hambi bliebt
For over a decade in West Germany, energy producer RWE has been excavating brown coal from what is now the largest open pit coal mine in Europe. With at least one reported “accidental” death of a journalist at the hands of German police in defense of RWE, local activists have continued a strong resistance against RWE advancements with Hambacher Forst (Hambi), an old-growth forest, being the landmark territory of conflict.

I spent a week on the front lines after contacting the “Hambi Bleibt” admin on Twitter. Comrades kindly welcomed me and offering me food and a tent for the duration of my trip. Looking back, now with the town Manheim cleared for excavation (the last traces of it seen here in these pictures) and the fate of Morschinich yet undecided, the whole scenario merely indicates the vicious flow of techno-capital.

Sure, the state offers relocation to the residents of a town set to be cleared for land exploitation, but what about memory? What about all of the essence of a place that we create during our existence within it? What if we don't agree to a forced relocation? With no regard for these questions, techno-capital must always accelerate toward greater and greater production at the expense of all Life.

Hambi still stands, but for how long?