participant_announcements

Announcing a performer- Elias of Venus!
I am Elias of Venus, an individual musical artist from Jūrmala, and I play mostly in the style of riot grrrl with elements of goth and doom. I myself an anarchocommunist, and a big part of my songs are of politically radical meaning. My lyrics often talk of feminism, anti-capitalism, injustice that transgender and queer people experience, the fight against colonialism, genocide, and war, condemnation of religious indoctrination, and basically anything that truly creates such raw emotion in me that lets me write out the rage into a song. I started this project in late 2022, and ever since have released 4 albums, 2 EPs, and 3 singles! My inspiration for this was the need to raise my voice for what I believe, and so the music I've created has helped me do so.
The book that has had the biggest impact of being sure in my radical beliefs has got to be the classic any anarchocommunist like me has probably read - "The Conquest of Bread" by Pyotr Kropotkin. It may help build a sense of sureness for the people who question if anarchy could ever work, and, in my opinion, Kropotkin has laid out the means of an anarchocommunist revolution truly the way it should be explained!
Listen to their music

Announcing a distro- Žurnāls Strāva!
The literary magazine "Strāva" has been published since 2021 and is currently the thickest and most diverse literary magazine in Latvia. It is released four times a year, offering readers insights into the latest developments in Latvian and global literature. The magazine is curated by Latvian poets and writers Anna Auziņa, Elvīra Bloma, Ieva Melgalve, Ivars Šteinbergs, and Arvis Viguls, each of whom picks a theme and carefully crafts their own issue. Younger authors are gradually joining the team, acquiring the necessary editorial skills and helping where they can as well.
So far, thirteenth issues of "Strāva" have been published, and the fourteenth is currently in preparation.
In the bookfair they will be distributing the Latvian literary magazine "Strāva", along with their latest pocket-sized book "Davai" which is a collection of short prose about the 90's and early 2000's. You'll also find a calendar themed around things not working out, plus a selection of screen-printed and upcycled t-shirts adorned with linocut art.
A book that has radicalized the makers of literary magazine "Strāva" is Donna Haraway's "A Cyborg Manifesto".
More about Žurnāls Strāva you can find

Announcing a performer- EIII!
EIII is an experimental electronic music project that blends the sounds of everyday objects and environments with elements of contemporary electronic music with an aim to create a unique, immersive experience that pushes the boundaries of how we perceive sound.
You can check out their music

Announcing a seller-P
"PSTEL PLUTO is a product of my passion for vintage lesbian pulp art, psychedelic rock and an inescapable frustration of being a wage slave, constantly gaslight into accepting apocalypse as normalcy. I can't say that a particular book radicalised me, but frequent reading-speed tests in the elementary school - sure did. I became a hater at a very young age."
You can check out some of their crafts

STEL PLUTO is a product of my passion for vintage

Announcing a distro duo- Tīna and Alex!
Kill everyone now! Condone first degree murder! Advocate cannibalism! Eat shit! Filth is my politics! Filth is my life! This year Tīna, a mixed media artist and self publisher from Latvia (that you may have seen at last year's book fair) will be teaming up with Alex, a crazy noise musician and visual artist from Czechia, to bring you the cvntiest, vulgar, hardcore patches and handmade accessories you have ever see!! Super queer, super cute, super antifascist.

Announcing a distro- Avīzes Nosaukums!
Avīzes Nosaukums (lit. Newspaper Heading), est. 2022, is an avant-garde literature, art and animal husbandry monthly. It practices radical democracy, with anyone being welcomed to apply to both publish, create and manage the magazine. Each edition has its chief editor, who is in charge of the visual design and content of the edition. This is managed, of course, by not paying anyone.
One of the most leftist, anarchist and radical magazines of the Latvian literature scene, this not being a goal but a byproduct of the modus operandi.
The book that radicalized us is, in fact, not a book but the legendary literature monthly Avots.
You can find out more about them

