The Metadecidim community has now announced most of the speakers for its international conference Decidim Fest 2021, on this occasion based around the slogan ‘Democracy, Technology and Global Justice’.
Here at Citizen Participation at Barcelona City Council we’re recommending this festival as it reflects on the relationship between technology, participation and democratic innovation. The event and its programme are being organised by the Decidim community, the platform which maintains and updates the #DecidimVCN website, through which much of Barcelona’s citizen participation is structured.
Decidim Fest 2021 offers a 360-degree vision to address different visions of technopolicy: algorithmic justice, climate justice, digital decolonialism, data decolonialism, surveillance and human rights, technological disobedience, digital democratic infrastructures, cyber-feminism and media activism, platform trade unionism, democratic innovation, democratic internet, disinformation and capitalism and technology.
Notable figures taking part in his edition include:
-
- Lulú Barrera (Mexico) representative for Luchadoras, “a feminist collective” based in Mexico and working within a physical and digital public space with the goal of women, young women and girls being able to freely enjoy such spaces. Decidim Fest will also be sharing its vision of social media from the perspective of cyber-feminism and media activism.
- Alicia Valero (Spain), tenured professor at the University of Zaragoza in the Department for Mechanical Engineering and director of the industrial ecology group in the Centre for Investigation in Resources and Energy Consumption (CIRCE Institute). In her talk she will be looking at the startling scarcity of mineral resources and raw materials required by technology, and how we cannot understand technological progress without taking into consideration the consequences for our finite planet.
- Ekaitz Cancela (Spain), journalist investigating the structural transformations of capitalism, their cultural expressions and Europe’s position in the world. Her talk will look at the political impact of the digital economy.
- Laia Serra and Sara Suárez (Spain). Their talk ‘Is the best solution censorship with algorithms to combat hate on social media?’ will provide the starting point for addressing one of the most unsettling aspects for algorithmic justice. The lawyer Laia Serra, staunch defender of human rights, the right to protest and freedom of expression, combines with Sara Suárez, specialist in the social and political impact of big data and artificial intelligence.
- Carlos Díaz (Spain), researcher who will be presenting his report “Mass surveillance and Control of European Dissidence | Hi-tech surveillance in times of COVID-19”, which uncovers the role of digital technology in the realm of public security and its impact on civil freedoms in the Spanish state.
- Cheikh Fall (Senegal) from Afriktivistes, a pan-African organisation bringing together various bloggers and cyber-activists to contribute specific and suitable solutions to major problems which hamper the democratic development and unity of the continent.
- Mensakas, Las Kellys and Sindicat de Llogaters, new trade unions which have come about in response to platform capitalism. Mensakas is a cooperative borne of the trade union struggle of RidersxDerechos by the FAA-IAC, headed by couriers from various delivery platforms. Las Kellys is an association of hotel cleaners who have been fighting for better labour conditions since 2016. Sindicat de Llogateres brings together tenants in Barcelona to defend their rights to a home and an affordable, stable, secure and decent rent.
Other participants include: Lorena Jaume-Palasí (algorithmic justice), Joana Moll (climate justice), Anasuya Sengupta (digital decolonialism), Paola Ricaurte (data mining and digital decolonialism), Ernesto Oroza (technological disobedience), Joan Donovan (internet health and free and democratic digital infrastructures), Oliver Escobar (climate justice, with the case of Scotland’s Climate Assembly) and McKenzie Wark (capitalism and technology).
When can you sign up for the Decidim Fest 2021?
The full timetable and registration form will be made available shortly. Decidim Fest is free and open to everybody.
The festival is being held on 20, 21 and 22 October and adopts a hybrid format, combining on-site activities at the Canòdrom – Digital and Democratic Innovation Centre with online sessions. Remember you can find full details on the speakers and the event at meta.decidim.org.