Page 7 - C.A.L.L. #21 - Spring 2003
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Cheeky, naïve – and very refreshing, this guide to social activism based on a fantasy
of human communities
This book is quite old but only just translated into And I have forgotten the main thing: Every ibu will
Hebrew. The English version came out ages ago, but have a nugo, a golden capsule 0.9 centimeters in
doesn’t seem to be well-known. The issuing of the diameter that is secured with a combination lock.
Hebrew translation is a good excuse for publicizing Inside the capsule there is a substance that causes
it now! [Sol] instant death upon ingestion. Why? Because the ibu is
The bolo’bolo will be based on mutual tolerance. forbidden the excuse that he is obligated to stay alive.
Turkish bolo’bolo in Berlin (Kreuzberg), European According to the author, life from the outset is a fatal
bolo’bolo in the Congo. There can also be unique ethnic mistake and there is no greater horror that not being
identities: the Irish, the Basques, the Catalans, the able to die.
Palestinians, the Kurds, the Armenians. There can be
bolo’bolo of blind people or bolo’bolo where only This book could easily be seen as a curiosity and easily
radishes are eaten. In the bolo, the ibu receives 2,000 dismissed, as it is naïve and full of contradictions.
calories a day. However, the cheeky naivete of this book is to its credit.
In the iron cage in which we are imprisoned, in the
The bolo’bolo eliminate not only private property, but anarchism in this book that goes for broke, there is
also the state and nationalism. The writer also takes something refreshing and seductive. The critisicm of
into account deviations from the utopian structure: a globalizastion and its economic and cultural logic is
bolo of robbers and bandits, free riders, conquests. important, expecially in light of the troubling
However, ultimately, in a world that is not based on developments that have occurred during the decades
power or competition, exploitation and robbery do not since the book was first published.
pay. A large part of industrial production will become
superfluous – cars, ammunition, the paving of roads, The author deserves praise
electrical consumer goods (one large refrigerator or for having written this
one large washing machine per bolo). document 20 years ago, at a
time when public
Industry will need a small work force. The bolo’bolo will consciousness was not aware
put at the disposal of the public 10 percent of their of public debate on these
working time for needs that go beyond the boundaries grave implications of the
of a particular bolo (the building of airplanes for rescue process of globalization.
and aid only, minimal electrical appliances). The
proximity of the houses to the workshops will allow for Practically speaking, the program of “bolo’bolo” is not
alternative sources of energy. In winter, it will not be given to complete implementation, but it can certainly
equally warm everywhere, but people will wear more work in small communities that are not completely
sweaters, crowd together more, go to bed earlier and autarkic. I was once a member of such a cooperative in
eat fatter foods. California. The cooperative had a central accounting
system where credit and debit points were listed for
Bathing need not be a daily matter. Cleanliness is a individuals for services they gave or received in the
bourgeois idea that served the industrial revolution. community: babysitting services, car-pooling, appliance
Bathing and regular changes of clothing are rituals that repairs or the lending and borrowing of books. An
are derived from the ideology of capitalist society. They overdraft for an extended period leads to the loss of
do not have a real hygienic function. Moreover, the reciprocity in the giving of services. Only recently we
excessive use of soap and shampoo erodes and ages have read about the “beads communities” that operate
the skin. Water consumption in the bolo’bolo can on a similar basis on Kiryat Tivon, Pardes Hannah,
decrease considerably. Health services will be cheaper Karkur [in Israel] and other places in the world such as
because thanks to the bolo’bolo, which will be based on Argentina (where they are called “popular councils”),
correct and basic nutrition, many diseases will Australia, Canada, Germany, Switzerland and Italy.
disappear and there will be no traffic accidents, mass
wars and infectious diseases. Prof. Yehouda Shenav
Ha’aretz, Friday November 22, 2002
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