Announcing a performer- Kuzucuk!
Kuzucuk creates melodically layered tracks, complemented by her vocals. The genre-diverse musical background has resulted in an eclectic sound, which Kuzucuk defines as Electronic Peach Music or EPM: it’s a mix of slightly hysterical electropop and minimal synth, with a trace of darkwave and techno. Varying from stripped-down personal confessions to socio-political topics, her songs are a never-ending reevaluation of rights and wrongs.
Answering our question about what book radicalised them:
“I thought about books that have influenced me, and if I have to choose I would say Michel Foucault “Discipline and Punish”. Technically he didn’t call himself anarchist, but he certainly had the right idea.”
You can listen to their music

Announcing a distro- Luna6!
Luna6 is a community resource center in Vilnius, founded in the summer of 2019 and organized by a network of Leftist initiatives. Functioning as an autonomous infrastructure for organizing, it has since become a home to various movements and struggles.
More info on them you can find

Announcing a distro and talk- MayDay rooms!
MayDay Rooms is an archive, resource and safe haven for social movements, experimental and marginal cultures and their histories. Our archive focuses on social struggles, radical art, and acts of resistance from the 1960s to the present: it contains everything from recent feminist poetry to 1990s techno paraphernalia, from situationist magazines to histories of riots and industrial transformations, from 1970s educational experiments to prison writing. We proceed from the understanding that social change can happen most effectively when marginalised and oppressed groups can get to know – and tell – their own histories “from below.” Our archival collections challenge the widespread assault on collective memory and the tradition of the oppressed. We aim to counter narratives of historical inevitability and political pessimism with living proof that many struggles continue.

While archives often highlight the intellectual currents that have shaped radical movements, they also preserve the everyday practices—the tactics and strategies—that sustained those struggles. In this sense, archives are not simply about preserving the past; they are resources for the living movement. They function as toolboxes, holding a wealth of approaches that can be rediscovered, reimagined, and tested against today’s realities. In this talk, we’ll explore how radical archives can serve as active resources for the present, rather than simple static repositories. We will ask how they can embody the politics they preserve: through developing new free forms of dissemination, access, research, and collective education. While this historical work is a collaborative process, often open-ended, sometimes messy, and not always successful but we hope it continues to build a space of critical opposition to capitalist relations and spark the imagination for future struggles to come.
You can find out more abou them

Announcing a talk-"Enslaved By Big Tech: How We Got Into Technofeudalism" by "Eto Basis" podcast!
Podcast “It is Basis” (“Eto Basis”) seeks to answer the question of what we should do when habitual reality is in ruins. The team of the podcast with help of researchers and socio-humanitarian knowledge searches for new progressive explanatory models that can lead to global changes.

Enslaved By Big Tech: How We Got Into Technofeudalism
World is becoming more and more anxious. All technooptimist hopes of the previous century are now seeming false. New technologies do not really serve society, but rather serve the rich as a new way of extracting immense profits. Framework that can explain the current state of affairs was offered by Greek economist Yanis Varoufakis in his book “Technofeudalism”.
Although Varoufakis considers this formation to be a new one, not-capitalism-already, we can view this as a new, revolutionized stage of capitalism (as it happened during history) – and a very dangerous stage. Crucial features that can remind us of the pre-WWI period are the concentration of capital, new monopolies, super profits and global mass inequality.
What new features can we notice in the technofeudal era? Can society regulate big tech in the existing system, or wider changes are required? What perspective should the left give? Hosts of “It is Basis” and guests will offer their answers.
For the audience: for the best questions podcast will present their special stickers and book “Technofeudalism” by Yanis Varoufakis.
You can listen to their podcast episodes

Announcing a distro and a workshop!
Katrīna Tračuma is a multidisciplinary visual artist, from and based in Jelgava, Latvia. As a member of a multicultural family - with Mongolian ancestry - she considers herself to be a citizen of the world and is fluent in Latvian, Polish, Russian and English. In 2018 the artist received a Bachelor's degree in Fine Art from Crawford College of Art and Design, CIT in Ireland. In 2021 Tračuma graduated from Belfast School of Art, UU with a 1st class honours MFA degree. In 2023 the artist also successfully completed the ‘Mācītspēks’ (Teaching Strength) project and obtained an HE Diploma in Teaching Art from LU, Riga with a focus on inclusive education. The prevailing theme in the work of Katrīna Tračuma is humankind’s estrangement from nature, as viewed through the lens of our relationships with other species. Explored primarily through the medium of painting, while utilizing bright pigments and striking colour combinations. Bold brushstrokes are balanced with intricate details in a language of symbolic imagery and metaphors, drawing attention to matters of our environment in an engaging way.

