The political scene is trembling. The most secret truths, suppressed and concealed in the Marxist theory courses of the 70's and 80's, have at last come to light. Did you know that Friedrich Engels and Karl Marx were almost the first communication guerrillas (after Till Eulenspiegel)? They faked reviews of Das Kapital and were the first ones to demonstrate 'wrong facts which produce real events.'
The intellectual desperado Sonja Bruenzels and the commissar for the correct use of signifiers in public space, Luther Blissett, joined forces with the autonomous a.f.r.i.k.a. group and published their revelations in the Communication-Guerrilla's Handbook (Handbuch der Kommunikationsguerilla). They ask the question: "when is Communication-Guerrilla?" They have a good laugh about the whimsical complaints of those who believe in the strength and glory of information but ignore the languages and places which determine the sense of words and signs. In the jungle of communicational processes they pursue the devoured and unclear paths of senders, codes and recipients and look for ways to erode the bases of power and rule.
What is Communication-Guerrilla?
Guerrilla communication is political, militant action (politische Militanz). It differs from the conventional (autonomous) militant action in as much as it does not simply aim to destroy the codes of power and sovereignty, but aims to effectively disfigure them. Guerrilla communication is a particular form of political communication which does not just transport statements in plain text (like flyers, demo slogans, posters). The goal is neither the interruption nor the permanent appropriation of a communicational channel. The goal is the theft and distortion of messages. We start from the premise that the significance of communication is not just what is said but also the form of the communication itself.
It is the aim of guerrilla communication to de-legitimate the present state of power and sovereignty which by now seems so normal and unalterable. In order to do that, one has to understand its multifaceted structures and manifestations. Guerrilla communication tries to deal with the normative power structures of the established forms of communication as well as the internalised power structures at the level of subject. This requires that situations be manufactured in which it becomes perceptible - for at least a brief moment - that everything could actually be quite different.
Why Communication Guerrilla?
Guerrilla communication is a result of the experiences with the past concepts of the oppositional public realm (Gegenûffentlichkeitskonzepten) and educational practices of the left. In late capitalist societies nothing can be won from the unimpeded spread of truth. Traditional left politics frequently seem to rely on the persuasive power of the rational argument. The confidence that the simple presentation of information represents an effective form of political action is still unshakeable. Critical content is supposed to be sufficient to tear up the network of manipulating messages, with which the media influence the consciousness of the masses. The main problem here is the acceptance of the idea: 'whomsoever possesses the senders can control the thoughts of humans'. This hypothesis comes from a very simple communication model which only focuses on the 'sender' (in the case of mass communication usually centrally and industrially organised), the 'channel' which transports the information, and the 'receiver'.
The euphoria around the information society as well as its pessimistic opposition - which believes in the information overkill - do not face the crucial problem of citizens' representational democracies: facts and information do not trigger any consequences. Face it, even if stories of disasters, scandals and inequalities are being published, it has almost no consequences.
Places and Spaces for Communication Guerrilla
Points of departure for guerrilla communication are public spaces in which power is being negotiated and reproduced on a symbolic and cultural level. Firstly, that refers to the concrete public space, the city and the streets. At the same time it encompasses the media space, which is characterised by a one-way process of communication (one-to-many). Here the balance of power is clearly visible: some have the power to determine media topics and the way in which they are being handled, others can only voice their opinion by voting with their feet or their remote controls, switching off their television or radio. A third space, somewhat connected but in many respects part of an entirely different structure, is the virtual space. The development of new information and communication technologies results in qualitatively new, interactive modes of communication.
Communication Guerrilla is not Media Guerrilla
We do not build our understanding of communication on the basis of only one specific technical apparatus, i.e. medium. Communication-Guerrilla is thus not Media-Guerrilla. Guerrilla communication can rather be seen as a form of political communication, which requires a subversive attitude and energy, as well as a feel for the implications of the forms of communicational acts - the production of the symbolic order within.
What is left to do? Seek out and bundle the subversive within communication, in order to equip and supply the muted forces of the oppositional public with the loud trombones of distortion and over identification! Hitherto, as once with the walls of Jericho, the core foundation of the ruling order will soon crumble and implode. Which leaves only one request: blow hard!
autonome a.f.r.i.k.a. gruppe [afrika@contrast.org]
http://www.contrast.org/KG
Verlag Libertäre Assoziation
Lindenallee 72
D-20259 Hamburg
[translated by Janko Vook]
Sonja Bruenzels, Luther Blissett, autonomome a.f.r.i.k.a. gruppe [afrika@contrast.org]
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