Co-Manifesto 1.0: Building a radically collaborative world

Martin Luther King had one. And so did Marx and Engels. Also John F Kennedy as well as the philosopher Bertrand Russell and scientist Albert Einstein: a manifesto. Many great minds and moments in the past have been fuelled by a manifesto, a published verbal declaration of intentions. In recent years, the manifesto has seen a rise again and there are currently hundreds of manifestos out there - from very famous ones such as the Occupy Wall Street Manifesto , the Holstee Manifesto or Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution to smaller yet not less strong ones such as the WE SHAPE TECH’s manifesto for women in tech. And now Impact Hub Zürich has one too. At least as a first prototype.

The role of a manifesto

A manifesto is first and foremost a very powerful tool to state and present one’s intentions, be it by an individual, group, political party, organization, community or government.

The word itself is derived from the Latin word manifestum, meaning ‘to make clear/visible or to reveal‘. In that sense, a manifesto outlines what you set out to achieve. It is your aim or purpose. In its role as being a verbal declaration, it is also an announcement that creates the future you desire. In linguistic terms, a declaration is the opposite of a description. When we describe things we merely note how it appears to us, stating the status quo. Declarations are not descriptive, they are creative and they are aspirational. Finally, a manifesto is something that is shared publicly. Whether that means posting it on the internet for the world to see or sharing it with a group of friends. In either way, you make it available rather than keeping it locked in a drawer.