nope

NOPE! is a collection of lefties of various persuasion - autonomists, anarchists, socialists, queers, followers of black-consciousness, radical feminisms, even a Trot or two - all of whom are unsatisfied with the political options presented to us by way of the elections. NOPE! refuses the logic of election politics because we refuse to accept that a small cross on a ballot can ever constitute democracy; can ever substitute for what we can achieve together as friends and comrades. We seek vibrant critical space beyond politics-as-usual, to configure a society of equality and justice. And we welcome all who share this commitment.

NOPE! is an experiment in how to create non-bureaucratised, anti-authoritarian political space. Some of us are working actively against the state-form, others against the party-form, all of us are disgruntled with the manner in which representational politics is organised, and in particular how it forecloses experiments in self-governance, and limits the plausibility of political encounters which are not already scripted by sectarianism, dull methodologies of practice, and political stereotype. We see our work as prospecting for new ideas, new terms of political engagement.

We value direct action, the right to intervene directly into our skewed and unjust world without the mediation of professional politicians and bureaucrats. We get our authority from a shared sense of outrage at how incompetent our professional representatives have been in the task of post-apartheid transformation. We orient around the idea that ordinary people can accomplish extraordinary feats when we find each other, and find the bravery to interrupt the status quo.

Contact us on This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it and find us on Facebook.