[New-imc] the beginning of the cuba.indymedia project...need help

[toya@riseup]

hello, hola,

me llamo toya soy de indymedia brasil y gustaria de oferecer ayuda a la
gente de indymedia habanas. (perdon el portunol).
Gostaria de ser la 'liasson'  para ell at s (termo que utilizamos para los
que oferecen para acompanhar los processos de los nuevos colectivos
indymedia).
Yo estive en cuba un par de veces y sigo en contacto con periodistas
independentes y tambien con la comunidad de software libre de cuba.
Participo de la red indymedia desde 2000, fue una de las personas que
iniciaron indymedia brasil (hoy con 8 anos!) y estoy ativa en la
comunidad latina y global de indymedia.
Tambien soy tecnica, ayudo el los servidores que alojan mas de 20 sitios
de colectivos indymedia y decenas de otros sitios de grupos activistas y
movimentos sociales (principalmente los de la america latina). Asi
tambien posso ayudar-los con el desalojo de la web.  Entrarei en
contacto con la gente sobre el en privado.

my name is toya i am part of indymedia brasil and i would like to offer
help to the people from indymedia habanas.
I would like to be the liasson for them. I have being in cuba twice and
I have contact with independent jornalists from cuba as well as the free
software community from there. I'm part of indymedia network since 2000,
i was one of the people who started indymedia brasil (now with 8 years!)
and I am active in the latina and global communities of indymedia. I am
also a tech, and I help to maintain the servers that hosts over 20
indymedia sites and tons of others activists and social movement sites
(special the ones from latin america). So I could also help them in
develop their site. I will get in touch with the people in private.

Toya



boud wrote:
> hi israel ascazo, hi sky,
>
> sky - i hope you're back in good health after the events in Genoa.
>
> On Sun, 21 Dec 2008, Zeus wrote:
>
>> I tried to use the new imc form but it did not work. here's hoping
>
> Please contact imc-commwork at lists.indymedia.org to find out what's
> wrong with the new.indymedia.org server. It will make things easier
> for us if the israel can get the form successfully submitted, because
> that way we will have the info in the contact database (more info:
> http://contact.indymedia.org) Remember that there are over 100
> collectives,
> so we cannot remember who's who etc. without some software help.
>
>> someone here can respond with help for me and the fledgling
>> habanas.indymedia.org....I have posted as much technical detail about
>> media licenses because this is going to be an issue for us in
>> indymedia but i know it can be resolved.
>
>> This site is going to need alot of help to open up to the world and
>> particularly South America. Cuba has had no internet until recently.
>
>> My friends in Cuba want a small team of experienced indymedia people
>> to fly into Havana soon to help teach them how to use their new
>> indymedia. please contact me for details of this trip.
>
> You could try finding such volunteers from the north and south american
> region - try asking at:
>
> imc-latina at lists.indymedia.org imc-us at lists.indymedia.org
>
> http://lists.indymedia.org/mailman/listinfo/imc-latina
> http://lists.indymedia.org/mailman/listinfo/imc-us
>
> but you're welcome to try on some other regional lists.
>
>
>> meanwhile, can new imc process begin the process of giving them an
>> indymedia site and a URL? I think cuban connection problems and
>> media licenses can be resolved.
>
> Your (sky) indymedia credentials are of course as solid as those of
> anyone else - not that many of us have had our bones broken due to our
> indymedia activity. But maybe you overestimate our degree of
> centralisation.  The new-imc working group is a meta-group, we try to
> help people learn methods of communication and how to organise and
> contact other working groups of indymedia, but we try to avoid having
> any power ourselves except for our minimal facilitation role that is
> necessary. And even then, we are not necessarily successful at even
> that, though we do our best when we have time. In principle, the
> priority is in helping stimulate a real group of *people* willing and
> able to work together and with the wider network in the long term
> according to a minimal sort of non-hierarchical etc principles. The
> website and URL are in principle much easier to create than a
> collective as a group of people.
