A conference on the ‘Art of Freedom: Organising and Collective Resistance Strategies’ in Basel, Switzerland, concluded on Sunday with a powerful message of global solidarity.
The three-day event, organised by the Academy of Democratic Modernity, brought together global organisations from Europe, Africa, Latin America and Asia to explore the challenges posed by capitalist modernity and discuss strategies for addressing them.
Thank you all for coming from your various homelands worldwide to share, discuss and build internationalism together.
"We must not have a common spoken language, but a common language of struggle" #ArtOfFreedom#JinJiyanAzadi pic.twitter.com/5oCvtOmCek
— Academy of Democratic Modernity (@Democratic_Mode) November 19, 2023
The closing debate on Sunday explored crucial issues such as the possible emergence of a third world war, the impact of green colonialism, the clash between co-optation and community values, education and holistic liberation. The overarching message echoing throughout the conference was a call to Europe: “If you want to help us from Europe, sort out your own problems in your own societies.”
The final day of the Art of Freedom conference began with a panel entitled “The Idea of Socialism: Towards Renewal”. The Women Weaving Future network presented their perspective on the 21st century as the era of women’s revolution, stressing that “the deepest and most structural contradiction of the ruling system concerns women”.
The final panel, entitled “The question of bottom-up organisation and internationalism”, shared experiences from India, Colombia, the Philippines and Kurdistan. A particularly poignant message came from the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES), who delivered a powerful message: “Internationalism must be the key element of any socialist revolution. Otherwise it is doomed to fail”.
Workshops throughout the event highlighted the obstacles posed by capitalist modernity and the dominant ideology of the nation state. One focus was on the importance of Abdullah Öcalan’s paradigm of democratic confederalism and advocacy of democratic nationhood.
