The year 2011 - the year of global frustration
Everywhere, it seems, last year people said they had enough. They marched, they demanded, they literally embodied the idea that individual action can bring collective colossal change. The idea of democracy was present in every gathering.
Human revolution of hearts and mind - the oldest technology of all joined the newest of technologies to steer the planet on a more democratic and also more dangerous path for the 21st century.
The protesters of today believe that their countries political systems and economies have grown dysfunctional and corrupt to favour the rich and powerful and prevent significant change.
Two decades after the abandonment of communism they believe they are experiencing the failure of megascaled, globalized sham hypercapitalism.
As always, students were up front to make the people's demands clear and demonstrate the prejudices of others. They wanted to believe that as in America of the past, power of the people can change everything.
They pointed at the connection between poverty and our natural environment, that the environment, governance and human rights are linked invisibly.
Globalization and going viral are the catchphrases of the networked 21st century. Like little pebbles in a big pond, real live protests around the world were suddenly visible on our screens.
The voiceless, shot or hacked, strangled or suffocated, poisoned or burnt, hanged or burried alive got their voices back.
But as the protesters rejuvenated and enlarged the idea of democracy, the protesters and the rest of us are discovering that democracy is difficult and sometimes scary, because deciding what you don't want is a lot easier than deciding...
and implementing what you want. And suddenly everybody has a say. My experience of the aftermath of the Velvet Revolution taught me that uprisings' solidarity has a short life.
The road to democracy is messy and hard and freedom doesn't appear all at once. Slowly people realize that they have stake in preserving and protecting democracy and learn to cooperate together or not...
People all around the world have awaken, they are aware of their flaws and want to live with their flaws and what life throws at them according their own rules not someone's elses.
History often emerges only in retrospect, events become significant only when looked back on, right now there is a widespread feeling that we are on a bumpy road to somewhere else...
As an artist I am always looking for what is possible and I am always looking to extend boundaries and as a human being I believe that right now is what we need to do...
"The nature of society
determines the poverty
the poverty determines illness
illness means death of me..."
Their demands were very different
and yet the same
the words of one protester,
from one side
on the start of the year,
echoed the grievances
of millions around the globe
passing the year 2011
not yet successful
and keep going
online
and in the real world.
Hosni Mubarak resigned in Egypt
president Zine in Tunisia
and president Alin in Yemen,
king Abdulah allowed women to vote
in Saudi Arabia,
but people still want more...
"Give me back control of my life,"
shouted Occupy Oakland protesters,
85 were arrested.
In Mexico Javier Sicilia
led a march against drug violence.
"We are the 99%."
Slogan of Protesters
began in lower Manhattan
and cropped up worldwide.
In Toronto the first 'Slutwalk' is held.
In Greece hundreds of thousands
kept repeating for months:
"Politicians and money lenders,
you have no control of my life."
Riots erupted in United Kingdom
after a man was shot dead by police.
"What I study can change my life."
sang students peacefully in Chile
until police turned up.
Los Indignados marched to Madrid
and some 6 million joined in.
People demanded social justice
in the largest protest in Israeli history.
"Our lives are determined by the circumstances
in which we live and work."
Thousands gathered in Moscow claiming
parliamentary elections were flawed.
Riots over food and unemployment
in Algeria
Violent crackdowns in Syria and Iraq.
A man set himself on fire in Ethiopia.
Civil war began in Libya.
Days of Rage in Bahrain.
"Monks are natural advocates for the poor."
They set themselves on fire
in Tibet,
pro-democracy Chinese shouted in Beijing
just to be silenced again and arrested.
"Unfair distribution of the power and wealth is the cause of our grievances."
activist Aung San Suu Kyi won the first battle
after decades of oppression
her party finally won legal status.
"Stop nuclear power, my life is at stake."
Marches didn't stop
Japanese effort
to save economy
and yet there is always chance of online protest,
as one single mother
in a poor neighbourhood
of one thriving super modern city
have found out.
She writes in her blog:
"Working in a factory,
where a visit to bathroom
is seldom granted
and closely monitored,
suffering from diabetess
and heart disease
of long hours
of monotonous work
every night
coming back to a tiny room
in a crowded public housing
watching my teenager
to rage against me
and the system
that weakens him
he ends up just like me,
I feel, he feels,
we have no control of our lives.
How the control can be given back to people?"
Few of us,
lucky enough
to have
more or less
of control
of how our everyday work
and when is done.
To have our essential needs met
and have enough energy left
to care about our own wellbeing,
our health,
our destiny...
Living in air polluted world
full of financial turmoil,
we can still wake up and say:
"I can change my life,
I can control what happens to me."
And we are also aware,
that there are less and less people like us,
due to unfair distribution of the wealth,
due to unfairness of our society.
We all know,
one billion of people
live in inhumane conditions.
We all know,
you need just a hundred
billions of dollars to save them.
We also know
that nine trillions of dollars were spent
to bail out the banks.
The rise of the online global community
changes us forever
makes us aware
of nature of our society
make us demand
to have back
control of our lives.
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