The Night of Museums

During the Night of Museums Zöfi had a stand in the Széchényi National Library at the Buda castle. It mainly focused on promoting the "Budapest Korzo" project and carless weekends in some parts of Budapest. Every visitor could check their knowledge on the bicycle parts (in Hungarian) which turned to be quite difficult a task. Winner got the sticker "One car less" to stick on their bicycles. Kids helped us paint the "Budapest korzo" logo and all the BP inhabitants could contribute to the "BP of our dreams map" and indicate on the city plan what districts and parts should be changed (i.e. more bike routes etc). In the end we had a nice spider net on it.

Baobab Climate Change tour in Central Europe

Marta: over 1000 km by bike through Poland, from Cracow to Gdansk is the polish part of the Central European Tour of 'Baobab' - 5,5m high interactive installation.The installation holds an interactive element intertwining with a message on the importance of personal responsibility and the strength of a joint effort: 5 people are needed surround the tree at once placing their hands over the slits/wounds of the trunk, to revive the wilted branches. Similarly we need a common action to solve climate crisis.

The main goal of this tour/campaign is to raise awareness on climate change in Central Europe and highlight the importance of personal responsibility. It also signals the importance of the upcoming United Nations climate change conference this December, where world leaders are scheduled to sign a new agreement to tackle this issue. The decisions made there will determine much of our world’s chances at avoiding the potential for climate catastrophe, including rising sea levels, increased heat waves, droughts, floods, and millions climate refugees. There is also the opportunity for a treaty that will lead the world towards a more safe, just, and sustainable future.

Number 350 written on the trunk is the number that leading scientists say is the safe upper limit for carbon dioxide – measured in “Parts Per Million” in our atmosphere. 350 PPM – it’s the number humanity needs to get back to as soon as possible to avoid runaway climate change.

Baobab has already visited Czech Republic in June, soon is going to Poland, in August will be at Sziget festival and in September in Slovakia.

Polish tour is coordinated by Marta. The team who will travel through Poland by bike will consist of 6 people (2 Hungarians, 1 French, 1 Serbian, 2 Poles). The tour is organised with a polish NGO - Polska Zielona Sieć who are going to raft from Cracow to Gdansk by raft through the Vistula.
Both rafting and biking teams will meet in 5 cities to organize happenings on climate change. Dates are as follows:

July 10, 2009 - Kraków, - the Vistula riverbank close to the Wawel castle;

July 18, 2009 - Kazimierz Dolny - the Vistula riverbank;

July 24, 2009 - Warszawa - Czerniakowski harbour;

August 01, 2009 - Toruń - Philadelphia Boulevard;

August 08, 2009 - Gdańsk - close to the green bridge;

We are hoping to get as much of media coverage as possible. Thus, we will also invite people to bike with us in some parts of the route. If you happen to be in Poland that time please feel invited to visit us and share the news with your friends!

More about the campaign can be found here: http://www.messzelato.hu/baobab

Human Rights' Tasters Academy, Salföld 12-14.06.2009

What are Human Rights for? Do I realize my rights and am I willing to treat other people with dignity? When I browse through the menu of Human Rights can I afford all the dishes? Do I have enough strength and knowledge to equal them? How much does one dish cost? Are they tasty? Can I have a bite of it, please?

14 people from 7 countries (France, Hungary, Germany, United States, Italy, Spain, Poland) gathered in a small village Salföld near lake Balaton to talk about Human Rights including Amanda -as a participant and Marta - as an organiser. We had great time in our little camp in one hungarian family's garden and some brave individuals had even enough courage to swim in Balaton:)

Training was organized with the help of Utilapu Halozat – SCI Hungary www.utilapu.org together with its volunteer Bogi - who is coordinating the Peace Messengers project in this hungarian brach of Service Civil International.

Living Library at Magdi festival 16.05.2009

Marta: The Living Library project I realised with Orsi and Tünde we can call a real success!
It took place during the Magdi festival on 16/05/2009 between 2-6pm. The methodology of the Living Library was taken from the Living Library Network Association (www.living-library.org) with their acceptance and blessing. We could use legally their logo and all the materials provided on their website. The most difficult part of the project was looking for living books, but eventually, mostly due to personal contacts and huge work of Orsi and Tünde, we managed to have 5 books: feminist, lesbian, ex-priest, ex-druggie and refugee from Afghanistan. It was even more rewarding when it turned out that most of them speak English or French so we could read the books in foreign languages as well. There were more than 20 readings and all the books were borrowed almost all the time!

Living library is a tool to fight prejudice and promote tolerance. It is a unique chance to talk to people we usually do not have a chance to talk and ask them things we have always wanted to ask but never got the chance!

I want to thank all the people who sacrificed their time and heart to this project:Moni for letting me do it; Orsi, Tunde and Ida for finding the books; books and volunteers for arranging the place; Pawel for fixing the copying machine, Amanda and books for hanging the posters; Tunde and Pawel for artistic help in painting the banner; Rony from UK for help and support in my questions; readers for their respect for diversity and simply for coming there and of course books for having courage to talk about their lives. Without you it wouldn't have worked!

Critical Mass Budapest 19.04.2009

It is said it is the biggest Critical Mass in this part of Europe. It was really amazing to see all these people biking in places usually reserved for cars! That day bikes ruled in Budapest!

Anti-GMO demonstration - march 2009, in front of Csech embassy

We only planned to go and see how a real demonstration in Budapest looks like. But shortly after we had arrived we were ask to actively participate;) That's the way it works when you happen to know some Greenpeace activists:) Actually it turned out we had known almost all of the organisers. So there we were - wearing too big t-shirts with some letters attached and fighting for a hungarian cause! Afterwards it turned out that the protest was successful, so if you do not have to eat GMO food in Hungary - bear in mind is thanks to us:)

Movement Workskop in Kesztyűgyár Közösségi Ház

Every week, on Wednesdays we had a chance to participate in a movement workshop for Roma kids in Kesztyűgyár Közösségi Ház in the 8th district of Budapest. It was a really difficult task because kids sometimes were very aggressive and just wanted to fight between each other. Nevertheless, there were weeks when it was really cool, like the day those pictures were taken.