May 23, 6.30 pm
Films by and with Longo maï Kooperative Stopar near Eisenkappel/Železna Kapla
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«Kärnten, Kärnten über alles» (Longo Mai 1979)
«Zukunft säen – Vielfalt ernten. Saatgut bleibt Gemeingut. Ein Film für die Erhaltung der Nutzpflanzenvielfalt und Ernährungssouveränität» (2010)
In 1977 the Longo maï group founded a cooperative at the Hof Stopar farm near Eisenkappel/ Železna Kapla. The Austrian Longo Maï Cooperative (the international group was established in 1973), subtitled the Association for the Promotion of Resettlement of Mountain Regions, carried out a counter-movement to the building occupiers, moving from city to country in order to make itself autonomous from social and economic constraints by means of agriculture and self-sufficiency. One reason for choosing to settle in a very remote area has to do with the historical events in that region: chielfy the resistance of the Slovenes of Carinthia during the Nazi era. In addition to establishing autonomous agriculture and rebuilding the farm, the residents of Stopar were also frequently active on the sociopolitical front, whether advocating for bilingual schools in Carinthia, participating in the European Citizens’ Forum and in the alternative information network AIM during the Balkan wars, or distributing free, non-commercial local radios in Austria.
Afterwards discussion with Helmut Peissl, Heike Schiebeck and members of the cooperative
Helmut Peissl, Mag., born in 1961, freelance journalist and media educator, longstanding commitment to Free Media in Austria and Europe, currently director of the continuing education organization COMMIT. Has been living since 1981 in the Longo maï cooperative; his work focuses on multilingual radio programming, media and minorities, international networking of community media.
Heike Schiebeck born in 1959 in Bremen; living since 1979 at the mountain farm of Longo maï in Eisenkappel/ Železna Kapla. Master beekeeper and public educator on beekeeping; co-founder of the community Coppla Kaša – Association of Vellachtal Mountain Farmers/ Društvo gorskih kmetov doline Bele; degree from the Institute of Geography and Regional Studies at the University of Klagenfurt/Celovec; active in ÖBV – Via Campesina Austria and in the european campaign for seed initiative. Book author: «Gewitzt und beharrlich,» Drava Verlag 2004.