BOOK THAT RADICALISED ME: ‘Racism As Zoological Witchcraft: A Guide to Getting Out’ by Aph Ko.
ORIGINAL ZINE & POSTCARDS: The ‘Grey Wolf zine’ was created as part of Drawn From Borders project led by artists for artists, that explores the concept and reality of borders. This was an opportunity for Artlink @artlinkfortdunree (on IG) members to look creatively on the events of 100 years ago, borders and Brexit and to generate a creative output in response. The resulting work formed part of a new online programme ‘Dividing Ireland’ by Tower Museum in 2020 that examines important events during 1920-22, including the Partition of Ireland.
The programme is part of the ‘Understanding the Decade of Centenaries’ project delivered by the Nerve Centre in partnership with the Tower Museum and supported by the European Union’s PEACE IV Programme, managed by the Special EU Programmes Body (SEUPB).
Pictured among the spreads of the zine, are: a gang of ginger Irish cats who are denied crossing the border at customs; a pair of "BFF" cows - one from ROI and the other from NI (attempting to kiss because they're actually lesbians and the varying LGBTQIA+ legislation on the same island of Ireland affects people differently); as well as a riddle about the distribution of resources. There is also a grey wolf in the central spread. Once seen as rabid and wild, and thus eradicated towards the end of the 18th century largely as a result of the persecution and widespread culling that took place during and after Oliver Cromwell's conquest. The complete absence of Ireland's only natural predator, as a symbol of strength, power and freedom is lost to the Irish people.
A selection of postcards, all containing an array of original painting images, will also be available. Exploring issues of speciesism, the current epoch of the Anthropocene, and all advocating for an intersectional approach.

ZINE & PRINT WORKSHOP: An opportunity to not only create your own zine, but also a chance to familiarise yourself with several fine art print techniques. Keywords - printing, collage, stamp, linocut, jelly plate, drypoint, etching. Creating Your own reflection on the topic of ‘Nationalism, patriotism, and I’. You will be provided with the necessary tools and materials, as well as guidance and assistance. If you’d like to prepare ahead of time, please think of some text - perhaps a poem - that can be included in Your zine, to go along with the created imagery during the workshop. It can be an original piece, or a short story, an inspirational quote - from a beloved author or anyone else you look up to, or that inspires You.

Announcing a performer-PLANTS & LIZARDS PLANTS & LIZARDS ARE THE OTHERED, THE UNGOVERNABLE,
THE -DIY-GENDER-BENDING-BINARY-ENDING COLLECTIVE- COMING TOGETHER TO TAKE
OUT THE T.R.A.S.H.
/chorus from NO SPACE II
AIMING UNDERGROUND
FOR THESE USED UP SPACES
FOLLOW CHANGE TO HOLLOW PLACES
CARVE OUT SPACE, YEA!
THIS IS OUR BASIS.
FACING THUNDERCLOUDS, SCREAMING TRANS LIBERATION
NO BORDERS NO NATIONS

We are excited to be in solidarity, rage and grief with you all at Riga Anarchist Fair. P&L is angry
and (organised) anarchy driven to use space to communally shout and inspire rage and
community action. We are from two to ten agitators, depending on collective overall health.
We are fans of radical literature from ‘’Abolishing the Police’’ to community publishings of ‘’How to Catch a Pig’’ to manifestos on misandry and anti-imperialism, to pamphlets on climate action and labour rights.
Join us before the show, to collectively write <3
You can check out their music
⠀

Announcing a movie screening and zine distro!
We are Freefilmers, a collective of filmmakers, artists and activists from Mariupol, Ukraine. Since 24.02.2022, we've also been functioning as a volunteer cooperative, operating in frontline areas and deoccupied territories. And we also publish zines! The first is called Zamotka, and it's about politics and food! And of course it's about why it was named Zamotka! The other is called The Contemporary History of Ukraine, and it's about Yebenya (= Bumfuck, Nowhere) and how it inspired the creation of a font. We'll also be holding a screening of two of our films. "100% OFF" is a downbeat look at looting in the besieged city of Mariupol in March 2022, when the city was in agony. "Blahodatne" is a ten-minute sketch from one of our humanitarian trips to the deoccupied territories. All the money we raise in Riga will be used to fund our volunteer activities in Ukraine.

