a hundred stone pages for the 21st century strenghtening a global network of places and organisations involved in citizen initiatives and social leaders’ training

from web pages to stone pages

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istorically, citizen, social and human rights movements have made essential contributions to the development of our societies in bringing about a more civilized world. In the last decade, among others, such movements have included human rights movements such as Amnesty International or the leagues for human rights, the movements engaged against apartheid and involved in national reconciliation in Southern Africa, indigenous movements in Latin America, ecological and peasant movements stgruggling to protect genetic ressources in India, citizen movements in countries of Eastern and central Europe, social movements against deregulation in Europe and South Korea, the movements organized against the

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All of these movements, and many others, played and are playing a crucial role in the changes underway at global level, aiming to defend and promote human rights, to elaborate new forms of citizenship in our societies, to protect environment and natural ressources today and for the coming generations. Those movements sometimes have an international dimension. More often, they operate at national level, but have an international impact through the convergence of values, visions, revendications and propositions which they both formulate and promote.

Humankind facing new challenges

n the threshhold of this new millenium, humankind is facing new challenges. The technological revolution has fundamentally undermined traditional modes of producing, communication, trading, eating and living. In this process of globalization, states and governments are less than ever in a position to solve arising contradictions and address new challenges. Throughout the planet, citizens refuse to accept a

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current World Trade Organisation and neo-liberal globalization, gathered in Seattle in December 1999, and so on...

world governed only by the rules of the market, or to submit to the power of international companies, which often impose their vews and interests to public bodies. The new challenges and difficulties facing humanity today, as well as their unprecedented level of complexity, require new forms of social and citizen participation, at local, national and global level.

The essential contribution of citizen movements for the entering century

his requires in particular that social and citizen movements be in a position to contribute to the emergence of a more equitable and responsible world, through their capacity of resistence, their actions and activism, their analysis, their collective intelligence, their experience and their propositions. In a world increasingly interdependant and interrelated through highly sophisticated communication means, it is predictible that in the near future, a growing number of movements will be created and will develop in a large variety of forms. All social movements may not promote citizen values, principles of solidarity or responsibility towards the environment. But we all know how important it is to enhance the value of social movements bearing “ positive values ” in one given society ; and we are all aware of the crucial role which

processes of exchange and mutual learning can play in strengthening such movements and in increasing their impact on their societies. It is highly predictible that , during the 21st century, such movements will show resistance or refusal to submit to different kinds of powers which will attempt to establish their hegemony locally and globally. They are likely to promote alternative ideas or propositions contributing to identify new ways for the development of human societies. At global level, such social and citizen movements, in their diversity, but also in their virtual unity, are likely to generate new sense of meaning for humanity, for the new century and for the new millennium. This is why we want to promote and celebrate such citizen dynamics, so that they will be in adequate conditions to fully play their role, to project themselves and their creativity into the 21st century.

Promote these movements, facilitate exchange at global level, contribute to strengthen a process of mutual learning

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he ultimate objective of the whole project presented hereafter is to promote such movements, the values they represent and struggle for, and the individual actors behind them. In the present society, determined by the rules of market and a sensationnalist understanding of information, the dimension of social movements is often reduced to a handful of images circulated by the media, and merely reflecting one particular violent or spectacular aspect of their action. Very little is said or transmitted about their fundamental opinions, their history and their mode of action and their capacity to positively transform society. This is the reason why we want to initiate several complementary activities in relation with such movements, in order to inscribe promote and make known their contribution in the construction of this new century. Thus, these movements face a major risk of being ignored or underestimated . The reasons are that they are financially weak, geographically scattered throughout the planet, embedded in diverse cultural and social realities; also because they lack the adequate means to enhance the value of their own history, their assests, their accomplishments, the principles they have fought and are still fighting for ; and finally because they often lack the possibility to take the necessary distance to properly appreciate their own limitations and possible distortions. In regard of their diversity, wich is simultaneously their strength and their weakness, it is essential to create occasions to reinforce unity and cooperation, to strengthen poles of

initiative, exchange, training and mutual learning among them. We are also convinced that it is highly important to materialize the creative and historical dimension of such social and citizen movements, through cultural realizations of different kinds. It is essential to symbolically assess that these movements form an integral part of the cultural and historical patrimony of mankind in general, and of our civilization more specifically. For all these reasons, we want to write on stone pages, during one century, the history of the most significant and the most “ civilizing ” of these movements. And we want, simultaneously, to contribute to the creation of a network of exchange among poles of citizen experiences and initiatives providing training for social leaders throughout the world. We want to make accessible for large audiences today and tomorrow the history and the reality of these movements, so that each individual may inspire from this global patrimony. In the same process, we want, through this network, to strengthen the dynamic of mutual learning and of training for social leaders, through the publication, at global level, and in several languages, of multi-media information about these movements, including among other things: 1) a collection of books, with a rich ichonography on such movements; 2) a collection of video cassettes focusing on these movements, such as the one produced on the Larzac movement, in the South of France (1971-1981); 3) a collection of CD-ROM to celebrate the vitality of such movements; 4) use the Internet as a tool for exchange, networking and communication.