>
> However, in practice tech issues are themselves in something of a
> state of flux and development and controversy at the moment in the
> network - the imc cuba people are going to have to contact different
> groups and judge for themselves what tech approach they want to take.
>
> If the group wants to start a website before having got organised
> as a collective, that's OK, but the URL habanas.indymedia.org will only
> be allocated once the group has gone through a self-organising process
> and sent documents describing its self-organisation to the network.
>
> Anyway, please read through:
> https://docs.indymedia.org/view/Global/NewImcHowTo
>
> While it's offline for a few days, have a look at an archive.org'ed copy.
> Start here and go to the most recent archived version:
> http://web.archive.org/web/%2A/http://docs.indymedia.org/view/Global/NewImcHowTo
>
>
> If the server is down, you'll need to use archive.org for each of the
> individually linked pages, e.g. the PrinciplesOfUnityEs and
> MembershipCriteriaEs pages.
>
> It would be best if someone spanish-speaking (not me) could be a new-imc
> helper for you. i really suggest you ask for help at imc-latina (in
> spanish!) - i haven't participated there, but there are imc's in
> virtually every
> south american country and a few central american countries.
>
>> here is me and my friends from Havana waiting for your response
>
> There's no need to wait for anything. If you (the collective) are
> self-organised, you just have to sit down and write your responses to the
> questions, check if you have already done the suggested organising,
> write that up, send it to new-imc, and by the time that's done -
> typically it takes a few months for people to sit down and discuss and
> consense on stuff - the proposal can be sent to imc-process to see if
> any existing local imc has any objections or concerns. Normally by the
> time a proposal gets sent to imc-process, there has been enough
> contact in the network and so on that there are no concerns.
>
> Actually, by the sounds of it, you already have answers to many of
> the questions already answered, so it's just a matter of sitting down
> together face-to-face (since most of you are in Habanas i guess you
> meet face-to-face, with the appropriate security considerations),
> discussing, consensing and writing down your answers.
>
>
>> Mark Covell 'Sky' Indymedia London
>>
>>  
>>
>> Hi, Sky!
>>
>> Here it goes. First, answering your questions:
>>
>> Media licences ? theoretically, internet publishing is not regulated
>> by the Cuban law; but they reserve the right of limiting access from
>> Cuba to ?conflictive? sites. Theoretically (as well), serial
>> publishing spaces (including web, etc.) can get a licence (actually,
>> inscription in 2 registers) from competent Cuban authorities
>> (Registro nacional de las publicaciones seriadas, and Cuban ISSN
>> agency);
>> this turns them into ?official? publications. But to get such
>> licences you must be supported or managed by an official Cuban
>> institution.
>> Theoretically (again!) a Cuban indymedia could receive a licence if
>> it becomes associated with a Cuban institution (like Asociacion
>> Hermanos Saíz ? an official organization of young intellectuals) ?
>> but this would critically affect the actual independence of the
>> collective. In fact, many blogs and web projects (including serial
>> ones) operate without any registrations. This would be, in our
>> collective´s opinion, the correct option for us.
>
> i don't imagine any collective in the network would interfere in imc
> habanas'
> decision either to ask for a licence or not. My guess is people might
> recommend against it, but it's really only the local cubans who can
> judge.
>
>> Reporting, filming and surveying licences ? foreign reporters have
>> Cuban government-issued accreditation cards; if they are not
>> accredited, they can be deported. Cuban reporters, journalists and
>> other press personnel have analogous cards, issued by official media
>> institutions; also, they usually hold the membership card of the
>> Cuban Union of Journalists (UPEC). But, again, most of the bloggers and
>> amateur reporters do not have either. The point is about maintaining
>> discretion. To make sociological surveys (polls) a letter of
>> authorization emitted by the Ideological Department of the Central
>> Committee of the Communist Party of Cuba is needed. Many students do
>> this kind of research actions without such a letter, but they may
>> have problems with the police. The discretion point applies again.
