[Reader-list] The recombined manifesto

[Sunil Abraham]

Dear Friends,

        <quote>
        We disown all efforts that propagate technology specifically ICT
        in the name of social development across developing nations. We
        consider such efforts as pretentious and having vested
        interests. We are not an economy for the refurbished.
        </quote>

Woah. So should I stop working to put Linux on refurbished computers?
Vaibhav is a student from http://www.srishtiblr.org/. Suddenly I feel
very "status quo". Direct all flames directly at whatpot at rediffmail.com
;-)	

Thanks,

Sunil

-----Forwarded Message-----
From: VAIbhaV <whatpot at rediffmail.com>
To: sunil at mahiti.org

Hi Sunil 
This is Vaibhav from Srishti..hope you remember me vaguely! I guess
Gaurabh wrote to you about us currently working on our diploma projects.
This mail is regarding my project for which i need some help. 
Briefly my project is about activating public spaces by creating open
platforms with/sans technology so that people can share, talk, discuss
opinions and personal experiences on social, political and civic
matters. As a prelude/intro to this project I have written a manifesto
that in a way establishes a group of like minded people (who would want
to be part of this project) and creates a backdrop for the work I'll be
doing. I would help me if you could send or forward this to people who
might be interested in subscribing, critiquing, or giving further
suggestions on this idea. You can also visit a yahoo group site that I
am constantly updating at 
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vaibhav_dip
Please do write back as I'll be happy to start a dialogue and extend the
spirit of this project.
regards, 
Vaibhav


The recombined manifesto 12:58 PM 8/20/2004
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
In this world every individual has been coded, encrypted and protected.
He is so because he has been immunized. Immunized so that he is
complacent, acquiescent and private. He fears what rules him. This
manifesto and the acts arising from it intend to be malicious and
malignant to that very individual's codification.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
We are artists, craftsmen, designers, musicians, writers, engineers,
lawyers, philosophers and  economists, and are essentially dreamers. Our
acts arise from the dream space and notions of a perfect world. We
believe its necessary to operate from such notions and spaces that are
non-rational, poetic, and irreducible because we believe in the
transitory state of both the world and its ideas.

We believe in the subjective individual over the objective and
complacent one. We believe ones personal feelings and opinions can have
profound influences on the community and also bring temporariness to
ideas and beliefs floating within the community by challenging and
debating over the consensus.

Whatever code we hack, be it myths, cultures, traditions, rituals,
beliefs or language - we hack the new out of the old. With the old we
produce new worlds or new things that are not always great things, or
even good things, but new things.

We believe division and distribution of information is a fundamental act
of extending knowledge and we situate such acts and their preservation
in open and unconditional frameworks.

We continuously hack our path thorough existing flows of information and
topography created by the institutions, the state and establishments to
embrace such spaces with our acts that produce alternative processes of
knowledge creation and exchange.

We reclaim the information space by providing autonomous free platforms
and networks for communication. We liberate information itself.

We reclaim the public space as a place of choice and expression through
fearless speech. We reconstruct the idea of the chowpal, the piazza and
the agora as a place for the people and by the people.

We disown all efforts that propagate technology specifically ICT in the
name of social development across developing nations. We consider such
efforts as pretentious and having vested interests. We are not an
economy for the refurbished.

We camouflage using contradiction. We visit both the sides, we walk
black and white through the grey. We constantly reconfigure ourselves
through contradiction and contradistinction.

To us originality is a far gone concept. There is no individual creator
today. We all are part of the remix machine called globalization, a meme
in itself. We are the remix culture. We copy, recombine and re-present
memetically.

***


Thanks,

ಸುನೀಲ್
- -- 
Sunil Abraham, sunil at mahiti.org http://www.mahiti.org
314/1, 7th Cross, Domlur Bangalore - 560 071 Karnataka, INDIA
Ph/Fax: +91 80 51150580. Mobile:  +91 80 36701931

Currently on sabbatical with APDIP/UNDP
Manager - International Open Source Network
Wisma UN, Block C Komplex Pejabat Damansara. 
Jalan Dungun, Damansara Heights. 50490 Kuala Lumpur. 
P. O. Box 12544, 50782, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Tel: (60) 3-2091-5167, Fax: (60) 3-2095-2087
sunil at apdip.net http://www.iosn.net http://www.apdip.net