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From web pages to stone pages

uring many centuries, the history of the world was mainly written on stones. Stone walls is where the writings of major civilizations were born. This is the reason why we propose, symbolically connecting the past and the future, to create a monumental stone book, on which, during the hundred years to come, the history of these social movements will be written. We intend to erect a book made out of fifty huge granite pages. These pages will be placed in such a way that they will form the shape of a star. The book will be composed of granite pages (5,50 meters high) donated by different countries of the world. This monumental sculpture will be erected in a place chosen for its symbolical reach. Two initial stone pages will be erected

at the very beginning of the project, similar to those which can be visited in the Gutemberg High School, Créteil, France. They will bear inscriptions in ten different languages and writings of the world, summerizing the purpose of this initiative. The inscriptions engraved on the stone pages will also be circulated on line, on a site launched by this project and linked to other sites at international level. This Web site will be constructed as a virtual version of the stone pages by giving access to informations about the various movements and on the places of citizen initiatives and social leaders’ training throughout the world, and it will permit international dialogue and participation to the stone pages project.

The expression and the projection, within the 21st century, of a hundred cultures of the world

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n order to avoid displaying empty pages at the time where the project will be launched, and in order to encourage an essential expression of the world’s cultural diversity, we propose to write, on the bottom of each of the hundred stone pages composing the book, a quotation reflecting at best the aspiration of these hundred cultures for the coming century.

Engraved stone pages every fourth year

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very fourth year (or every second year : the adequate periodicity will be determined in order to avoid repetitivity), a committee of eminent personnalities and respected citizens, recognized for their actions and for the values they promote, will select the four movements which have been most

significant during the past four years, and which will be promoted in the four years to come. Four additionnal pages will be engraved to promote the struggles and accomplishments of each of these particular movements. The committee will also decide on the language to use on the stone pages.

Local artistic creations to link the stone pages with such movements

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n the countries where the selected movements are based, or in symbolically significant places in regard of an international movement, a determined artistic creation will be produced and will represent a link with the text engraved on the 21st century stone book.

Citizens and citizen movements expressing themselves freely through engraved stones

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itizens visiting the sites where the stone book will be erected will be offered the possibility to carve (or to have carved) stones of lesser dimension displayed on both sides of the footpath leading to the stone book. A more varied and more spontanious collection of engraved stone pages will thus be produced throughout the century. A flexible protocol will be determined to define the modalities and basic rules for using these additionnal stones as medium for free expression. This protocol, alike the other elements involved in the management of the site where the stone book will be erected, is likely to evolve throughout the century.

A place for citizen and intercultural promotion

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he place chosen to erect the stone book will integrate a dimension of promotion of citizen and intercultural movements throughout the world. Exhibitions, books about such movements will be displayed, such as inter-cultural productions. Wherever its final location, this place will be connected, through the Internet, with other actors involved in training and promoting

social responsibility or citizen solidarity throughout the world, all of which are already involved in the project and engaged in day-to-day activism in their respective countries (which include Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay, Chile, Ecuador, Mexico, the United States, Cameroun, South-Africa, Senegal, Japan, India, Spain, Poland, Albany, Italy, France and others).

Carrying the project locally and internationnally

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t the end of June 2000, was created in Millau (France) the Association for the promotion, construction and circulation of the stone book for the 21st century. This non-lucrative organization was constituted when many citizen and social movements will gather and demonstrate to express their support to José Bové, militant of the peasants’ organisation Confédération Paysanne, sued for his participation to the symbolic dismantling of a MacDonald’s restaurant. The place to erect the stone pages will be chosen, among other reasons, reagrding the existence of a local movement able and willing to get strongly involved in this project and to manage it in a sustainable

way for their region or city at social, cultural, political and ecological levels. A group of organizations involved in citizen initiatives and training of social leaders have already expressed their desire to be involved in this project : APAL (Association for promotion of Larzac, France), Ibase (Brazil), IEE (Ecuador), IATP (USA), Center for Sustainable systems (USA), APM Africa, Peasant University for Africa , REDD (Switzerland), CER (Albany), RIAD (Latin America), Pueblo (Mexico), Forum Agricultures PECO, etc . They will soon explore the form in which their commitment to this project will be materialized, and how they will be involved in managing it once the project is effectively launched.

Creators : Pierre Vuarin and Eric Théret

Livre de pierres 21 c/o Pierre Vuarin 2 square Jean Falck 75010 Paris, France Tel: 33 (0)1 42 08 70 20 Fax: 33 (0)1 46 36 53 90 E-mail: [email protected]

ERIC THERET sculptor The images displayed in this booklet show Eric Théret’s work in the Gutemberg highschool in Créteil (France) in 1994.