Why and what is it for?
Radical Herbalism? Radical descends from Radix, root. We want to look at healing and health from another angle, widen and deepen our comprehension. We want to go down to the roots: what forms our understanding of health, our perception, our behavior of thinking and acting? In „our“ patriachal system of values we are used to look at everything apart from each other: body and spirit, intellect and emotion. We want to (re-)learn to percieve the earth as a living organism, in which everything is connected.
We do believe that those connections make us take care of eachother from the bottom of our hearts, which can keep us from exploiting other beings and which can make us take up the necessary means to make lfe in all its ways possible and, if necessary, to defend it. So we do understand healing as a part of resistance and resistance as a part of healing.
What?
For one week we want to create room for exchange, questions and challenges, room for learning, trying out, making experiences, for reflecting, talking and to initiate processes, but also for making music, playing and drinking tea and to create room for practical healing. We want to take first steps towards a self-organized health-network to think of new ways aside of statutory health insurance and governmental „health“ systems.
Our motivation is based on three different, but for us connected, topics:
1. Knowledge about healing (adopting, cultivating, passing on)
2. Resistance (learning about, networking, dealing with and coming together)
3. Networking (self-organized, solidary, horizontal)
We want to learn practically and theoretically to empower us to heal ourselves.
We want to protect knowledge, to try out, to develop and to share.
We want to get in exchange about the meaning of health, at what point(s) patriarchy plays a role in it and where there are connections between our bodily perception and this capitalistic society we are living in.
We want to get to the bottom of our socialisation.
We want to link with ourselves, with you, our bodies, our spirits, our environment, other fights, groups, ideas and much more.
We want to network to be able to support each other on long(er) terms, to help each other, to get in exchange and become more autonomous.
These are all very big topics, so we want to share texts with thoughts and questions about it on our website (www.herbalism.blackblogs.org). It is meant to clearify what this is about and to give you the opportunity to estimate for yourself if you want to come to the camp and to answer first questions.
We are aware of the fact that there are many groups out there working with similar topics but are basing them on shortened critiques, conspiracy theories, oppression mechanisms etc. and who are not questioning structural suppression (e.g. racism). We want to distance ourselves from those groups or point of views! We want to deal with those movements in a critical way, looking at cultural appropriation, critical whiteness and (post-)colonialism. We want to name our own privileges and question them.
Infrastructure and Organization
At the camp there will be:
- camping areas (for families, WLTIQ* and a quiet one)
- parking area for live-in vehicles
- healingspace
- safetyspace
- herbal pharmacy
- tea and smoothiebar
- kidspace
- KüfA (kitchen for all, organic, regional, vegan)
- …
We try to keep the costs as low as possible and keep the whole camp on a donation level. If you already know that you can/ want to help with something, let us knww! :)
At the moment we cannot guess the favored financial donation, but you will find this information as soon as possible on our website. No money shouldn’t stop you from coming to the camp.
To make it possible for as many people as possible to join the gathering we want to try to redistribute the travel costs in a solidary way. If you can support us or need support, feel invited to contact us.
Registration
Because we have limited capacities, please register. Just send us a mail to
registration-herbalism@riseup.net or go to our website www.herbalism.blackblogs.org
Please include the following information:
- how many people will come
- how many kids are coming with you
- do you want to prepare something?
- do you need translation?
- do you have allergies or food intolerances?
- what else you might need?
It would be good, if you could leave your dogs at home. There will be small children and people afraid of dogs at the camp. In case you may not come because you don’t know who could sit your dog, please contact us and we will try to find a solution. Guide dogs are welcome!
We will try to create the camp as barrier-free as possible, this means:
- 1 barrier-free toilet on the ground floor in the Gasthof* + 1 barriere-free compost toilet
- bed-sleeping places in tents if needed
- translation to sign language
- main parts of the site are meadow
- it should be a alcohol- and nicotin-free space
There are beds available in the Gasthof*, dorm rooms (3×10 beds) and 5 smaller rooms with 1-3 beds. Depending on the needs, rooms can be declared as WomenLesbianTrans*InterQueer rooms and / or for people with higher need of quiet zones, back problems etc. Please let us know in your registration if you are in need of a bed / room.
There will be a space for arranging lifts/ car-shares at the website. If you have free places in your car or on your ticket please announce it.
We are just a small orga-crew and are happy if people are willing to help with (de-)construct the camp together. Please let us know, when you can help us. We plan to start on the 15th of july and at the 24th of july everything has to be gone.
Self-organization means: eveybody is shaping the gathering! We will try to make the orga-structures as transparent as possible, so that at each point it is possible to take over tasks.
If you are interested in participating or if you have ideas, just get in touch!
We are looking forward to it! :)
The Crew
PS: Check out the website for more detailed arrival-information.
Our adress: Gasthof Meuchefitz19, 29482 Küsten
WLTI*Q= Women Lesbian Trans Intersexual Queers and * for not-categorizing itselfs
Gasthof*= The Gasthof is a selforganized guesthouse and inn with some conference and sleeping rooms
