Future projects

Open Trade Network just-trade event and forum

Open Trade Network is based on the premise that trade – one of the most fundamental and important of human interactions and a part of the bedrock on which society is established – should consist of the fair exchange of goods valued according to their true worth. Historically, the marketplace has been one of the core institutions at the very centre of communities. However, in the last century it has been displaced by the advent of supermarkets, malls and hypermarkets, and as a result those who relied upon access to the market as for a forum for trade are being forced out of business.

We believe that the current dominance of large corporations amounts to a closed monopoly, which excludes smaller businesses. The aim of our organisation is actively to support local and independent alternative producers. We run events which help, we hope, to encourage the development of links between them, and to nurture strong diverse communities of local independent businesses with strong fraternal trading links between them. We have organised and taken part in a number of trade events, in Britain and abroad, all of which promote an alternative trade model to that of ‘liberal’, unregulated ‘free’ trade.

From the 26th to the 28th August 2006 we will be running a just-trade event in Norwich, hopefully in a central area of the city, with ancillary events such as music, presentations and discussions. At the centre of this event will be an independent food and crafts market, and we would like to offer as many producers as possible the opportunity to hold a stall at it. Stallholders will not be charged ‘rent’ for their plot, neither will there be a levy on their earnings. Open Trade Network will make a small charge for the organisation, publicity and running costs. However, the aim of OTN – a non-profit making organisation – is to provide open access to the market-place, so as much as possible we will be keeping those charges to a minimum. We want it to be a large, exciting, vibrant event. This is our way of encouraging and fostering change.

For further information contact:

Rashid Luqman at:

(Note that the email addresses will have to be copied into your email programme by hand. This is in order to prevent spam.)

Tel: +44-870-730 3132

Among our future projects are:

• to extend the Open Trade initiative in market creation to other cities in Europe, as well as linking up with compatible and sympathetic market initiatives
• to create a database of manufacturers, producers, craftspeople and traders well disposed towards the themes of Open Trade
• to begin to link up such traders in journeys to open markets
• to serve manufacturers, producers, and craftspeople from our own countries, but also from Third World countries to get their produce and products into markets and into buyers’ hands
• to campaign for acceptance of the key insights of Open Trade
• to work towards the legitimation of the use of gold and silver coinage in trade again
• to train young people practically in the healthy processes of Open Trade
• to publish literature, both pamphlets and scholarly books on the merits of Open Trade and ways to go about it
• to develop the consultancy aspect of Open Trade Network to being a truly effective means of propagating the practice of Open Trade among allies and those sympathetic, and those simply wanting to get out of the self-destructive and suicidal mode of our late capitalist society
• to forge alliances with individuals, groups and organisations whose aims are harmonious with those of Open Trade

17 May, 2007 23:07