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Pink bra in exchange for printer

Pink bra in exchange for printer

FREE MARKET is an alternative Christmas market in Minsk – it works without money and with the belief in people’s thrift.

Author: Mila Kotka 04.01.2012 12:51

111228 Kotka Freemarket.mp3

The aim of the market is to provide people with Christmas presents and to draw attention to senseless consumption that increases tenfold during Christmas holidays.

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“We support the idea of self-made presents”, - explains Asya, organizer of the market and activist of the youth educational centre “Fialta”. – We are also urging people to exchange something they do not need for presents instead of buying them in shops”.

What free presents can be found at FREE MARKET? They are the same as in most European “flee markets” – books, magazines, discs, a printer, postcards, beads, badges and even a pink bra!

Nobody bothered to wrap the presents because they did not have to be sold – everything was piled. However, visitors liked it.

Visitors Dasha and Vera: “You can dig in the pile and look at everything! The modern world lacks this feeling of searching – everything can be found easily and ordered online. And here you look through a number of unnecessary items and suddenly you find what you need! Here it is!”

There were workshops at FREE MARKET too: making beads and candles. Austrian volunteer Maks brought his own professional camera and lighting and organized a photo workshop.

“People create their composition, I set up the lighting and take pictures and they can send the photo to somebody or print it”, - said Maks.

Euroradio also organized a workshop: how to make the most ecological Christmas tree. Do you know how to do it? You should make it yourself! Our tree was made of white paper (the white symbolized dreams about snow this winter) and of waste linoleum. Isn’t it beautiful?

By the way, the alternative market was organized in the recently repaired “Art-manor” situated in the first floor of “Horizont” firm. It takes a lot of time to find it.

“We would not be able to accept a lot of people here so we did not advertise the market”, - says organizer Asya and adds that the youth centre “Fialta” is going to attract people by the number of events rather than by their large scale. It means that we can expect a few more “Free Markets” next year.