>> Letters from Cuban scientific or cultural institutions may also be of
>> great help (we can arrange them for ourselves). Filming may be
>> conflictive, especially in Havana; a municipal executive decision
>> applies, which provides for the need of a special permit from Havana
>> authorities or the Cuban Institutes of Cinema (ICAIC) or of Radio and
>> Television (ICRT). Interviewing may also result suspicious, in
>> specific surroundings. However, we have in favour the fact that
>> nowadays many Cubans are studying Social sciences at University levels
>> (this is a massive phenomenon, due to the spread of community
>> colleges), and they are required to do such surveys, interviews and
>> sometimes even filming. The point about the usefulness of Cultural
>> institutions´ letters applies as well.
>>
>> Radio broadcasting licences ? available only to official media and to
>> the members of the official Cuban Federation of Radio-amateurs.
>> Currently, we do not have access to it, and should investigate how it
>> goes. But obviously government ? controlled, and sometimes even
>> used by the Army ? e.g. during natural disasters. They can detect any
>> illegal station.      
>>
>> Functioning as a collective in Cuba and dealing with the Govt ? We
>> prefer acting anonymously, using pseudonyms. We would like to maintain
>> clear goals and a mission statement (see infra), but strongly prefer
>> maximum confidentiality. In our situation, it is the only warranty
>> of independence. In case of negotiation, we will flag our
>> anti-imperialist left-wing commitment, and seek support of the
>> organizations of
>> which we are members. The negotiation is possible, but not
>> recommendable at the initial phase of the growth of Cuban indymedia.
>> We will
>> rely on alternative spaces and collective, and we strongly prefer to
>> begin acting with an underground status. I wish you & friends will
>> understand us well.  
>
> i can't believe anyone in the network would object.
>
>> Regarding the contact names, etc. ? I wish you´ll understand that we
>> prefer remaining anonymous. Nonetheless, if a ?real? name is needed,
>> you can use mine. The pseudonym to be used if real name not needed
>> will be Israel Ascazo.
>
> Of course we do not need a real name. This is indymedia, not The
> Government.
>
>
>> You could learn that internet connection in Cuba is fluctuant. We
>> will try to solve it ?with a little help from our friends? here. But
>> hiring a 10-hour-per-month connection is a luxury allowed just to
>> foreigners, and it currently costs about $17 USD (per month). We could
>> find the foreigner who could help us with the connection, but
>> definitely we cannot afford it ($10 USD is approximately equivalent
>> to my
>> monthly salary as a University professor). We will be grateful for
>> any help regarding this; otherwise, we will stay wired using the
>> available institutional networks, but sometimes they are not secure.
>>
>> One last thing: we will be grateful if you could help us with some
>> encryption software. I was told that gpg could be good. We will have
>> the need of using such resources to send the information over the
>> indy network. We already have a counter-part in Europe who could be in
>> charge of uploading the stuff.
>
> gpg is certainly one good step on the way. Ask on imc-tech at
> lists.i.o or #tech if you have no idea how to get started on learning
> about a tech
> subject like gpg (hint: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/<subject>  or install the
> package on a gnu/linux machine and do one or more of
>
> info <program> man <program>
> <program> --help
> ls -l /usr/share/doc/<program>/*
> zless /usr/share/doc/<program>/README
> ).
>
> If you use institutional networks/computers, then you might find
> live cd's like knoppix very useful:
>
> http://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/knoppix
>
> Since windows machines are constantly being turned off/on, you can
> boot up a windows machine with a knoppix CD, your operating system
> will exist only temporarily in RAM (live memory), you can then use
>
> * https://
> * TOR
> * gpg for emails e.g. through riseup (or other safe servers, not gmail!)
