Brazilian hacker Felipe Fonseca writes about attending a meeting about
free software (as "open source") at the UN headquarters in New York and
writes, among other things:
"... almost nothing that I heard on those three days was new. And that's
not necessarily a bad thing. Some stories are worth being re-told, and
some questions are not supposed ever to be answered. Witnessing the same
types of discussions that we have had regularly twenty years ago in
Brazil now making it through to the United Nations is a reminder not to
give up. On the other side, though I see the fantastic potential of
having the UN pushing for open source practices amid its agencies,
member-states and other organisations, it is also a bit sad. I mean, if
that support was there twenty years ago, the movement wouldn't have lost
so much talent to corporations that are not at all aligned with openness
(or the SDGs, or even the concept of “good”). Many innovative and
committed people have dropped out because it became impossible to
counter proprietary for-profit corporations and still make a decent
living. Some of the best among us were recruited by the very
corporations we used to challenge and counter. And I believe that
process is irreversible."
and
"n my intervention, I wanted to draw attention to a particular sequence
of events that happened twenty years ago. I didn't get to mention all of
them, but list below:
1. Gilberto Gil is a Grammy-awarded musician with a lifelong interest
in technologies and their effects on humanity and the planet. In
2003, he became the Minister of Culture in Brazil. He practically
started his tenure participating on a panel during an international
festival about Tactical Media. On the occasion, he was surrounded by
two other panellists with very diverse views about the internet and
digital technologies. John Perry Barlow saw the internet as a place
outside the real world, which should not be bothered by governments
and regulations. Richard Barbrook had the view that the internet had
been created with public funding, and for that reason, there should
be considerations about equality and inclusion in its implementation
and governance. Gil answered to that tension, basically saying that
both were right, and that such difference should be resolved
dynamically. He used the image of capoeira movements - a mix of play
and fight, of dance and confrontation, of overcoming differences
with good spirits.
2. Some months later, Gil played his guitar at the UN General Assembly,
making tens of delegates dance along. On the occasion, even the then
Secretary-General played percussion with him. I’m aware that this
may not seem that relevant regarding open source technologies. The
important point here is that he was inspiring people to address
contemporary challenges with good mood, and a profound understanding
of the role of culture. ..."
It's a good and thought-provoking read:
https://is.efeefe.me/stuff/open-for-all
--
Carsten Agger -ag...@fsfe.org
https://fsfe.org ---https://blogs.fsfe.org/agger/
FSFE Denmark Coordinator, General Assembly & European Team Member
Free Software, Free Society!
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