport. The airport project is a long-term development that threatens to turn the surrounding countryside into a sprawling metropolis.
Authorities have repeatedly tried to evict the protesters and clear the land only for the ‘ZADists’ to remain steadfast in their presence, using permaculture strategies to harness the land while turning makeshift structures into a thriving community – one with its own theatre spaces, bakery, bike workshops and even a pirate radio station.” (via Huck)
“We would want that paying for something is not an easy reimbursement for a lack of involvement in common life.”