note: Our route this year has not been straight forward or following any sensible, chronological order! Don’t be confused that our blog posts are also coming in a non order of anarchist chaos. This post is about Tampere, which was our third place to visit after Helsinki and Turku. So, all of this took place before the last four blog posts you may have read, enjoy a little time travel!
Tampere Tampere Tampere!
This was my 1st Ecotopia bike tour, and first bike tour. I wasn’t sure what to expect and was nervous about how it would go with the people I met. I will write about my experiences in my first days and about the Mista Pispala festival.
I joined from Scotland, flying to Tampere. I didn’t have a bike so I contacted someone on facebook, and he offered to collect me from the airport. I was a little hesitant, however I decided to take him up on his offer. He was a local man from Tampere, a retired nurse. He collected from the airport, took me to see the bike which was great, took me to a shop and to an ATM, and finally, dropped me off at the train station! I was so blown away by how willing he was to help me out. He even knew about the festival! We even had a hug to say goodbye. I was so grateful for his incredible hospitality, it was such a nice first experience of Finland.
Now I had my bike, a basket and a pannier bag. I was ready to take the train to meet up with the group. I joined the tour after Turku, in Loima. After a one hour train ride, I cycled from the station to the location. I came across a group of folk sitting around a fire, chopping food and chatting. I was welcomed and over the next hours, slowly met more folk returning to camp, and took part in my first circle before heading to bed after a long day of travelling.
On the first day, we cycled from Loimaa to Matku (around 53km). I had signed up to do cooking and buying with another ecotopian. It was a really nice day, the weather was great. I got to chat and get to know some of the people as we crossed paths along the route. We finished the day at a nice spot with a lake, changing rooms and boats – one of which was pirated for a little cruise on the lake and returned safely. We made food over a fire, chatted and went to sleep. End of a lovely first day.
Day 2 – I signed up to scout, so myself and two other Ecotopians set off to mark out the route for the others. We cycled from Matku to Kymakoski (approx 40km). We all needed to charge our devices and along the way we came across a roadside restaurant. I don’t remember the name, it had a hot blonde cowboy woman as their logo in Huhti. The hospitality we received here was also so amazing! We wanted to maybe buy a coffee, charge our devices a little. The coffee was free, and very delicious. The owner was totally OK with us taking free coffee and charging 2-3 devices each. Of course, we bought some food because it’s never nice to take advantage of people’s kindness. It was so nice. It is always these small moments or kindnesses from people that make everything.
We spent a good few hours there, managing to charge our devices, chatting and feeling really good from having found such a nice spot. Then two more Ecotopians arrived and they had a huge, amazing dumpster dive and our collective spirits were even higher!
We finally headed off to do our scouting duties and find a camping spot for the night. Some others were ahead of us and by the time we had arrived at the end location, had found a camping spot. It was all fun and games until it started a torrential downpour. I mean, it was still fun and games I have to say, rushing to put up our many tarps and huddling all together under their shelter, eating our delicious hot food made by the wonderful folks on the cooking team who made everything in the rain. It did not stop raining the whole night. Some of us sheltered in a barn, some brave souls put up their tents. Thankfully, in the morning, the rain had stopped but everything was wet. It was a lovely morning, everything was possible and clothes dry (eventually)!
Day 3 – I scouted again but it was a very short scouting day. We were heading to Musta Pispala festival! Musta Pispala is an anarchist counterculture festival,the goals of the festival are to act as a networking place between anarchist, anti-authoritarian, feminist, anti-racist and between groups and individuals active in the environmental struggle and it ran 12.-14.7.2024.
Some of us took the the train and some cycled. We scouted to the station and then once we arrived in Tampere, scouted to where we were being hosted. As I had only joined the tour for 2 full days before we headed to Tampere for Mista Pispala festival, I felt really lucky to already have a break and stay in one place with facilities, especially after such heavy rain. My body was also very tired.
