Originally published in print November 2020
Isabelle Allende fled Chile after the coup of 1973 with only her clothes, family pictures, a small bag of dirt from her garden, and two books: an edition of Pablo Neruda’s Odes and “the book with the yellow cover: Las venas abiertas de América Latina.” Las Venas Abiertas de America Latina, or Open Veins of Latin America is the masterpiece of Eduard Galeano, who famously wrote “I don’t believe in charity. I believe in solidarity. Charity is so vertical. It goes from the top to the bottom. Solidarity is horizontal. It respects the other person. ” In times of political, social and economic upheaval, the dominant narrative in the West is often to adopt well-meaning philanthropy; donate money to charity or those in what we call “the developing world,”or donate goods to those in need, often with little input from those on the receiving end. However, as Galeano points out, charity can often reinforce existing power dynamics, and further disempower those it aims to help. Ireland has a history of this often counterproductive and paternalistic philosophy, seeing the Church filling the gap left by the state due to underinvestment in public services opening the door to institutional abuse in the likes of industrial schools and Magdalene laundries. This legacy continues in the form of modern day direct provision centres, where residents are deprived of the right to cook their own food.
Anthony Bourdain once wrote that there is nothing more political than food; who’s eating, and who’s not eating. He described the dinner table as “the great leveller.” If you want to get to know somebody, simply ask them “what do you like to eat?” But of course, it’s not just just what they eat, but where, where you shop, who you break bread with. In Ireland and beyond, mutual aid and co-operatives, though they may be small, fundamentally alter the power structure inherent in capitalist food production and distribution.
Pete Yen is part of the We Shall Overcome movement, which operates under the slogan, “a raised fist and a helping hand.” Yen explains this expresses “anger at injustice and dehumanisation caused by austerity,” and aims to transform this into something positive, while also “raising the awareness about the power of grassroots groups.” The WSO website lists child poverty, food banks, cuts to disabled support, soup kitchens, homelessness and begs the question “why do these things exist in one of the wealthiest economies on earth?” WSO operates out of the Station pub in Ashton-under-Lyne, Manchester which Yen affectionately refers to as “our spiritual HQ.” He continues, “Pauline Town who runs the pub is a modern day mother Theresa, literally making the world a better place by saving one life at a time,” referring to the pub landlady who feeds the homeless out of her own pocket. https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater-manchester-news/amazing-pub-landlady-who-feeds-15120988
WSO is about “demonstrating compassion and the politics of community and kindness as well as donating food, sanitary products and clothes,” and is active across the UK. As well as setting up a Unity Shop for food in Hull (“which is the total embodiment of solidarity and mutual aid”) pre-covid, WSO also held “regular jam sessions and poetry workshops with people who are, or were recently street homeless.” WSO began in 2015, after the general election in which Labour abstained on welfare. “This was pre-Corbyn,” says Yen. “We took off because there was a psychological need to do something and so many people wanted something active to do. Austerity was hurting people, and a Tory majority meant more austerity would hurt more people.. “We’re about people helping the people; not hoping for a government to make a change.”
Closer to home, Dublin’s Food Co-op is a radically different way to shop, and be part of ethically sourced food at the centre of the community. Established in 1983, they aim to “make shopping a convivial, community experience.” Sam Toland, a member of the co-op said this is made possible by “having members fully involved in operating the shop. Members volunteer on a weekly or monthly basis which means people who shop with us have a direct relationship with the staff.”
Toland points to the co-op as a way for people to shop sustainably and ethically. “Other enterprises may advertise themselves as being these things, but it’s often superficial.” In contrast, in the co-op, “if people aren’t happy with how things are run there’s accountability.” It adheres to a membership run model, and aims to promote democracy and solidarity. The co-op sells organic and Irish produced food where possible, and “discriminates positively in favour of countries which uphold human rights.”
In a deeply polarised world, where food is both produced and distributed in an unequal and unjust manner, co-ops and grassroots organisations which promote a mutual aid system with community and sustainability at the heart, are now more important than ever.
