ECOFEMINIST DAYS FOR AN ALTERNATIVE TO CAPITALIST PATRIARCHY
Brussels, December 7-8-9, 2001

WHY DO WE ORGANISE THESE DAYS?

Last year, hundreds of thousands of women world-wide answered the call of Canadian grassroots activists in Quebec to organise in 2000 the World March of women against poverty and violence against women. There, they all denounced globalisation which only increases this poverty and violence and highlighted the very strong link between patriarchy, capitalism and globalisation.

Their voice and their vision of the world are once again occulted by the media and the majority of the anti-globalisation movements.

We want to unable the particular voice of women to be heard in the anti-globalisation movement which largely ignores the issue of gender, track down there any sexism, reinvest the whole political and social field to redynamise the struggle in the light of our analyses.

The anti-globalisation movement presents another serious deficiency. If one can support most demands of this movement, such as for example the abolition of the debt of the Third World, we have to note that they are generally framed from within the capitalist patriarchal system which is quite capable of absorbing it.

We want to imagine another future that would not endanger the future of coming generations and at last to open the debate on possible alternative to neoliberalism and capitalist patriarchy. We take as starting point of our ideas ecofeminism, a contraction of ecology and feminism, and amongst its different "schools" of thought, that of the "German school" which could be said also the contraction of economy. It is one of the rare political theories to present today a real alternative called "the subsistence perspective" which can thus serve as starting point to discussions.

The repression of neo-liberal anti-globalisation demonstrations and measures planned to fight terrorism after the 11 September disaster is a good example of how far States have lost their power to transnational companies, so that our democracy is becoming more and more virtual. Democratic elected governments rule in favour of those internationalised companies and against their own people.

We want to stress that alternative to neoliberal and capitalist patriarchy must rest on democratic principles which are not necessarily those of representative democracy.

WHO ARE WE?

The Women-Alternatives Resistance (FAR – Femmes-Alternatives-Resistances) collective was set up to organise the "ECOFEMINIST DAYS FOR AN ALTERNATIVE TO CAPITALIST PATRIARCHY" within the programme of events planned by the movements against the neo-liberal globalisation during the Belgian Presidency of the European Union.

We work in collaboration with two NGOs : Association 29 rue Blanche, "Mouvements de femmes" and « Le monde selon les Femmes»

Programme

Friday 7 December
1.00 – 5.00 pm

International plenary session

VLEKHO, Auditorium 056, rue Royale 336 B-1210 Brussels

Economy, Ecology, Politics : Feminist Alternatives – What alternative for your region ?

Ursula Oswald (Diverse Women for Diversity), Mexico

Sonja Prodanovic: (Ecourban workshop –Eco Femme Forum), Yugoslavia

Vandana Shiva: (Diverse Women for Diversity), India

Mariam Sow (ecofeminist), Allemagne

Sonja Zilles: (ecofeminist), Germany

6.00–12.00 pm

Registration - Welcome/ Meal/ Film

Association 29 rue Blanche "Mouvements de femmes", , rue Blanche 29, 1060 Brussels.

8.30 pm Video/documentary on Marilyn Waring, and discussion

"If Women counted"

Saturday 8 December

10.00 am–1.00 pm Workshops

Association 29 rue Blanche "Mouvements de femmes", , rue Blanche 29, 1060 Brussels.

10.00 am – 10.30 pm

Introduction to workshops by the workshops leaders

10.30am – 1.00pm:

Workshops

1. Francine Mestrum (Doctor in economics): Women's poverty et mystifying discourse by the World bank, the IMF and the WTO. (Belgium)

2. Julienne Nzugu (a she-fighter amongst others): 'Ecoféminism" by Maria Mies and Vandana

Shiva. (Belgium)

3. Ursula Oswald (Diverse Women for Diversity): Food sovereignty. (Mexico)

4. Hilkka Piëtila: (ecofeminist): The basics of the feminist ecological economics and resistance against the globalizing totalitarian capitalism (Finland)

5. Sonja Prodanovic: (Ecourban workshop –Eco Femme Forum) Non-violent resolution of conflits (Yugoslavia).

6. Isabelle Stengers: (recalcitrant philosopher) Spirituality and Politics (Belgium).

7. cancelled

8. Sonja Zilles (ecofeminist) The Subsistence Perspective (Germany).

9. Anne Martynow Remiche (DUNIA programme) to be confirmed

Women’s resistance in the South (Belgium)

1.00-2.30pm: Lunch

2.30-4.00pm: Workshops Reports

4.00 - 6.30pm: Aternative experimental agora

To bring an end to passive political consuming. Give the floor and the initiative to participants who also have something to say or to achieve.

6.30 – 8.30pm: Dinner

8.30: Women celebrate

Musical performance : Passacaille on an anonymous poem in Seattle, Fanny Iran. Voice, flute, harp and piano.

Sunday 9 December

9.00-10.00 am Breakfast

10.00am –13.00pm: Discussions and political statement

This event has received the support of the Communauté française de Belgique, Service Education permanente, the COCOF, the NGO Forum and the P7

INFO

Registration: We are all voluntary organisers, so help us by sending the form below no later than 01/12/01, with your payment (between 150 FB and 500 FB, according to your possibilities – lunch on 8/12 incl. ), to the following account: 068-2027718-57 Association 29 rue Blanche "Mouvement de femmes" avec la mention "Ecoféminisme".

Addresses:

Vlekho, Auditorium 056, rue Royale, 336, B-1210 Brussels

Association 29 rue Blanche, "Mouvements de femmes", 29 rue Blanche, 1060 Brussels

Languages: French-Engllish, with interpretation EN-FR-EN on 07/10 and (to be confirmed) on 09/12 by voluntary persons.

Contacts:

By post: Edith Rubinstein, 70 Square des Latins, B-1050.Brussels

Tel/Fax: Marie-Françoise Stewart: 32.2.646.45.35.

Email: ecofeminisme@tiscalinet.be

http://home.tiscalinet/ecofeminisme (soon to be operative)

REGISTRATION FORM

Please send this form back by :

- post to "Ecofeminist days" c/o Edith Rubinstein, 70 Square des Latins, B-1050. Brussels

- fax to: Marie-Françoise Stewart: 32.2.646.45.35.

- Email to: ecofeminisme@tiscalinet.be

I wish to participate to the "Ecofeminist Days for alternatives to capitalist patriarchy" who will take place in Brussels December 7-8-9, 2001.

I pay ………………….

to the following account: 068-2027718-57 Association 29 rue Blanche "Mouvement de femmes" avec la mention "Ecoféminisme".

NAME:

ADDRESS:

TEL.:

FAX:

EMAIL:

I will attend the meeting on Friday 7^th Saturday 8^th Sunday …………..9^th

I am mainly interested by the workshops n°:

Vegetarian: yes - no

I understand the following languages:

I can offer lodgings to participants from abroad