We were hosted at the Pyynik’s Aikamatkat, a DIY-inspired community and art project. where we could camp on the ground of an old hospital for contagious disease that had been repurposed by Mishka who has been there for 20 years, it’s walls covered in beautiful paintings and now being used as a wonderful community art space and artist studios. We got a tour of the time machine and inside the hospital. We had access to a lovely campsite, shower, toilet, a kitchen, tools, art supplies and even a BBQ grill – we were very spoiled and our host was very gracious.
Musta Pispala festival was incredible, there were so many amazing talks and workshops and I was sad I was only one person, only able to go to one event at a time! Thankfully we are many and we were able to share our experiences with one another.
From the talk “Bank Robbers for freedom: Reflections on financing revolutionary struggle”, The presenters reflected on the expropriation and robbery as historical tools of financing revolutionary activity, presented historical examples, and an anarchist comrade who was condemned for a bank robbery in Aachen, Germany, in 2014 discussed that action, moral and ethical issues surrounding this, and spoke directly of some details of the action.
To ‘Settler colonialism in the West Bank and resistance to it – experiences of activism in Palestine’, detailing the techniques used by settlers to steal homes and land illegally, and the actions of Palestinians and activities to resist them.
Some of us attended the Zapatistas workshop, ‘Experiences from the Zapatista EZLN’s 30th Anniversary of Autonomy in Chiapas’ about the 30th anniversary of the uprising of the zapatista and their continuous fight for autonomy. The person who was holding the Workshop took part in the European Delegation that was invited to join the festivities and a bus travel across the zapatista regions. They talked about their experiences during the bus caravan and the new, more decentralised Organisation, that the zapatista presented.
We also got to take part in Rhythms of Resistance workshops where we learned about tactical frivolity, drumming and dancing. All tunes and dances are universal, so no matter where you are, you can join in!
The Rhythms of Resistance (RoR) network of activist percussion bands comprises more than 75 separate activist drumming bands all over the world. RoR is descended from the pink and silver “tactical frivolity” bloc (aka the “silly stunts and fluffy stuff” section) of the anti-Globalisation campaigns of the 1990s and early 2000
There were many many more workshops, zine making workshops, free hair cuts, patch workshops and two workshops hosted by Ecotopians- ,’Why not or how to use phones (and computers etc)’, and a bike repair workshop. We even had the pleasure of an amazing gig from an ecotopian, Schmeckt nach spüli. There was so much to do and see at the festival, including some wonderful photographic exhibitions and a lot of great gigs.
More nice moments were when we had a round table circle with dinosaurs, late night seagull fights waking us up at 3am, and for those of us who were able to stay awake – many great punk gigs, a freetec party where some of us danced under a railway bridge from sunset to sunrise in a few hours followed by a swim in the lake. We found a bike that was transported with 2 bikes and a trailer, just in case someone joined who didn’t have a bike. We also returned one person’s lost shoes! One of my favourite memories was all of us sitting around on the platform, listening to a text being read to us about Igor, a person who had done Ecotopia in 1991!! There were hundreds of cyclists, they even had a kitchen van (so fancy)! He had only recently sent it over and it was such a beautiful thing to read/be read. So much time has passed but it was the same highs and lows in 1991 that we were experiencing on our 2024 ride. It shows how connected we all are, and how we are all just little humans experiencing the same things through time and space.
We are so grateful to the organisers of Musta Pispala for putting on this really important festival. Thank you for putting so much time and effort into organising it, for welcoming us kindly, and being incredible hosts. Also for all the other people we met and the people who offered to host us in Helsinki.
After Tampere, I continued with the bike tour for another week or so, which others will write about I’m sure. To end my little addition to the blog – coming into the bike tour with no clue what to expect and being so nervous to meet all these new people, I can’t say enough about what an amazing time I had. The distances were very accessible, even if you don’t cycle much. The people I met were so capable, kind, thoughtful, considerate and respectful to each other. It really was a little utopia. I feel really blessed to have met these incredible people, and I am so excited to join again next year. I hope if you’re on the fence, this post will help you realise it’s absolutely something you should do!
