By Felipe Corrêa*
I was in Cape Town, South Africa, for around 10 days at the beginning of November 2023, to participate in the 40th anniversary of the International Labour Research and Information Group (ILRIG). I was present in numerous activities that included, in addition to the ILRIG Festival itself (in which I made some contributions based on Brazilian experiences), visits to social movements on the townships of the city and exchange of experiences with various popular movements.
One of the activities organized by ILRIG was the International Conversation: Organizing, Struggles and Alternatives, in which I and two other comrades (Dario Bursztyn, from Argentina, and Nazan Üstündag, from the Kurdish Freedom Movement) would present experiences of struggle with which we are involved in and/or have knowledge of. The activity was scheduled for Monday, 6 November, at the occupation Cissie Gool House.
When we arrived at the event location – a hospital currently occupied by families (numbering more than 1000 people) who have made that place their home – we had a few hours to get to know the place, the history and the experience of Cissie Gool House. We were very positively impressed when visiting the large urban occupation area and seeing its organization, spaces and cleanliness. And even more when knowing the entire history of struggle surrounding the occupation.
Therefore, we decided to propose a change to the event that would take place a little later. The Cissie Gool House experience seemed so interesting to us that, rather than talking about our struggles, as a kind of lecture, we thought about changing what was planned. We suggested listening to people in the occupation to learn more about this incredible experience. And that’s how things happened.
At 4pm, the event brought together, in addition to the three of us and representatives from ILRIG, residents of the occupation, who explained their stories, world views and their personal and political aspirations. The event was very happy and encouraging. We learned a lot from everyone who spoke to us.
We had the opportunity to learn about the people’s previous situation and the need for them to leave their old homes and promote that occupation. We also lerned the way they have been facing the struggle and collectively building a movement that needs to deal with numerous immediate issues, which involve the organization of space, the articulation of demands and political positions, the work with children, the library and other very beautiful initiatives that we were able to see.
In addition to these immediate issues, it was also relevant to see that the occupation has a project for the future, which involves not only the permanence and architectural adjustment of the place, but also expanding the dialogue with other struggles and thinking about a greater social transformation. Me, Dario and Nazan contributed to the debate by bringing some of our experiences and discussing them with the people present. We came away very impressed with everyone’s individual and collective capacity.
For almost 30 years I have been learning about experiences of urban occupation in Brazil and in several countries around the world. And I can say that, without a doubt, Cissie Gool House is one of the most organized and well-structured occupations I’ve seen. It was truly a very enriching experience and one that will remain in my memory forever!
Long live the Cissie Gool House struggle!
Long live the popular power of the working class!
* Felipe Corrêa is a Brazilian professor, researcher and militant.