The texts which have radicalized us:
"The queer art of failure", Jack Halberstam
"Unruly Edges: Mushrooms as Companion Species", Anna Tsing
“No One Belongs Here More Than You”, Miranda July
"Angelus Novus. On the Concept of History", Walter Benjamin
"Punk and Revolution: Seven More Interpretations of Peruvian Reality", Shane Greene
to be continued
Find out more about them

Announcing a workshop- Solidarity with anti-colonial resistance: lessons from so-called Australia
The genocide in Gaza has sparked a global movement in solidarity with the Palestinian struggle along with broader conversations about how anarchists/ radical movements can relate to and support anti-colonial resistance. In so-called Australia, a relation to Aboriginal struggle is a central and necessary condition of political movements. This has led to some powerful moments of solidarity but along the way many complex issues arise.
The first part of this workshop will be an overview of some lessons in anti-colonial solidarity from Australia, with space for questions. The remainder of the workshop will be a broader interactive discussion about these lessons and issues on a broader, global scale.

Announcing a distro- Radical theory and praxis!
Radical Theory and Praxis is a publishing coop that emerged in 2010 as an informal network of volunteers who collectively translated books into Russian in their spare time. In early 2014, it transformed into a publishing cooperative built on horizontal relationships and consensus-based decision-making. By publishing books on the history of liberation movements, social and environmental initiatives, alternative economic models, and political prisoners, we aim to inspire activists toward new achievements and to push our society toward social transformation. The collective is now based off of several countries where we try to reach the scattered Russian-speaking audience.

What book radicalised us? How Non-Violence Protects the State by Peter Gelderloos is one of the first books we published and it still keeps our readers amazed. It explains in multiple examples how the liberal discussion is shifting up towards "peaceful disobedience" and negating the power of active resistance against the state and oppression. It promotes a variety of struggle tools rather then choosing one or the other and gives historical examples of the success of direct action.
You can learn more about them

Hannah Proctor, Sam Dolbear and Sezgin Boynik will launch a new Rab-Rab book "Karl Marx in Karlsbad" at Riga Anarchist Bookfair.

Karl Marx spent three consecutive summers in the spa town of Karlsbad (now Karlovy Vary in Czechia) in 1874, 1875 and 1876. Egon Erwin Kisch’s 1946 text Karl Marx in Karlsbad reconstructs these three stays.

When Marx arrived in Karlsbad to take the waters for the first time, he was tired, tense, overworked and suffering from nervousness — in other words, he was burnt out. Years of political and theoretical work under agonising hardship and constant oppression had left Marx with pleurisy, inflammation of the lungs, inflammation of the nerves in his head, a carbuncle, a lung abscess and sciatica. Marx’s recovery in Karlsbad, surrounded by princes, ministers, aristocrats, chamber singers, adventurers, spies, and courtesans, is a story of amusing anecdotes and twists of plot.

E.E. Kisch, a worldwide renowned communist writer of reportages, described by Anna Seghers as a “detective,” investigated this lesser known period of Marx’s life and resolved some mysteries of international importance.

For the first time fully translated, the essay is introduced by its editor, Sezgin Boynik. The afterword by Sam Dolbear and Hannah Proctor explores the emotional life of Marx and his daughter Eleonor during their visits to Karlsbad, embedded within the forces of history. Dolbear and Proctor are both writers and researchers, who have previously worked together on an essay on revolutionary childhood and on radio shows on dreams, sleep, work, puppets, play, and proletarian children’s theatre.

Announcing a distro- ALL GRRRLS TO THE FRONT!.

