Ecopoeia
| |
| Flag of Ecopoeia | |
| Motto: "Enough is as good as a feast" | |
| Ecopoeia, Tanking Sound & eastern Tavast-Carelia | |
| Region | Anticapitalist Alliance |
|---|---|
| Capital | Underhill |
| Official Language(s) | Celdonian, Caselonian, Tavast, Lengi, Paristani, Nteki, Anshase, others |
| Leader | None |
| Population | approx 14 million (capped) |
| Currency | gift |
| NS Sunset XML | |
Contents
Geography
Ecopoeia is an archipelago off the coast of the continent of Alcaera, to the east and south-east of Tavast-Carelia. The total number of islands that come under Ecopoeian jurisdiction is 79, though most of these are very small and uninhabited. Under the terms of the Constitution, only six islands have permanent settlements: Viriditas, Chryse, Isidis, Elysium, Syrtis and Hellas. The northernmost islands, including Hellas and Argyre, are a little south of the Tropic of Capricorn. They are extensively forested and have warm, wet climates. The major islands sit in the northern reaches of the Tanking Sound. The largest island by some distance is Viriditas. Syrtis, Elysium and the southern reaches of Viriditas (Ochayeopoeia) are highly mountainous, with a not insignificant incidence of earthquakes and a temperate climate. The largest mountain (Schiehallion) and longest river (Marineris) are found on Viriditas.
The Cloud-Water Community successfully had Argyre Islands placed on the World Heritage List in 2004. Controversially, The Misbehaving Sultanate of Cluichstan had the rest of the islands placed on the list in March 2006 in a bid to illustrate the deficiencies of the resolution that instated it. Subsequent negotiations have resolved the diplomatic conflict, with the result that Ecopoeia is now a declared support of repeal.
History
The Colonial Period
The earliest settlers of the Ecopoeian island chain are thought to be the Vanu’a. Subsequent migrations by Nteki and Anshasi from Alçaera's eastern seaboard, plus Tavast and Nicopolean adventuring over the course of the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries proved highly inflammatory, the islands consequently blighted by territorialism and conflict. There was certainly no sense of national identity.
In the late sixteenth century, the Mercantiles occupied the major islands and carried out systematic enslavement and oppression of the existing population. The Vanu’a were particularly resistant to this oppression and were very nearly exterminated. Relief of sorts came in the mid-seventeenth century when the Mercantiles withdrew under threat from the expansionist Celdonian, Caselonian and Guo Lengi empires.
Possession of the islands passed back and forth between these powers for around half a century, the demographic make-up of the islands drastically altering in light of not only the corresponding influxes of citizens of the empires, but also the arrival of Paristani revolutionaries and the Muslim hijra. Eventually, Celdonia established itself as the indisputable ruler and gave the islands their first enduring name, Unta (an acronym of sorts, derived from the early ethnic divisions: Vanu’a, Nteki, Tavast and Anshasi). Celdonian rule proved relatively benevolent.
Independent Unta
Unta remained a Celdonian protectorate until early in the twentieth century, when domestic problems led to the empire effectively selling the islands to locally based oligarchs of Celdonian origin in 1909. These oligarchs saw little need to seduce the islanders with promises of self-determination and representation, instead using the abandoned military facilities to subject the Untans to a new period of repression. Over time, the oligarchs condensed into a corporate government, effectively a police state.
The Bogdanovist Revolution
News of the social and political upheaval in the former colonial powers began to filter through to the Untans. Early revolutionary groups were disorganised, guileless and all too easy to pick off. However, lessons were learned and, gradually, highly co-ordinated organisations emerged. Most significant of these were the Bogdanovists, named after the fiery socialist, Arkady Bogdanov. Bogdanov’s followers made their play in 1968. Unfortunately, their fellow would-be revolutionaries were not ready and, critically, the Bogdanovists themselves had been infiltrated by government agents. The revolution was mercilessly crushed and almost all Bogdanovists that weren’t killed in battle were publicly executed shortly after. Remarkably, Bogdanov himself survived, albeit with severe burns and injuries. The other revolutionary groups retreated underground, shocked and in disarray.
The Revolutionaries Regroup
The revolution was not, however, a complete failure. It attracted the attention of the East Hackney government. Increasingly aware of its burgeoning power in Alçaera and keen to flex its muscles, the government sanctioned the smuggling of arms – the absence of which had been another major factor in the failure of the first revolution – and supplies to the islands. Contact was made with a mysterious Anshasi known only as ‘Coyote’, who introduced the Hackney insurgents to a couple of the less demoralised revolutionary cells.
