Daily programme consists of workshops, discussions, seminars, actions, excursions..Everything is organized by the participants them self. Various issues covered, political, environmental and cultural; from people talking about campaigns they are involved with, discussions about current topic.. to practical workshops where you can gain skills and get to know new techniques. There will be a special space for children, and creative games and activities in the nature will be organized for them..

Workshops and discussions are about different topics around activism, dissent, cross-border issues, xenophobia, migration, gender issues, globalization, GMOs, role of media, alternative living, sustainable agriculture, etc. Skill sharing workshops are usually related to alternative technologies, permaculture, DIY [do it yourself] techniques, developing and running campaigns, ecological issues, music, etc. Evening program consists of spontaneously organized and planned parties, screenings (showing documentaries, movies, animations, etc.)..

This year, lot of workshops will be about the main theme - art and activism, for example, samba-rhythm of resistance, street theatre, rebel clown army, media, print, video activism, creative writing, etc. See draft programme structure

The surroundings and the context in which Ecotopia takes place are always important as they give a special and original touch to it. For example, this year, local Slovakian products, nature surrounding the camp and ongoing local activities will contribute to the programme as participants will have chance to get to know the area and the community, take part in the local activities and learn a bit about the local culture.

As participants, you are invited to take part in creating the programme. Give a workshops, share your knowledge, skills, plans and concerns with others.

Few workshops are listed below / after daily schedule .

During the workshop, participants will get to know about the drumming activist network, learn drum techniques, practice rhythms, talk about marching tactic and consensus making in big groups and discuss difficulties which may appear in organizing samba bend and its activities. .

Rhythms of Resistance or just RoR is a network of percussion bands that play at demonstrations and direct actions. Since RoR London was formed in 2000, various sister-bands throughout Europe (and even the rest of the world) have been spawned, not always sharing the same name, but mostly the same ideology. The network includes bands in the UK, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, Italy, Mexico and since recently also bands in Bulgaria, Bosnia-Herzegovina, and most likely soon also bands in Poland and in the cities attended by the A&A Caravan.

The RoR-bands are often referred to as the 'samba-bands', yet this is an inadequate term since lots of instruments are taken from this Brazilian musical genre, but the rhythms take all forms. We consist of a fluid number of members from all walks of life. Our interest is in empowerment for ourselves and others and in maintaining the energy of solidarity and of creative action against the interwoven constructs of those who feel like they need to suppress and exploit the planet and mankind. Street carnival is the vital component of our protest and life and fun. Because all of the independent bands are playing the same rhythms, it is easy to catch up with each other when marching in one bloc to a demonstration. And we have done this in the past at several international meetings and protests.

Carnival as an experience brings into question, subverts and overturns the hierarchical dualities that shape our thinking under capitalism. These thought patterns structure our everyday lives and lock us into patterns of behaviour which value and privilege duty above pleasure, work over play, society over nature, male over female, straight over queer, white over black and above all, the power that abstract wealth or money over our directly experienced sense of our human needs and desires. In contrast a carnival is a fluid, plural and collective situation where no one viewpoint can lay claim to a monopoly on truth without laying itself open to the critics of mockery and merriment.

Carnival is a sensory feast, which allows us to the space to give expression to our dreams and desires. Within an insurgent carnival formation, a group of sambaistas can play a key tactical role. The rhythmical sound creates a mobile temporarily liberated space within which the carnival can coalesce. Speaking to people in a way more immediate than spoken words, It creates an immediate uplifting feeling, giving people the sense of self-confidence that will allow them to step off the pavement and into the street.

Bringing carnival into the realm of protest and changing how we demonstrate means that we are beginning to create our own spaces at protest. Including dancing, music and art as legitimate forms of expression in the way that we want to do it means that often we are able to create temporary autonomous zones when we govern ourselves even if only for short periods of time. Showing that we can self-organise is an extremely powerful way to display our strength.

Use your imaginations, connect and network, build instruments and costumes, learn our tunes, create new tunes and distribute them noisily through the world!!

See also the sites of
RoR London
RoR Berlin
RoR Sheffield

Visual and Theater Arts
Mischief Makers

- Ideas Generating
- Street Performance
- Costume Making
- Puppet/ Sculpture/ Carnival
- Banner /Flag making
- Mosaics
- Creative education workshops for adults and children
- Event Organisation
- Rehearsal

The concept of the Clandestine Insurgent Rebel Clown Army (CIRCA) was developed in 2002 in the UK, and has since spread to France, Germany, Holland, Belgium, Denmark, and New Zealand. Other Clown Army actions have almost certainly taken place in other areas of the globe, but have not been documented.

The idea behind the Clown Army, combines peaceful, radical direct action with the art of being a clown. A clown considers the world as a child, everything is new and a source of play and interest. The clown trainings aim to break down the blocks and barriers that have been built up inside of us all since birth, and enables us to act from the heart instead of from the book. One of the principal ideas behind CIRCA is that reform is necessary not only on the street but also in our heads... society is inside all of us. Clown trainings help us to recognize this, step beyond it and use social conditioning as an instrument for critique.

Writings: to look at for more on this concept are Boerl - Theatre of the Oppressed
Dario Fo, www.clownarmy.org

In practice, being a clown is a much more effective form of protest for a number of reasons.
1)the sheer absurdity of an army of clowns confuses and confounds authorities
2)the love, openness and joy that a clown possesses can break down barriers and unite people in laughter.
3)the clown army also diffuses tension between police and protesters
4)a clown communicates not just with words, but with play and gestures, a much better way of getting a message across that marching from A to B in a controlled and monitored demonstration.
5)watching an army of people whose social boundaries do not seem to exist any more can awaken a sense of longing and reflection in the viewer and forces him/her to consider their own behavior in a more critical way.
6)a clown is the wisest of all creatures as only s/he is allowed to speak to truth.
7)its much more fun to dress up and wear make-up at a demo or an action!!!!

About The Workshop:
The workshops giving will involve lots of games and role plays to loosen up and find the Clown. I will show videos of examples of Clown Actions that have taken place in the UK and in Germany, to give a little idea of what the clown army can look like in action. We will practice marching and drilling (it is an army after all!!) We will make costumes and collect weapons and armor (things like confetti, bubbles, feather dusters... ANYTHING can be a clown weapon!) We will finish the workshop in a small action on the streets, possibly combining it with the Samba band and other workshops.