Together we (organizers / participants / guests) will create a temporary autonomous zone free from hierarchical forms of interaction and discrimination. The festival is organized by local activists, as well as participants from various horizontal initiatives, libertarian, left-oriented and anarchist communities in Russia and the post-Soviet area. During the festival we will co-create and establish new projects and connections, produce situational practices and knowledges, and exchange experiences as activists, artists and disciplinary researchers from different regions and countries.

Father Frost against Putin is a territory for the political imagination, creating and supporting alternative practices of coexisting - a way of thinking, speaking and acting in opposition to outdated cultural codes. A space for strategies and tactics of solidarity, synthesizing theoretical and practical approaches aimed at researching and transforming socio-political and cultural processes locally, while keeping global contexts in perspective.

The aim of the festival is Finding new contacts and supporting "invisible" project groups and initiatives, exchanging experiences, making acquaintances and networking on current projects. Strategic planning.

Joint project activities. Invention and dissemination of alternative infrastructures and interaction algorithms within self-organized communities and nomadic associations. Active participants are representatives of self-organized communities from Russia and the CIS countries, local projects and participants from other countries: activists, artists, representatives of trans / queer / lgbt communities, feminist initiatives / intersectional / cyber / xeno / left feminist movements, decolonial trends, participants of anarchist communities, independent media, representatives of human rights organizations and NGOs. Also - ecologists, philosophers, sociologists, political scientists, practitioners and theorists of contemporary art, critical theory, whose contour of interests lay in participatory projects and alliances.

All information about the festival program will be publicly available.

Dinner will be free for guests from abroad. We offer a vegan only menu in order to make our cuisine accessible to everyone.

The festival program will be held in Russian or English. If needed, they will be translated between English and Russian.

Overnight accommodation will only be provided for the first 40-50 participants who register for the festival (form to be sent via e-mail available below). The rest will have to book accommodation on their own. Only send the form if you need help with accommodation.

Festival will be organised in two locations, Oranssi and Ulrika. Address of Oranssi is Kaasutehtaankatu 1, rakennus 11. It is in a walking distance from metro stations Sörnäinen and Kalasatama.

All festival discussions and workshops will be in Oranssi.

In Saturday evening, there will be afterparty in Ulrika, Leppäsuonkatu 11. Ulrika is located in the basement of Domus Gaudium, and closest metro station is Kamppi.

Both spaces are wheelchair accessible.

Preliminary program

There is free space in program for few workshops and discussions, contact us via e-mail dedmoroz@riseup.net if you would like to participate!

Friday 6th of January

2PM – 4PM Anti-war movement – which way forward?

Russian anti-war movement has organised an unprecedented amount of demonstrations and protests – during first months of the war, police made at least 15 000 arrests in anti-war demonstrations. But repressions have grown, and the movement has failed both to stop war and prevent mobilisation. How could the anti-war movement answer to new challenges?

Introduction to discussion by eco-activist, intersectional feminist and activist of Feminist Anti-War Resistance Lolya Nordik, and other Russian activists. Introductions on-line, interpretation on the spot and another on the stream.

2PM – 6PM Video workshop

Video workshop is an introduction to make short videos for activist projects, with practical hints, short introduction to easy programs and with a hands-on approach to make videos on your own. Take your own laptop if you would like to join, and follow festival announcements to know which programs should be pre-installed. Workshop is organised by youtuber Dimitri Ollikainen from Tampere.

4PM - 6 PM How to support Russian anti-war prisoners?

Dozens of Russian anti-war activists have been arrested, suspected of direct action activities and simply for speaking up against the war. Even prisoner support events in Russia have been harassed, and their participators arrested. What kind of prisoner support initiatives are available, and what can be gained by supporting activities? Introduction to discussion by activist of Solidarity zone Ivan Astashin, and other Russian activists. Introductions on call, interpretation locally and by parallel stream.

6:30 PM Dinner and writing of support mail to political prisoners in Ulrika, Leppäsuonkatu 11.

Program for Saturday 7th of January will be announced later.

Additional information: dedmoroz@riseup.net

For visa information for travellers from Russia, check Russian version of the invitation: https://avtonom.org/news/dobro-pozhalovat-na-festival-ded-moroz-protiv-p...