DiEM25 workshop in progress opposite Bozar, September 9, 2017, Brussels. Anja Schurman. All rights reserved. What is the purpose of a movement such as DiEM25? A question not to be taken lightly; a very fundamental question indeed, and impossible to answer quickly – certainly not within a meagre five hours. But in this room many brave people are present, and precisely this question was submitted to a delegation of over a hundred members last Saturday, during DiEM25’s first World Café, where more than eighteen nationalities are represented.
The workshop, presented as a series of mixed-table-discussions, is the start of an ongoing dialogue about DiEM25’s purpose and values; and more practical questions such as, how can we communicate our intentions to a broader audience, and how do we organise ourselves in a sustainable manner? Here we find people trying to understand one another, to develop constructive debate, to take into consideration the full scope of modern politics.
But by far the most pressing item on the agenda proved the most basic: what could be the purpose of DiEM25? In dealing with this tangled issue, more questions arose: is giving power back to the people the final goal, when power to the people can ostensibly backfire, as in the recent cases of Poland and the UK? So can we trust ourselves? Or do we need to solidify around a set of values?
