Dear Stars,
You are invited to join the European assembly of Reclaim the Fields 2018, which will take place in Tarn region, Southwest France, between 20th and 25th of February 2018. The meeting will be hosted by collective Rocalet.
***About the assembly***
The assemblies happen every year during winter. Generally they bring together people active in RTF constellation, but everybody is welcome.
The goals of the assembly are:
- meet and exchange information amongst the stars and local groups since last year;
- exchange and debate on themes that matters to us across Europe and beyond;
- to see where we are at with our European Reclaim the Fields constellation: what was decided last year, for what results, what we need to do to continue, and what future plans we have;
- offer support to the local group that hosts the meeting;
- to have fun and build relationships between us!
Here is a pad where we startet to collect a program: https://pad.riseup.net/p/content-rtfassembly2018 Feel free to add you thing but also contact us when you do so to tell us more details.
The last European Assembly happened in January 2017 in Freiburg, Germany, and was hosted by the community-supported agriculture project Gartencoop.
You can check the last Reclaim the Fields Bulletin, with all the notes from the meeting, here.
***Registration form***
If you or your group will join the assembly please fill in the Registration Form. This is very important for the people that do the organisation, so that everything will be prepared good when participants arrive.
If you have any suggestion for the program, there is a special place in the form where you can let us know in advance about it.
***Local context***
This year the assembly takes place at a one and half year old collective farm in the Tarn region of Southwest France. Located in chestnut, ash, oak and hazel
forest in a semi-mountainous area of granite boulders, clean cold rivers, secret spots and abandoned ruins, even in the winter this place feels wild and green. The 36 hectares of land are South facing and are a perfect example of potential for food and energy autonomy. The old stone farm includes a
collective house, a huge barn with a new roof(!), and another storage building. Springing up around the land are different temporary structures, areas with animals, a greenhouse and garden spaces.
The collective itself is made up of people from Quebec, Switzerland, Germany, the United States and France. They are aiming to create a space where different desires and experiments intertwine. Permaculture (with an aim of self-sufficiency), the construction and renovation of individual and collective spaces, the arts, political propaganda and connections to different struggles are central to Rocalet. This is a place where people who share anarchist and feminist politics are empowered to experiment while learning new skills, with a focus on putting their politics into practice. We are all suffering from a capitalist and patriarchal hangover and are working to improve dynamics within and around the project an ourselves.
Rocalet, or the Land of the Wolves, is located two kilometers from the quaint town of Vabre. Historically, known as a hot-bed of Protestant resistance in the religious wars of 16th and 17th century in France and more recently a center of resistance (Le Maquis) to the Vichy government and the Nazis during the Second World War.
***Practical info***
Rocalet is located nearly 35 minutes drive northeast of Castres in Southwest France. The address of the farm is:
R.o.c.a.l.e.t. Vabre, 81330, France. (***Make sure you put in the zip code as there are other Vabres in France***)
contactrtf@riseup.net
Hitching from Castres to Rocalet/Vabre is very doable. You have to get off 2 km before Vabre at the rest area with granite tables. The path up to the house is right on the other side of the road.
There are buses that run from Castres to Vabre five times a day (except on Sundays). Its a 20min walk from the closest bus-station “Le Bezergues” following the direction of the bus, http://catp-tarn.airweb.fr/admin/libs/ckfinder/userfiles/files/Fiche%20Horaire%20764%20%20766(1).pdf
From Toulouse to Castres there is a bus (the 760) which runs frequently throughout Mon-Sat. For 2 euro you can take as many of those buses as you want.
There is also a train around 8 times a day from Toulouse to Castres.
We invite people to come few days earlier and help out with setting up the space. If you want to join the preparation group, let us know by e-mail.
In terms of accommodation, there will be space for around 20-30 people in the collective house – the dormitories are not heated, though warmer than outside. There will also be sleeping space in the grange. Warm clothes and sleeping bags are recommended.
There is space for camping outside and spaces to park vehicles at various distances from the house.
More practical info will be sent closer to the assembly.
***Contact***
Please spread this invitation to the stars in your region.
Contact the carrots at contactrtf@riseup.net if you have any question.
