[open-development] FW: [okfn-discuss] Open Knowledge Festival 2015 - Location Thoughts

Tue Oct 14 08:02:03 UTC 2014

Hi everyone,

I don’t know if you are all on the general OK-discuss list but thought some of you may have an interest and view on the discussion of the location of the next OKFestival.

Cheers,
Duncan

From: okfn-discuss [mailto:okfn-discuss-bounces at lists.okfn.org] On Behalf Of Rufus Pollock
Sent: 14 October 2014 08:28
To: Open Knowledge Foundation discussion list
Subject: Re: [okfn-discuss] Open Knowledge Festival 2015 - Location Thoughts

On 13 October 2014 18:53, Everton Zanella Alvarenga <tom at okfn.org.br<mailto:tom at okfn.org.br>> wrote:
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.

Any thoughts on the actual criteria and how we assess them or on the issues about the risks in a move of location (for next year). As I've said earlier I very much appreciate the desire to move around - and share it - but I also see some very real practical facts (re financing, organization etc).

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.

To be clear that has nothing to do with some idea that "Europe being the centre of the world" - as your comment seems to imply - but is driven by practical considerations and the sort of criteria I set out ;-)

Rufus

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<mailto: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<mailto: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)
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