Over the course of the 1970s, a disparate band of socialists, liberationists, nationalists and even environmentalists and spiritualists steadily accumulated support. The influence of the latter two groups cannot be understated. The Wilderness League, a collective of radical deep greens, engaged in a highly effective campaign to disrupt and destroy environmentally damaging projects undertaken by government-backed corporations. At the same time, the enigmatic Hiroko Ai and her disciples spread Viriditan spiritualism amongst the masses. A synthesis of Sufism, Daoism and others, the simple message of the greening force held great appeal to a generation of Untans who wanted to hear that life may yet be beautiful and peaceful.
All this may yet have been too little were it not for the emergence of more moderate figures who attracted those Untans previously put off by the extremist tendencies within the revolutionary movements: John Boone, folksy friend to the masses; Maya Toitovna, formidable driving force and early feminist icon; Frank Chalmers, unsentimental master of diplomacy. Most significant of all, though, was Nirgal. Young son of Hiroko Ai (and rumour has it, Coyote), Nirgal had the extraordinary ability to charm all who met him. Even Boone made enemies – notably Chalmers – but Nirgal was impossible to dislike. Cometh the hour, cometh the man. His crucial contribution to the movement’s politics was to unify the reds and the greens with his philosophy of ‘ecopoetry’, the beauty of the land expressed through the freedom and happiness of those who dwell on it.
The Ecopoetry Revolution
All these elements came together in the spring of 1979. Government plans to develop settled land on the edge of the town of Dorsa Brevia for industrial purposes drew the inevitable attentions of the Wilderness League. The response was extraordinary in its severity. The military were called in to make an example of the saboteurs. What the government did not realise was that Dorsa Brevia was the centre point of the revolutionary movement. The town arose almost as one to confront the military. What happened next is one of those events that goes down in history as unresolvable. Did a senior officer panic? Did the government or the contracted corporation order a display of power? Whatever the reasoning, shots were fired into the crowd. Carnage ensued. Hidden caches of armaments were emptied and the military were massacred.
News swiftly reached the capital city, Underhill. The government offices were stormed and, in the confusion, Prime Minister Phyllis Boyle was murdered. Even now, the nature of her death is not fully known. Much innuendo has been spread about Toitovna’s involvement in Boyle’s death, but no substantive proof has been offered and the accused has remained reticent on the matter.
Within a fortnight, the islands were in the hands of the provisional government. Elections followed and Mikhail Yangel was elected first President of the Community of Ecopoeia.
The Community of Ecopoeia
The honeymoon period was short. International support for the new government was in short supply. Only East Hackney and a handful of socialist states recognised the new nation at first. With time, Ecopoeia’s leaders grew bitter. The nation retreated into isolationism almost as soon as it was born. By the middle of the 1990s, cynicism and discontent was widespread. Democracy was proving increasingly illusory as the administration of Jackie Boone (daughter of John) clamped down on political freedoms. In 2001, immigration was completely halted. For the old hands of the revolution, this was a step too far. The islands had been born from multiple migrations. The ecopoets had inspired in the populace a sense of pride in their diversity; the government’s actions flew in the face of this pride. It was time for a change.
The Wertewandel Revolution
It was vital for those plotting the overthrow that violence played no part in proceedings. Over the next two years, Nirgal, the Viriditans, revolutionary Sufis and others spread their philosophy from town to town, attempting to determine what people wanted, what would make their lives better. They listened and from these discussions they formulated the concept of wertewandel – the mutation of values. People wanted something new. Meanwhile, the economy was crumbling. On 19th November 2003, crowds gathered around government offices across the nation and delegates were nominated to address the occupants. After seven hours of negotiations and demonstrations carried out in a carnival atmosphere, the government resigned. The third revolution, the wertewandel, was over.
The following weeks were crammed with public deliberation on the nature of the society that was to be formed. Finally, on 23rd December 2003, Ecopoeia – now a Cloud-Water Community – had a new constitution. Elections followed, with many figures from the nation’s revolutionary past elected to serve in the much reduced government.
The Cloud-Water Community
The Cloud-Water Community has since joined the UN and the ACA (whose members recently elected Ecopoeia its official delegate to the UN) and reversed its isolationist position, forging close ties with many nations. The first year of the Cloud-Water era has not been without its difficulties, especially regarding its crippled economy and catastrophic storms ravaging Hellas. Time will tell if the islands’ latest incarnation will be more enduring than its predecessors.