>
> and after you shut down the computer, there will be essentially no
> trace, if you did things properly. However, i don't know if you can
> maintain a server while retaining anonymity. Also, take this advice
> here as just a hint: read up much more thoroughly (e.g. on
> docs.indymedia.org
> and in the relevant tech pages and wikipedia pages) to understand
> yourselves rather than just believing my suggestions. Anyway, back
> to new imc organising:
>
>
> Once the docs.indymedia.org returns to its normal state, please read
> through the documentation there. Most is in English, especially tech
> stuff, but if you browse through the tech sections (even use google if
> necessary, e.g. keywords: <word-you-want> site:docs.indymedia.org )
> you'll find lots of stuff.  Some stuff is in espagnol.
>
> There really is a HUGE amount of high quality info there - though of
> course,
> a lot may be out of date or written chaotically.  It's a wiki.
>
>
>> Proposed IMC Name (required): habanas.indymedia.org
>>
>> Proposed Indymedia URL (required): habanas.indymedia.org
>>
>> Current URL (if any): none
>>
>> City: Havana
>>
>> State/Province: Ciudad de La Habana (City of Havana) and La Habana
>> (Havana)
>>
>> Country: Cuba
>>
>> Contact name (required): Israel Ascazo (if a real name is needed,
>> then XXXX)
>
> Don't repeat your real name to new-imc! Our list is publicly archived.
>
>
>> email (required): iascazo gmail.com; Israel.ascazo gmail.com
>>
>> phone: none
>>
>> Webmaster-contact name (if different from above) same
>>
>> email same
>>
>> phone: none
>>
>> Are you:
>>
>> Regionally focused? yes
>>
>> Issue focused? no
>>
>> Events focus? yes
>>
>> are you working with any support groups? no
>>
>> Please write an introductory statement about why you want to
>> participate in the Indymedia Network.
>>
>> We are eager to create an information network with an
>> anti-authoritarian, anti-capitalist focus, to share the local news
>> and viewpoints
>> about the Cuban events from our bases in Ciudad de La Habana and La
>> Habana (although this does not mean that we will refrain from
>> providing information about events occurring in the other Cuban
>> territories; however, we would like to stress that our perspective is
>> mediated by the fact that we live in the Cuban capital and its
>> hinterland: so we emphatically abstain from claiming any ?exclusive?
>> rights of representing all the Cuban archipelago over the indymedia
>> network ?that?s why habanas.indymedia.org instead of
>> cuba.indimedia.org-; once acknowledged this initial bias, we would
>> strongly support the cooperation with activists from and the creation
>> of new IMCs in other Cuban locations).
>
> Cool. :)
>
>
>> We want to end the informative vacuum about many of the important
>> issues and events taking place in our country, generated by the fact
>> that the mainstream media infrastructures are dominated by state and
>> market forces. Our autonomous effort will provide the possibility of
>> sharing with the worldwide publics a huge set of news and opinions
>> that otherwise would be de-contextualized, misunderstood, excluded or
>> censored. 
>>
>> We would like to promote an honest image of our country, clarifying
>> the complexities and the contradictions of the current Cuban society.
>> Such an image, in our opinion, would de-idolize the international
>> solidarity with the Cuban people, giving a global participatory
>> platform for the Cubans themselves to deal with their issues and
>> express their thoughts, feelings and opinions. 
>>
>>    
>> What kind of resources can you contribute, in terms of
>> server/bandwidth/technical and organizing skills?
>>
>> none
>>
>> What kind of outreach have you done to bring together a diverse group
>> of people?
>>
>> The team of habanas.indymedia.org will be initially constituted by 6
>> persons (3 females, 3 males, in their 30-40ies). We share a set of
>> basic political and living experiences, including those of the
>> cataclysmic changes occurred during the ´90s, and the emergence of new
>> cultural practices. Since that time, we have got involved in various
>> social projects and proposals. We belong to different ethnic,
>> cultural, ?racial?, territorial and professional backgrounds;
>> although all of us share proletarian origins and have university degrees
>> (in law, economics, natural and social sciences), our everyday
>> environments are different as well: 4 are state employees (a common case
>> in Cuba), 1 self-employed, 1 part-time worker; we all live in
>> different zones of the Cuban capital and its surroundings (both urban
>> and
>> rural territories).  
