Summary

This constitutes a narrative of how came to be, from a critique of the co-opting of the free software community by surveillance capitalists, and the failure to reform our main event from within, the following creation of an off festival to call for awareness, and the final move to fork into something completely different.

1. Before OFFDEM

Growing awareness of the shortcomings of the free software community
The danger of corporate sponsors, and how to fund a community event differently
When we realized the funding source might not be the only issue (i.e., politics)

A quarter before FOSDEM’s 20^th anniversary, we published a short post announcing OFFDEM:

Why OFFDEM?

FOSDEM is approaching its 20 year anniversary.

It is customary to many large festivals to have an Off version at the margin of the main festival, to give space to proposals that are not represented in the official one.

The idea of OFFDEM is to address intersectional questions that are not present at FOSDEM, in a format that attracts people who usually do not go there: at OFFDEM, everyone is a user.

FOSDEM misses cosy and quiet spaces for collectives to meet, focus, hack and work together in good conditions, away from the noise and seasonal rain, shielded from the usual stress of too much sollicitation and perceptual saturation ; the main attraction of OFFDEM should be its absence of both concurrent tracks and a main track, so that ad-hoc organization, free conversation and unexpected activities can take place.

OFFDEM should also act as an overflow mechanism for a number of free software groups that could not obtain a devroom due to the saturation of physical space at FOSDEM.

The idea came from the conjunction of two processes:

the feeling that another type of free software gathering is needed, more radical, and more focused on intersectional topics, gathering concerned citizens and everyone who falls under the unique vocable of user, unfolding the diversity and exploring the complementarity of the people usually left aside of the programming elites of “open-source”;

a growing discontent with the evolution of FOSDEM: cultivating social grouping, accepting questionable sponsors that fail to address our concerns against surveillance capitalism.

This situation made us will to create an alternative event to FOSDEM that would break down the barriers between communities, provide an inclusive space for people from different disciplines to be considered not only as end-users but as accomplices in the production of new techniques that support social change and the Commons.

2. The OFFDEM Manifesto

Keeping surveillance capitalists at bay
The path is the goal: presence, conviviality, collaboration, continuity
A focus on building tomorrow today

3. Sharing is Caring

Consolidating the ways of OFFDEM
- Self-organization
- The undocumented citizens’ hospitality (food and shelter)
- Good food and solidarity
- Working groups and the general assembly
- Decentralization
Passing on the Flame

https://oxygen.offdem.net/pub/event-methodology

4. From Then On

Here, OFFDEM 0x04, the fifth edition is the first one with decentralized events: the usual gathering in Brussels on the first week-end of February will happen, to keep the clock ticking, since the dates are ingrained in our collective mindset — and a new volunteer team stepped up to organize it. Another event will take place all the way across Europe, in Crete, a couple of months later Who knows, maybe other small free software gatherings will sprout this or next year… One thing is certain: we need more small groups gathering and working together on addressing pressing issues, and share their achievements with everyone, to grow knowledge and know-how, critical spirit and digital technologies that count to bring forth affordances for the whole of humanity, with the hope to live, think, and act together in peace and freedom.^[1]

How to organize an OFFDEM event? - OFFDEM

God willing, we will prevail, in peace and freedom from fear, and in true health, through the purity and essence of our natural… fluids.

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Writing our story of OFFDEM

Summary

1. Before OFFDEM

2. The OFFDEM Manifesto

3. Sharing is Caring

4. From Then On