Politics
Ecopoeia prides itself on its free and open political system. To many an outsider, however, the system consists of a bewildering and unceasing avalanche of elections and referenda that rarely deliver anything like a decisive outcome.
The executive branch of the government is elected on an annual basis, on the anniversary of the wertewandel revolution (23rd December). The elected representatives are known as Speakers. With so much power devolved to the local level and the duma, some of the executive positions are largely ceremonial. However, most Ecopoeians take a relaxed approach to life and few begrudge the Speakers an easy ride.
| Speaker | Department |
|---|---|
| Peter Sumaye | Home Affairs |
| Varia Yefremova | International Relations |
| Liisa-Marija Raatikainen | the Economy |
| Sebastian de Brissac | Trade |
| Chisato Nakamura | the Environment |
| Essi Kettunen | Education |
| Uljas Kivijakola | Health |
| Catriona Bruin | Rights & Wellbeing |
| Wamai Lusweti | Industry |
| Tani Quai | Agriculture |
| Njoki Cheromei | Science |
| Melanie Rousset | Culture |
| Kinji Mizumaki | Transport |
| Rabia Hamdani | Spirituality |
| Andrew Douglas | Leisure |
| Galya Pitoeva | Legal Affairs |
| Kyle Springbank | the Wee Dram |
More to come (commentary on Constitution, elections, etc)...
Economy
Ecopoeia is indisputably a poor country. There are a variety of factors contributing to the economic malaise, historical and current. The pseudo-anarchic manner in which the country is structured certainly doesn't help matters, with no coherent national economic system in place. Many areas operate barter or gift economies and the national currency - the 'gift' - carries little value or significance.
There are signs of improvement, however. The restoration of trade with the Alçaeran nations East Hackney, Tavast-Carelia and Rehochipe has provided a real fillip and redevelopment efforts in Hellas are progressing well.
More to come...
Religion & Spirituality
Major religions: Viriditas (17%), Sufi Islam (7%), Daoism (6%). All figures approx.
Sufis: Ecopoeia is home to a small population of Sufis who arrived at the islands in the early nineteenth century following expulsion from the Hackneys. The ferocious clashes between the fundamentalist Hindu west and secular east had left little room for pacifist minority faiths. Sufis in the west were routinely executed; those in the east regarded themselves as fortunate to escape with banishment.
Sufism has had an appreciable impact on both spiritual and political life in Ecopoeia; indeed, it was a major inspiration in the emergence of the eco-spiritualist Viriditas movement that played such a major role in the 1979 'ecopoesis' revolution. Unlike Viriditas, however, Sufism is not now in decline in Ecopoeia.
More to come...
Demography & Languages
Population: 14 million (approx; capped)
Major Settlements Underhill (the capital, Chryse, 290,000 inhabitants), Burroughs (Isidis, 330,000), Sabishii (Viriditas, 270,000), Senzeni Na (Viriditas, 260,000), Odessa (Hellas, 80-140,000 - estimates vary due to influence of storms), South Fossa (Isidis, 90,000), Echus Overlook (Chryse, 70,000), Acheron (Viriditas, 70,000)
Principal languages: Celdonian, Caselonian, Tavast, Lengi, Paristani, Nteki, Anshase
International Affairs
Former Delegate of Anticapitalist Alliance (ACA)
Current Chair of Alçaeran Union (AU)
Member of: United Nations (UN), Red Liberty Alliance (RLA) Central Soviet, United Nations Old Guard (UNOG), Green Think TankACA ambassador to: the Anarcho Communist Alliance (tACA), The Order of Valiant States, International Democratic Union (IDU), Lavinium
Puppet Nations
The following may be regarded as expressions of Ecopoeia, each embodying a concept or group that shape the nation. Ecopoetry (and its synonyms) was at the heart of the 1979 revolution; Cloud-Water (resistance to definition) and Wertewandel (the mutation of values) the velvet revolution of 2003. Werteswandel (a linguistic corruption) has been claimed as a badge of honour by a minority that feel Ecopoeia has unwisely eschewed full liberation from government action. Viriditana represents the Viriditas cult, Rice and Salt the moderate Sufis of Syrtis that have not fully embraced the more permissive elements of Ecopoeian culture.
Cloud-Water - Allied States of Euroislanders
Ecopoesis - The Order of Valiant States
Ecopoesy - IDU
Ecopoetry - tACA
Ecopoets - Lavinium
Rice and Salt - Role Play University
Wertewandel - UNOG Works Canteen
