[okfn-discuss] Open Knowledge Festival 2015 - Location Thoughts

Mon Oct 13 17:53:00 UTC 2014

I want join this discussion later making more general comments, but I want
to say a big +1 to moving OKFestival to other regions of the globe, if we
want to becoe a really OKI, not an OK"I". I am aware of the big challenges
this implies, but we should not fear challenges and I know we can tend to
stay in the confort of our homes trying to change the world. That is pretty
common with the engaged high middle class here in Brazil or those chair
intellectuals (those intellectuals who create theories about the world from
their desks) trying to solve social problems.

Regardins visa policy in Brazil, it seems to be quite open as compared to
several countries (some European friends are jeaulous when I tell I don't
need a visa to go to Russia ;D):

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Visa_policy_of_Brazil

Europe is not the center of the world since a long time.

P. S. [Off-topic] Once I saying as a joke (with some trutth behind it)
about the bad location of Wikimedia Foundation office in San Francisco
(awful timezone) whilst enjoying a shade in the northeast of Brazil. I
still wonder, why not an office in the northeast of Brazil? :)

Cheers,

Tom

2014-10-08 16:01 GMT-03:00 Rayna <rayna.st at gmail.com>:

> Hey all,
>
> Just a quick thought because we are all speaking of immigration policies.
> It is unfortunately quite a mistake to consider that Europe because of
> Schengen is the worst place on Earth. Africa is not much better: visas are
> required for any country. Even though I am a European citizen, I don't get
> that easily through. Visas are applied to other African nationals too, for
> granting an entry to an African country. Personally, I am quite uneasy
> spending money on visas (80 euros minimum for a visa to Ivory Coast for
> instance); I am especially uneasy leaving my fingerprints and being
> physically searched upon arrival and departure in African airports.
>
> I have no idea how it is handled in LatAm or Asia, but I fear there is no
> safe haven :(
>
> As much as I would argue in favour of a non-Western location, I think that
> very few of the actual community will be able to make it without financial
> aid. And it might be far more expensive to take in charge 6-10-hour flights
> for people, for example.
>
> I would thus argue in favour of Berlin for the 2015 edition, and support
> the suggestion someone had in a previous email to start thinking of a new
> non-Western location for 2016 right now. It would more specifically allow
> for a sort of sustainability plan to emerge. I would also vote against
> London not because I don't like it (quite the contrary!) but because Berlin
> is way cheaper in terms of everyday activities and accommodation. Lastly,
> you could also bootstrap some mapping of who has more troubles going to
> Berlin rather than to London.
>
> My 2 cents,
> Rayna
>  On Wed, 8 Oct 2014 17:35:15 +0100, Rufus Pollock <rufus.pollock at okfn.org>
> said:
>
>     > Also and thoughts on the *specific criteria* by which we should
>     > evaluate location options?
>
> In addition to the venue itself:
>
>   - A place with a humane immigration apparatus so as to allow people
>     wishing to attend to do so with as little barrier as possible and
>     that treats them with resepect as they cross borders.
>
>   - Also a place where good food and decent accommodation is available
>     at as low a cost as possible.
>
> In my opinion the first criterion could well do with being extended
> beyond those attending and meetings should not be scheduled in places
> with generally discriminatory immigration policies. Sadly that means
> most of Europe, but if it must be Europe we can pick the best of a bad
> lot.
>
> -w
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-- 
Everton Zanella Alvarenga (also Tom)
Open Knowledge Brasil - Rede pelo Conhecimento Livre
http://br.okfn.org
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