>>
>> We share a basic political consensus, i.e. opposition to all the
>> imperialist and/or totalitarian politics, libertarian scepticism towards
>> state and corporate institutions, respect of the dignity of the human
>> person, of human diversity, of the rights to the satisfaction of
>> the basic needs, to the freedoms of belief, thought, opinion,
>> expression and self-organization. We love culture and spirituality, both
>> for their intrinsic values and for their significance in the creation
>> / expression / humanisation of the socio-political meanings and
>> mutual support networks.
>>
>> We believe in social autonomy and in democratic, non-hierarchical
>> decision-making after a transparent discussion of all the relevant
>> issues. Our core-group shares 12 years of enthusiastic, committed
>> alternative left-wing political efforts. We have been friends for a
>> long time, and enjoy practicing solidarity towards each other and to
>> the rest of the world.
>>
>>
>> How does the makeup of your collective reflect the diversity of the
>> local community (e.g. in realtion to gender-, sexual-, spiritual-,
>> and/or cultural-identity)?
>>
>> The collective is diverse in relation to: gender-/sexual-identity (3
>> females, 3 males); ?racial?-/ethnic-identity (2 negras, 1 mulata, 1
>> mulato, 2 ?asiáticos? (i.e. 1 Chinese-Cuban, 1 Slavic-Cuban): we use
>> the Cuban folk terms for ?race? and ethnicity; all these groups are
>> underrepresented in mainstream society); spiritual-/cultural-identity
>> (1 believer in universal energy; 1 cosmist; 1 atheist; 1 Orthodox
>> Christian; 1 non-homosexual-non-bisexual agnostic; 1 Afro-Cuban
>> believer). Mostly brain-proletariat, artisans, informal sector
>> (door-to-door selling) and underemployed workers, all with quite
>> diverse work-experiences. 
>>
>>  
>>
>>
>>
>> If your group currently does not represent the diversity of the local
>> community, particularly in relation to groups who are
>> underrepresented in mainstream society and denied access to vehicles
>> of expression, what steps will be taken to address this on an
>> ongoing basis?
>>
>> -We will create spaces of network visibility (by means of event
>> reports, opinions, surveys, coordinative networking) for the groups not
>> having access to mainstream media, thus countering both the internal
>> colonialism in Cuba and the global media asymmetry
>>
>> -We will promote the political debate and intellectual growth among
>> those groups (by means of news comments, event promotions,
>> involvement with existing non-mainstream spaces)
>>
>> -Thus, underrepresented Cuban groups will feel attracted towards
>> habanas.indymedia.org
>>
>> -We will then promote both the inclusion of new committed activists
>> in our collective, and eventually the development of new IMCs (in
>> other regions of the country, as well as issue-focused ?e.g. for
>> ethnic-, cultural- or gender-issue-based groups, event-focused teams,
>> etc.)
>>
>>
>> What steps will be taken to involve individuals in workfields new to
>> them? What measures will be taken to overcome a gendered work
>> division?
>>
>> Nowadays we have a 50%-50% gender proportion. We will work towards
>> keeping the gender bias minimized in the future. An increase of the
>> number of volunteers could result from the monitoring of the existing
>> and emerging non-mainstream social spaces, with particular emphasis
>> on committed persons having some useful skills (like previous
>> experiences as journalists, reporters, writers, researchers, promoters,
>> artists, involvement in cultural actions, overall creativity and
>> fresh views on the Cuban and international political fields) and
>> emancipatory political militancy. In any case, we will contact the
>> people on strictly confidential, voluntary and equalitarian basis.
>> Additionally, we will study the contemporary radical gender theories,
>> in order to critically implement a coherent policy.
>>
>
>
>
> horizontalidad,
> boud (just one new-imc volunteer)
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
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