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Dear Friends.
Remember the Eskalera Karakola? That feminist social
center in Madrid
that sent you a long series of SOS pleas about its
imminent eviction,
then about its campaign for relocation, then about its
(wildly
successful) demonstration last winter? We thank you
all for being there
at these key moments, and now we want to let you know
a bit about our
current situation and ask you once again for your
help.
In March 2005 the city government finally granted us
the use of two
shopfront spaces right down the street from the old
Karakola house.
After a few months of planning, designing, organizing
and looking (in
vainâ¦) for funding, we inaugurated construction on
one of these
spaces
in September. The construction process has been a joy
and trial:
learning together, making mistakes, overcoming
ridiculous obstacles,
laughing a lot. And its working: we have built and
plastered the walls,
installed electricity and plumbing, poured the floor.
We have learned
the mysteries of leveling, the thrill of the
percussion drill, the
charismatic presence of the cement mixer. And we have
stunned neighbors
and construction-suppliers alike: an irreverent troupe
of women in
overalls getting things done. For any of you who would
like to join us
for a work-weekend, there is still plenty to do â
installing the
windows
and door, the ceiling, tiling the bathroom, painting
â we hope to
finish
in February (to participate contact
silvia@??? , to see some
photos, check
www.sindominio.net/karakola/obras/fotos.htm ).
Now as the end of the construction work (on the first
of the two
spacesâ¦) approaches we have begun to prepare the
projects which will
take place in this self-managed womenâs center,
which we hope will
function as an atelier for feminist encounter,
production and political
intervention: an âagency of precarious affairsâ in
which to invent
and
share resources and forms of self-defense in housing,
labor and other
daily conflicts (see
http://www.sindominio.net/karakola/precarias/todasacien/todasacien_eng.htm
),
an online radio program, a feminist video archive and
production group,
various study groups, etc.
In all of this exciting and optimistic panorama the
one missing link is
money. This we are trying to resolve in two different
ways: the
construction we are still hoping to finance through
grants or donations
by foundations and public entities, though to date we
have had very
little luck in the applications we have send and have
instead relied
principally upon loans and fundraising activities like
concerts, etc.
If
any of you have any contacts, suggestions or
recommendations please
please let us know ( mangui@??? ). The
daily maintenance of
the center â once construction is completed and
projects are
operating â
we hope to self-finance in a stable way so that its
viability will not
depend on the ups and downs of project funding,
political whim, etc.
For
this reason we are asking friends and participants to
become
âmembersâ,
committing themselves to an annual contribution of 30,
60 or 120â¬,
payable in one or two installations a year. To
clarify: no one is under
any obligation to become a member, and use of the
space and
participation in projects is of course completely
independent of
membership. But a certain number of memberships will
guarantee that the
monthly minimum expenses of the center can be paid
without having to
make any political or other compromises.
If you would like to become a âmemberâ (or make a
one-time special
donation to the project, of any quantity) please send
a money transfer
to:
La Eskalera Karakola
Bank: Caja Madrid
Account: 2038 1847 91 6000298024
IBAN: ES81
SWIFT code: CAHMESMMXXX
Again, we insist that there are innumerable ways to
participate in the
process of constructing this autonomous center. This
is the first time
we have ever campaigned for money and its a bit
uncomfortable; this
sense that one reduces one's rich network of friends
and contacts and
participants to a possible engine for funding. But we
have to overcome
this sensitivity: we all know things cost money and if
we can spread
the
burden broadly the center will be free to function
with the
independence
such a project requires.
Many thanks to all of you for your support. Be in
touch, come join us,
come visit, send suggestions, and keep kickingâ¦
Besos revueltos,
la ekka
www.sindominio.net/karakola
karakola@???
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