Mass Mobilizaion, Mass Acion

RIGHTS AIPP AIPP Regional Capacity Building Program - Training Manual on the UNDRIP • To assert their right to the land, they may hold a sit-down, also in large numbers, all across the area they live on or use for their livelihood, in order to fight eviction. • For the same purpose, they may hold a mass planting of trees or crops on the day scheduled for their eviction. • To gain the freedom or to prevent the torture or execution of fellow protesters who have been arrested and jailed, they may mass up outside the courthouse, jailhouse or military barracks to which the prisoners have been taken, and stay there until these prisoners are freed. • Etc. This latter form of mass action requires more solid unity and a higher level of organization as well as militancy. Some tips on mobilization: 1. To mobilize people for mass action, you must convince them of the necessity and legiti- macy of your proposed action; you must build consensus in favor of this action. To achieve this, you must talk to the people you wish to mobilize. You can: • conduct a house-to-house or door-to-door campaign; • seek out and speak with groups of people who are gathered together – for example, to wait for a ride or as passengers in a public vehicle; • hold meetings with organizations or communities. 2. It will be best if, aside from talking to the people, you distribute some material that briefly addresses the matter.

C. Alliance Work

Alliance work is crucial to success in advocacy. There are two levels of alliance work.

1. Forging a mass alliance:

This is the unification of a broad mass of citizens around a particular issue or a general cause. It is the bringing together of groups and individuals so that they can address the issue or work for the cause in an organized and concerted manner. A mass alliance may be short-term or long-term, loose or tight, informal or formal, depend- ing on the nature of the objectives that its members or affiliates have agreed upon. Note: In establishing a mass alliance, it is imperative that the people involved understand clearly the alliance’s objectives and program of action, and that they are truly united on these.

2. Making allies among elites:

This means making friends with persons in power on the basis of a shared position regard- ing an issue or on the basis of a common goal. The friends made may be officials in local or na- tional government, or in an international institution such as the UN, or they may be public figures whose power lies in their capacity to influence government decision-making or mass opinion- 200 RIGHTS AIPP AIPP Regional Capacity Building Program - Training Manual on the UNDRIP making. The friendship may be very temporary or it may prove to be long-lasting, depending on the character of the person allied and on your effectiveness in dealing with him or her. Besides making friends with persons in power, it may be desirable or necessary to make friends with persons who have access to power, or to the information, documents and resources held by local, national or international elites. These persons may be low-level government func- tionaries or simply executive assistants. Some guiding principles in alliance work: 1. Enter into an alliance with other citizens or with elites on the basis of your own power – i.e., the strength of your organization. Strength is not always based on numbers, although this, too, is important. Strength also derives from the commitment you have already shown to struggling for the cause of indigenous peoples or for any just cause, the clarity of your vision or the logic of your political theory, the integrity of your practice, the consistency of your performance. In this strength lies your power to persuade and forge unity. 2. Take into consideration the traits of indigenous relations in your efforts to achieve cooperation and build solidarity. Consider, for example, that: • Indigenous kinship networks are far-reaching; likewise are the obligations attached to kinship. • Even oral pacts or agreements – as long as they have been sanctified or nota- rized by ritual – are strong and binding. • The opinions of elders are respected. • Etc. 3. In entering into an alliance, you should make no compromise as far as basic prin- ciples and the interest of indigenous peoples are concerned. You should be prepared to make a few concessions – such as agreeing to lobby a local government body with a small delegation instead of a mass demonstration. But your concessions should never run counter to what you stand for. 4. Go with understanding and patience. You might sometimes find others exasper- ating – such as when they fail to see your point in a discussion. Try to understand their views and situation. Discuss things with them patiently until you reach an agreement.

III. OUTLINING A CAMPAIGN PLAN

A. Deine clearly:

1.What the issue is, 2.Who are affected by it, 3.How and why they are affected by it and 4.What your stand is.

B. Also deine clearly:

1. What you would like to achieve – i.e. your objective – in campaigning on the issue; 2. What your advocacy calls will be; 201