We are ALL GRRRLS TO THE FRONT! - an anarcha feminist zine distro inspired by 90s riot grrrl zine culture, and we will be providing y'all with awesome, interesting, entertaining yet educational zines to read up on if you'd like to get educated on feminism and its connections to other stuff that, in our opinion, is way too interconnected - class struggle, capitalism, hierarchies (since patriarchy is one, too!), this global corruption overall, and also transphobia, the hidden exploitation in the SW industry and how we can liberate its workers, and even stuff like animal cruelty and how it's partly a feminist issue, too!
We'll be presenting ourselves as a team of two - Elias and Alyssa, both being just some young yet full of driving rage anarcha feminists from Jūrmala.
Alyssa once asked Elias a curiousity driven question - what's it like for a trans woman to experience misogyny? Is it different? And how does it differ? Isn't it like... A lesser form of misogyny if the medical misogyny won't be as present?
And Elias, as eager as always, went straight to the point of answering her question... Later, which was turned into their first independent zine - pt. 1 of ALL GRRRLS TO THE FRONT!, which, of course, later got a bit more reworked but still possessed the same energy that Elias wrote it with. In some weeks, this impulsive passion project already had 5 parts written.
It was intended to be a digital zine, but Alyssa was interested in helping Elias distribute it not just digitally but physically. And so, the story began like this, but yet we have no idea how it will continue - it seems in a positive direction, haha!

Also, small story times of how we were ☆radicalised☆!!!
Elias: I, myself, count myself not just an anarcha feminist but also an anarchocommunist. My interest in feminism has a long history, but let's just simplify it. It began when I began discovering my identity and place in the queer community and its action towards liberation, as the two movements are inherently linked, not to mention queerness being my first reason to enter political spaces. Later, my music taste began shifting into the alternative and punk territories - the first riot grrrl band I listened to being Jack Off Jill. I later found out that, holy SH-T, there's a whole riot grrrl movement that is geared towards radical feminism within the punk subculture, and I quickly realised... this is it. I am a part of it. In some years, I had built even a musical project that takes inspiration from the riot grrrl movement. And with every day, my empathy gets me even more radicalised and opens my eyes to why my voice is needed in this world where feminism and hierarchy abolition is even more needed.
My favourite books that fueled and probably will fuel your radicalism are The Conquest of Bread by Pyotr Kropotkin, Anarchy in the Age of Dinosaurs by Curious George Brigade, Das Kapital by Karl Marx, and to fit our theme of our lovely anarcha feminism - Feminism for the 99% by Cinzia Arruzza, Tithi Bhattacharya, Nancy Fraser, Abolition. Feminism. Now. by Angela Davis, Right-Wing Women by Andrea Dworkin (or any of her books atp), Anarchism and Other Essays by Emma Goldman, etc. Etc. I am a big book nerd, and even if I come across some problematic things in many books, I still recommend reading, reading, and READING even BAD books to develop your critical thinking that connects the dots between valuable points of the writer but also their misconceptions, which will make your perception so much more clear and authentic!

Alyssa: I can't say that I got radicalized by one particular event or book, it happened little by little.
Discovering queerness, learning about trans people, feminism in 4th grade, I remember simply not understanding why people have something against those groups.
Then, Russia invaded Ukraine, and my family, especially my father, got quite politically active and I noticed that. I remember taking a photo of my dad holding a flashlight in support of Navalny.
My classmates could probably have described me as "that one classmate that's too woke"
I discovered anarchism once I got involved with the punk subculture. The political activity was the thing that spoke to me the most, and I was actually disappointed once finding out that it's not that important in the scene nowadays.
At first, I was too afraid that anarchism is way too of a controversial ideology, but then I just stopped caring, educated myself, went to the 2024 RABF and fully adapted an anarcha feminist mindset.
The thing about myself I learned after getting involved is that community is one of my core values.
After Soviet induced generational trauma, the word comrade was nothing but a joke, a sarcastic remark to me. But now, I genuinely love this word!
The book that continues to fuel my radicalism is by Christopher Isherwood "Goodbye to Berlin"...READ IT!