[ACE] A.C.E. Digest

[Autonomous Centre]

Hi Folks!
Happy 2008!

Well it's something for everyone in the ACE digest so read on but some of
the items are of especial interest if your a woman and/or queer (and it
ain't every day you can say that!)...

1) A.C.E. Cinema listings for January 20 th and 27th
Both screenings on Sunday at 3pm. Free/Donation followed by discussion.

2)Women's Caff starting up at ACE last Friday of every month starting
Friday 25th

3)Meeting to organise the setting up of an Edinburgh Solidarity Network at
ACE Tuesday 15th 7:30pm

4)Queer Mutiny 's first event! Friday 18th 7pm at the Forest Cafe

5)Amnesty International  are calling for protest against Guantanamo Bay
(details below) on 11 January meeting at 1pm at the US consulate.

6) Public Talk with civil rights lawyer Aemer Anwar on 11 january 7:30pm

7)ACE needs help fixing our computers (internet connection problem to do
with router? maybe??!)



Digest item no. 1)

Sunday 20th January 3pm at A.C.E.

Double Bill of Pura Vida (29 mins) (2002) dir. Jan
Nimmo
& Bonita: Ugly Bananas (2006) dir. Jan Nimmo
 Followed by question and answer session with director Jan Nimmo.

Jan Nimmo has been travelling and working in Latin
America for over 10 years. Initially she went to Costa
Rica to document musicians and artists but as she
became aware of the appalling working conditions for
many people she felt compelled to shift her focus.
Amongst other projects this has resulted in the making
of two films Pura Vida(29 mins)(2002)and Bonita:Ugly
Bananas.(2006)

 Pura Vida exposes the devastating effects that
agrochemicals used on Costa Rica's pineapple and
banana plantations have on workers, communities and
the environment. She worked with local trade unionist,
Carlos Arguedas and his union , SITRAP to make this
film.

 Bonita:Ugly Bananas documents events in Ecuador which
although it is the world's largest exporter of
bananas, pays workers the  lowest wages in the worst
conditions in the whole of Latin America. Ecuador's
biggest banana baron is Álvaro Noboa of Bonita Brands.
Noboa is the country's richest man and owns the
world's fourth largest banana company but his workers
were only paid $3.00 a day - less than the legal
minimum wage.
When Jan met workers who decided to organise and
strike to gain the most basic of labour rights she was
able to film the conditions within their plantation.
She then found herself witnessing a violent attack on
the peaceful occupation of a Bonita banana plantation
called Los Alamos.
Jan worked in collaboration with FENACLE to gather the
material for this film.

 Sunday 27th January at 3pm at A.C.E.

Incident at Ogala : the Leonard Peltier Story (1998)
(90 mins) Dir. Michael Apted (narrated and produced by
Robert Redford) A highly informative documentary that
traces the unjust incarceration of American Indian
Movement member Leonard Peltier. It contains a wide
range of interviews including FBI officers presenting
their version of the truth, jury members, reservation
residents, A.I.M. members, lawyers and witnesses
originally pressurised to give false testimony. Offers
insight into the injustice against which American
Indians in U.S.A. and Canada contend and the wisdom
and integrity with which they do so.

Digest Item no. 2)

Hi,

Coming out of various conversations between some of us
is the thought to do a womens' cafe (women only/trans
friendly) once a month at ACE. And to make it the last
friday of the month. Starting on January 25th. Food
ready for 7PM. To have a space to meet up and eat
together (with or without spoken word or films etc...
whatever everyone thinks...) and to create better
links for any possible ideas or projects that might
want to happen.

A women's caff called WANC (Woman Anarchist Nuisance
Cafe) happens monthly in London. They've got a website
if you want to look at what they are up to. The idea
up here was to have a space shaped by and for
solidarity around similar DIY/ autonomous/ anarchist/
feminist politics.

The idea is to rotate food buying/ skipping and
cooking every month. If anyone wants to help for this
one get in touch. I think (but I'll check) that if
whoever is cooking can't individually afford outlay
for costs and then get them back in the evening, then
it might be possible to borrow a little bit of money
from the food co-op housed at ACE and return it from
donations made for the food. I guess if we actually
happen to make any money it can go into a womens caff
kitty and go towards the next month...

Please forward to anyone who might be interested.

ACE (The Autonomous Centre of Edinburgh) is at 17 West
Montgomery Place. Edinburgh EH7 5HA. 0131 557 6242.
www.autonomous.org.uk
The easiest way to get there from the city centre is
to come down Leith Walk and turn right into Brunswick
Street. ACE is a white building on the corner of
Brunswick Street and West Montgomery Place. Diagonally
opposite the big Royal Mail sorting office.

Digest Item no.3)

As many of you know Edinburgh Claimants have for some time been working on
setting up a Solidarity Network phone tree, whereby there would be a group
of people willing to turn up to show support/ take action to back
up people in conflict with the authorities. This
could be at a dole office, a workplace, a landlords office, at the home of
someone menaced
by sheriff officers, or whatever.
The Edinburgh branch of the IWW have agreed to
back the Solidarity Networks.

The next stage is to have a meeting of people
committed to the Solidarity Networks, to plan for a public launch early
this year - this is happening this coming Tuesday 15th 7:30 pm at ACE,
would be great if you could make it.

Digest Item no. 4)

www.queermutiny.tk
www.myspace.com/queermutiny (contains link to their webpage)

You are invited to our first event! It will be
on the 18th of January
at 7pm at The Forest Café (the upstairs hall)
3 Bristo Place

Find us

On the evening we will...

* Give out tasty food, for free
* Show the film Fremde Haut at 8pm
It is about a woman who is forced to flee Iran because of her sexuality
(really good film!)
* Listen to music
bring the music you want to hear!
* Dance like plonkers
Please leave your inhibitions at home :)

We'd also like to spend some time chatting, and finding out what everyone
would like from QueerMutiny.

Queer doesn't necessarily mean gay, or bi, it means that you consider your
sexuality different from that of the masses. So whatever your preference
please come along and have fun with us!

Please invite anyone you think may be interested, spread the word and get
in touch with us if you'd like to help out.

Digest item no. 5)

11 JAN, EDINBURGH: CLOSE GUANTANAMO. To mark the 6th anniversary Amnesty want
as many people as possible dressed up in Guantánamo-style orange boiler
suits,
kneeling down outside the United States' Consulate in Edinburgh. Followed
by a
parade along Princes Street towards the Mound and repeat of the action in the
open space beside the National Gallery. Meet 1pm US Consulate, 3 Regent
Terrace, Edinburgh EH7 5BW. 0131 313 7001 or scotland at amnesty.org.uk

Digest item no. 6)

11 JAN, EDINBURGH: DEFEND CIVIL LIBERTIES: SIX YEARS OF GUANTANAMO AND THE
'WAR
ON TERROR'. Public meeting with Aamer Anwar (human rights lawyer). 7.30pm,
Augustine Church, George 4th Bridge. Org. by Edinburgh STW:
edinburghstw at tiscali.co.uk or www.edinburghstw.org.uk

Digest item no. 7)

It's true we could use a hand... bit beyond the ken of all of us currently
involved... if you think you could have a go either phone 0131 476 5203
and leave a message or email us on ace at autonmous.org.uk.. Thanks

All the best A.C.E.


--
http://www.autonomous.org.uk