Squats and camps sprung up on fields due for the rumble of the bulldozer in the early 2010s, and it came to be known as the Zone to Defend (zone à défendre, or Zad), inspiring dozens of other similar camps which have in some cases banded together into “back to the land” networks.
Next month will see a major gathering for the Zads in the form of a week-long camp at Nantes, the Intergalactic Week of Zad, building resources and establishing links between the disparate groups.
Organisers said the programme would be relatively open with a few broad themes, and would offer ample opportunity to learn and work on DIY projects:
Mornings will be dedicated to collective working opportunities, including the building of Ambazada, the Intergalactic cabin as well as collective work on various sites of the Zad (e.g., barn construction, carpentry, helping with collective crops, fence maintenance, collecting wood for the bakery, basket making…). Participants are asked to bring a tent, sleeping bag and a leash if you have a dog.
Running from August 17th-24th, logistics for the week only allow for 300 or so people, so interested campers should contact exclaimthezad@riseup.net ahead of time. Continue reading “The Intergalactic Week of Zad: August 17th-24th: Amazingly Occupied since 2010”