"Water is life. Water is life!” Tear gas, screams and shouts. Officers trained to ignore questions, but their silence doesn’t reach their eyes. Pepper spray stinging lungs and skin. People weeping by the river side, faces pressed to the mud. This is the story Daniel told us. A story that matched the images that circled the web months ago, and we have probably all stumbled upon. The riots that took place at Standing Rock really happened, but they are but one of many realities that occurred simultaneously.
Daniel, who was confronted directly with these situations, was forced to ask himself questions he’d never thought he’d have to. He also spoke about the tension in the camp. So many different worlds meeting in one place. Anarchists, radical environmentalists, peace loving hippies. Middle class Americans wanting to help. All thrown together into one place. Cultures joined, trying to meet, clashing constantly. Yet all met around the fire, that burned bright through every day and night. People sat around it constantly, in silence, conversation or contemplation
DANIEL EVAEUS, GÈSAËL DROUIN- VIGNEAULT AND CALEB BUCHBINDER
"STANDING ROCK & DEFUND DAPL"
Gésaël shared another story with us. She expressed the emotions that drove her to Standing Rock in the first place, and they were ones that many in the audience experienced as well. Injustice, sadness, anger. But what she arrived to, did not align with what the media had spread. There in the village were no protests, or riot police. No clouds of gas or spray. Only smiling people, and Gésaël spent her first days on the sight cooking, organising, and contributing to community life. Gésaël also spoke about her meeting with a woman in North Dakota, and how the woman’s kind smile faded when Gésaël told her why she was there. “Do you realise we are losing money because of you?” she demanded, attitude changed and radiating coldness. The locals weren’t happy with the situation at all. These were sides of the DAPL situation many had not heard before.
“Set your life in fire and seek those who feed your flames“
-Caleb Buchbinder
Caleb spoke about the complexity of the world, and the complexity of the situation at Standing Rock. Being there was a raw, earthy, fiery experience, and speaking about it in a stuffy, pastel room in Sweden was a laughable contradiction. Standing Rock was the biggest gathering of indigenous tribes in living memory, all come together to stand together. The world is cracking, and what happens at Standing Rock is going to play a role in deciding the fate of life on Earth.
Europe is trembling. Colonialism went out into the world, and is now circling back to its origin. Refugees are at the shores, and they are not being let in. Climate change, climate change, we all know about it, but what the hell are we going to do? It’s all going crazy.
We’ve put these problems off, procrastinated the inevitable, but the time to act is now.
According to Caleb, there are three different paths the world will take. Firstly, we might maintain our status quo, and remain right where we are comfortable. Other than that, we may all become extremists, and “make the world great again!”. Or we can start it all anew. This option may be the most radical of all. It will take courage, and imagination, and dedication to bring it all together. Be uncomfortable, feel awkward, accept that life will be messy. Listen. You’re not guilty, but you are responsible. Take action, begin moving, and you’ll start to feel more whole. “Set your life on fire, and seek those who feed your flames.” The second-to-last lecture of the week was concluded with this passionate call to action, that brought the audience up to its feet and won’t soon be dismissed.