10 tactics screening plants a seed in Portugal

The first Portugal screening of “10 tactics for turning information into action" took place on the evening of the December 21 at the cultural cooperative, Crew Hassan, in Lisbon. The event brought together about 25 people from different professional backgrounds, including representatives from several Portuguese and international NGOs, graphic and web designers, bloggers, students and artists.

“I was very excited with how much enthusiasm and inspiration the film generated and how eager people were” said Diana Felix da Costa, who organised the screening. Diana, a recent graduate from the Network of Humanitarian Masters Programme who now works for a Lisbon NGO, says that the follow-up discussion suggested people are eager to come together to share knowledge and organise actions. “The film tackles some of the perceived challenges around the use of tactics and tools for social mobilisation. It demonstrates that becoming involved and active does not have to be abstract, expensive and complicated – instead transforming information into action can be easy, accessible and concrete. Most importantly people were inspired by the film and this is why I wanted to bring it to Portugal.”

Tiago Lucena, a daily political blogger who attended the screenings said, “the film strengthened my motivation as an activist through the tools I already use, while also showing me new ones I was previously unaware of. At the same time, it made me feel closer to a reality that is not usually portrayed in the mass media, making me feel stronger. In times when the superfluous is given privilege over the essential, it is these types of actions that make the difference.”

Joana Branco Lopes who attended the event from the Millennium Development Goals (MDG's) Youth Agency Portugal says she felt very inspired by the 10 tactics to transform information into action: “In the project that I'm working for – the MDG's Youth Agency – we work towards creating a youth network that inspires young people in Portugal to take action in support of the Millennium Development Goals (MDG's) and promote a sense of global citizenship. With these tools and tactics, we realise that even when lacking the financial resources, action can be taken and we can reach a lot of people by using technology in a creative way. Despite challenges in mobilising civil society in Portugal, from now on I believe that we have no excuses not to do it."

Raphael Buenaventura from Grace Media in the Peace Research Centre Tamera, which works towards promoting a global peace culture, agrees. “’10 Tactics’ was very interesting and valuable for our media project...The parts on video activism, SMS messaging and security were particularly interesting for our projects in the Middle East and Colombia – where information-sharing can sometimes save lives. We will implement these tactics this year and pass the know-how gathered in the booklets on to our partner projects through education workshops as well as to the young people in the Peace Research Centre Tamera.”

The first Portugal screening and debate generated a lot of interest and there are now several more screening events being planned for other parts of the country including Lisbon, Porto and Coimbra while smaller grassroots organisations and associations also plan to project the film in their communities and groups. The 10 tactics screening event has also led to new partnerships and contacts between people with common interests. “The info-activism seed has been planted in Portugal” says Diana. “The power of the trickle-down effect of this is now unstoppable.”

Images from the event

Photos and story by: Diana Felix da Costa