For the last 40 years, we’ve worshiped the #deathcult of #neoliberalism witch has blinded us to the collapse unfolding around us. Every institution that promised to guide and protect us has failed. The ruling classes, in every hue of politics, have abandoned us. Our media and entertainment elitists distract and distort. #NGOs, once trusted, have betrayed the causes they claimed to champion. Academia and business alike have clutched at power, are now dithering while the world burns.
We face #climatechaos naked and disjointed – at war with ourselves and lost in consumerism. Yet, in this wreckage, there is still a choice to step away from the #mainstreaming, let go of fake promises, and dive into the #undercurrents. Compost the mess, build anew.
The #makinghistory project is a seed for this rebuilding. It’s a #KISS project that offers a way to reclaim our own narratives, digitizing archives like the Campbell Family collection to preserve grassroots histories of resistance and hope. I use this data set as an example here. This is more than data collection, it’s a living, breathing ecosystem of collective memory.
Walking through this step by step:
- Setting up the Application: Communities install the #makinghistory app on local machines or hosted instances, creating a decentralized network of storytellers.
- Uploading Digital Files: Activists and archivists upload historical files, adding metadata and context.
- Building a Community: By inviting family, affinity groups, and wider activist circles, the archive grows into a collaborative space, nurturing participation.
- Interacting with Data: Users engage directly with the history, categorizing, tagging, and enriching it with new insights.
- Storytelling Features: The enriched data flows into narratives, connecting seemingly isolated events into cohesive stories of struggle, solidarity, and change.
- Public Sharing: These stories aren’t locked away, they’re shared openly, contributing to a global commons of knowledge.
Impact: In reclaiming history, people find inspiration and strength. Grassroots stories challenge the top-down narratives, showing that change comes not from a #nastyfew (elitists) but from those who dare to dream and act.
The ‘Resistance Exhibition’ was started to extend this vision, turning physical spaces into participatory hubs where visitors become archivists and storytellers themselves.
This is not passive consumption, it’s collective action. It’s the compost from which new movements grow. It’s #makeinghistory – not as an abstract concept, but as a living, evolving reality. Let’s step away from the wreckage and start building something real please.
