Seeds of conviviality
Dreams of tangible utopia, old farms and new shelters, fields and woods, international daily activism spread by a rebel self constructed radio station.
Thanks to: Johann, Lucia, Alex, Nick, Julia, Bertrand, Valentina, Francesco, Silvia and all the collective
Recorded in: Longo maï
LONG STORY SHORT
In Longo maï, even on the cold February mornings, which dust white dusting tools and stones and frosting noses as well as the branches of the great Linden tree, guardian of the Pigionnier, the old pigeon house, where we have been staying, there is a lot going on. There are always many things to do, and it is tempting to stay warm, to never stop spreading purple-colored wild Cornish jam on slices of warm cereal bread, while reading updates from the archipelag, the other coperatives scattered across Europe.
Johann, here for 20 years or so, invites us to follow him, freeing the way through rustling paths and old mule tracks. As we walk, the strong correspondence between intentions and actions of the community begins to reveal itself. The link with the rest of humanity, relied on the active voice of Radio Zinzine and the many publications, becomes concrete and shifts from connection to the land, to a solid agricultural organization.
Whether they are involved in transhumance, herbalism, cooking or construction, each worker or laborer tries, not without effort, to define themselves in their relationship with others and with the environment, thanks to the specific tools they choose to use. AIl longomaians are not interested in tending their beautiful Provençal garden, they want to offer practical directions, alternatives to working and social life in the city. There are many political, systemic and economic issues that are driving away with us, toward the border with Spain, but perhaps it reassures us to have understood, that moving from productivity to conviviality means substituting a technical value for an ethical value.