Internet activists in the wild

Between the 7th and the 13th of February, APC staff flew from different parts of the globe to attend a team meeting at Mopani, a camp in the northern region of the Kruger National Park in South Africa. This reflection is not so much about the work we did, but about the context in which we did it.

Getting connected

One of the core workshop methodologies entailed keeping us away from our electronic devices during the sessions. It was hard at the beginning, but after a while it became part of the daily routine: We would come into the conference room, set up our laptops, and say goodbye to them until later. It felt liberating in some ways, since we could only participate in the meeting – nothing else, nothing less.

There was no connectivity in the cottages we were staying in. And that was kind of a relief too. No pressure to check the email account meant full-time team bonding. We became neighbours in our exposed intimacy. People face-to-face with people, conversations unplugged and not surveilled. Nice experience for this online tribe.

Gnus and squirrels

Many of us confirmed that the online world is indeed an extension of our offline existence. Just take as an example the expressions of surprise when we saw that hairy Gnu, for real, breathing and looking back at us, in that dusty and hot field.

Same thing with those restless and sneaky squirrels that were all over the place – no emails in their little paws, by the way. The cottage “windows” remained closed all the time, just so they would not come inside . Better to enjoy looking at them in a “free” and “open” environment.

Down to earth

It is so good to go back to nature. It feels revolutionary. While all these high-level meetings to decide the future of the internet and how our rights are impacted by it take place in cold-walled buildings, our bare feet were touching the fresh grass. Our bodies submitted to the extreme heat, and the mosquito bites, and the shining reflections from the river. It feels revolutionary to be back in touch with nature after being so alienated from it for so long. Everything feels more shockingly real, and ideas become realistic. And that’s where effective, committed, and lasting activism comes from: from stepping firmly on the ground. Cheers to an inspirational meeting.

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