hahartical

Every Monday the same misery starts again. Every Monday we are peeling ourselves out of the bed, even if we would love to sleep some hours longer. But our alarm-clock tells us to get up, to take a shower, to brush our teeth, pack our bag, drink our coffee, leave the house, make one step after another, until we reach our working place. And here we go. If we aren't lucky or emancipated enough from the circles of our capitalist society, that's our ongoing destiny. We are working, because we learned that we have to and because we need money to survive, to live, to eat, to have fun, to buy things (which we mostly don't need)....We are sitting in offices, starring at the screens of our computer, selling beer to already drunk people, writing applications, painting walls, fixing cars, counting money, controlling tickets, arresting people,....And then we are going home and on our way home we stop by in a Cafe to drink something or in a shop to buy something..
We are earning and spending money. All the time. Mostly all of us, mostly all our lives. If we are not doing this, we are weather depressed and we feel worthless for not having a job because the rules of economy are saying so. Or we are the lucky ones with a bunch of money in the pocket. Or we are people from a third group of people, of the people who recognized that something is wrong when the alarm-clock rings on Monday morning 8 o'clock and simply stay in the bed. This is of course a simplified version, but its more or less the situation we can all discover ourselves.

But what would happen if we would know, that we don't have to worry about food. That we don't have to care about buying a pair of new shoes for winter because our old ones are just fucked up after three years of wearing. That we know people who can lent us tools if we need them, help us with their skills if we need them, and that we can offer the same. That we don't have to be depressed by not having a job but moreover we could be happy.
If we skip the rational thinking, that this idea is unfortunately kind of an utopia from far away, which won't happen to all of us (because some the market and some people are really resistant to this idea) in the close future, it still sounds great. And on some levels it is possible to realize the idea of being independent from work, money and step out of the circles of production and modern slavery at the same time.
And a way it could be done, is building up an alternative and free economy which is self sustainable and based on the principle of solidarity, a network which everyone can access and a 'trade-system' which isn't exclusive, which is available for everyone. Within a system like this / a system of giving, taking, donation, recycling,... it could be possible to abolish one more factor of the capitalist economy - the valuation of things. Everything is up to the person who is taking, the person who is giving and the thing itself, which was already produced and can be reused again and again. In this system, taking isn't based on giving something, contributions are possible but not necessary and no duty.
The things we can find in a free economy can be materialistic things, which are not used or needed anymore by the former owner, and which are set free from the circle or production, throwing away and reproduction in the moment when the former owner makes them a common possession, free of a value, reusable, recyclable,... as well as non-materialistic things like practical support, knowledge, time.

But how can an alternative and free economy look like in a practical realization?

This form of economy can be implemented in a lots of different ways of which some should be presented now here, to show what already exists in Novi Sad and what could be possible. The focuses of this projects are different but they have the same main idea of breaking through capitalist production and reproduction as well as rethinking the idea of what we are calling trash.

Otvorena Kuhinja/Open Kitchen
The approach and idea of an Open Kitchen connects veganism and environmental care with the self-organized, non-profit principles. As people are throwing away food which is still eatable whether because it doesn't look good anymore or it is became unsellable on the markets, the open kitchen exists by using this waste for cooking in big amounts for as many people as possible. It is non-profit because the food is given out for donations, which can in the best case cover the needed expanses and the maintenance of the kitchen. People are asked to give some donations but if they don't have money, the food is still available for them.
The food can be collected though on the markets, by telling the sellers about the idea and asking them for the old food, which they would throw away as well as by dumpster diving, a widely spread practice, which is in many countries actually illegal, because the trash still belongs to the markets that used to sell them...
In this context of wasting food, the open kitchen is a clear statement and practice of using so called garbage in a way of an alternative economy.

Open kitchen is taking place in the CK13 in Novi Sad. Information are available: www.ck13.org

Recycling
The same as using thrown away food, recycling is a practice of using things which are meant to be trash for the most of the people. It can include classes, clothes, plasticbags and -bottles, technical equipment, paper, … Recycling can on the one hand be a practice of repairing broken things as well as using them in different ways as they were used before.

Next to a daily practice of recycling, there are workshops offered in the VCV in Novi Sad.

Freeboxes
If there is no available and fixed space for a freeshop, a method is to put freeboxes around the town, where people can bring stuff as well as take stuff. Next to the bigger flexiblity, free box is “a smaller, less labor intensive version of the Free Store“ (http://www.diggers.org/free_store.htm).
A freebox can be put in a public space but also in a not public way, the free box is a good practice of sharing common goods and things: A freebox which everyone can simply put into the staircase or floor of the house/building where he/she/it is living. Neighbors can easily built up a great basis of free economy and a community of solidarity, which is less anonymous and based on private households.

Freestore
A place where a current free and alternative economy could take place and be developed is a freestore. As a fixed store it is perfect to gather and store a lot of things and to establish a flow of bringing and taking things. Of course the effort which has to be made is much bigger than to the other named practices. Firstly a space is needed which is whether free of charge or which can be paid by collecting donations. Secondly people need to take care currently, need to hold opening hours, clean the place, order the things, which were brought to the store.... But if it works out and a team of people is willing to arrange that and more people are sympathizing and joining the idea, the freeshop can be a project which enables people to leave the circle of (re)production of things and being independent of money up to a certain degree and it can save a lot of things from being thrown away or rotten in the rearmost corner of a closet.

And what is Dzabaleba (doing)?
Dzabaleba is a collective of people who are interested to spread the idea of free economy in Novi Sad and to set up happenings of moneyless economy. Because there is no properly working freestore in Novi Sad and people don't know why and how they should go there, it is important to make a step 'back' (which is at the same time a step forward) and to tackle the issue and develop projects in various ways. The general idea is to start and promote projects which will make people interested and make visible what the idea is and how it can be done.
Since projects like recycling things and clothes, the open kitchen, bike-kitchen are already existent and incorporating the ideas of alternative economy, the goal is, to connect them within a bigger frame and organize bigger happenings and gatherings, which will consist of free market in connection with the mentioned workshops, discussions about the topic and building up a network in Novi Sad.

Everyone who is interested in joining the collective and organizing events or wants to have more information about the ideas and events of Dzabaleba, can check the website http://dzabaleba.hotglue.me/ or is welcome to send an email to hans.seekuh@gmail.com!