Hi, What with one thing or another the Agit Prop Caucus has got no where since last May. But with the new century here the APC has taken upon itself to be more than just a webpage. I guarantee it. The transition happened during the recent Marxism 2000 Conference in Sydney. I gave a workshop on Agit Prop techniques and the lively discussion that followed emphasised the need for a "caucus" such as this. It real terms that was the launch of APC. Late perhaps, but here 'tis. But what does that mean? Despite its shyness the APC has picked up reasonable number of subscribers over the last six months. People have been signing up from all over the world. As far as I can guess we're got teachers, video makers, musicians, graphic artists, theatre workers and god knows what else. This says something about the concept doesn't it? There's a resonance for it. Among our keen crew are members of left wing political parties as well as non-aligned cultural activists. An example of this is myself: I am a member of the Democratic Socialist Party here in Australia. I run theatre workshops, do puppetry and direct various amateur productions. I also make masks and scriptwrite. My agitprop working group is an outfit called The New World Order Theatre. I also write cultural criticism and a regular satirical column for Green Left Weekly here in Australia. That's where I'm coming from. And since I'm the main mover and shaker here perhaps I should outline some of my hopes for the APC. 1. I want to do is open up this list for contributions and discussion. So if you have something to say, want some assistance or support direct your attention to other members of the list by posting a message to it. Simply ensure that the tag APC appears in the SUBJECT header of your message and send it off to [EMAIL PROTECTED] 2. As well as linking up with one another and assisting each other -- solidarity no less! -- I'm keen for us to work together on some joint projects. At one level are particular campaigns we can pursue by contributing what we can. An example could be the campaign to assist the devastated population of East Timor or to agitate for the release of particular political prisoners (such as the recent attempt to jail a radical poet in Lebanon). Another project could be national (or international!) tours of films or videos or performers or art installations. 3. Flowing on from this is the prospect of reaching out to like minded activists in the Third World. At the recent conference I was able to begin a process of linking up with cultural activists in the Philippines and the Indian sub continent. I know of groups there who are much better at this kind of politics than we could ever be. While we can learn from them perhaps we can assist their struggles too by offering material support. 4. At its core level the APC is also about doing what we do politically, better and more creatively. I spent a lot of time during the workshop discussing imaginative techniques we could apply to street demonstrations and pickets. This aspect is so often neglected in the flurry of organising these events. Basic aspects such as banners and chants are so seldom reviewed with the aim to make them more useful -- more agitprop. 5. Finally there's the general chit chat. I can't imagine a cultural forum that doesn't chit chat about culture. But folks, let's not make it academic. We have a world to win, let's not drown in words first. IF you aren't subscribed to the APC and want to be, simply click on the line below and send it off. mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]?sunject=JOIN_APC Dave Riley Co-ordinator The Agit Prop Caucus. ____________________________ Agit Prop Caucus http://www.ozemail.com.au/~dhell/apc.htm [EMAIL PROTECTED] PO Box 103, NORTHGATE QLD AUSTRALIA 4013 Phone/Fax: (07) 3266 4281 -- Leftlink - Australia's Broad Left Mailing List mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.alexia.net.au/~www/mhutton/index.html Sponsored by Melbourne's New International Bookshop Subscribe: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]?Body=subscribe%20leftlink Unsubscribe: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]?Body=unsubscribe%20leftlink
