- The Guardian
- Issue #2115
Interviewer: Melbourne comrade
Guardian: why did you start Prolewiki?
I noticed how both on online and party discussions we tend to reiterate the same subjects because there is a lack of centralisation of critique. The encyclopedic form, along with the wiki format, allows us to collect information and update it very easily to accurately and scientifically portray many subjects under a Marxist understanding, along with citations of authors which guides readers towards further research. It was inspired by Wikipedia, which has the same principle, but operates under a liberal/libertarian administration, often reverting edits which are outside liberal ideology
G: How would you describe the ideological leanings of Prolewiki?
We are guided by Marxism-Leninism, but we don’t just study Marx, Engels, Lenin and try to understand the modern world with them. The world which we live is quite different from the world which these authors lived. But they are the kernel of everything else. Marxism-Leninism alone does not answer all the problems of our era, such as the climate urgency, the treatment and understanding of LGBT groups and how we should relate to them, the nature of the Russian and Chinese economies and how they relate to the world market, etc. These are matters which concern those who are attempting to portray these social phenomena, and which has no precedent in classical Marxist literature. So we need to resort to authors, not necessarily Marxists, who have extensively studied these topics. This is not strange in Marxism either, as Marx and Lenin used works of bourgeois authors to compile and synthesise their theories. Amongst the editorship, there is a varied analysis of these and other topics, like in every healthy Marxist organisation, and we have informed debates and critiques which improves our political line. The results of our findings we publish on our articles, open to be criticized by readers as well.
G: What sort of feedback have you had ?
We have articles on a wide range of topics, and editors aren’t always able to correctly portray a particular subject. Sometimes party members have reacted negatively to our portrayal of their organisations, or some people have called to our attention that a subject was not correctly portrayed. They reach us through our social media, or they happen to comment on it during our recruitment or propaganda campaigns.
G: Were there any surprises with Prolewiki?
Yes, our organisation has expanded to the point where we have editors in every continent except Africa. We also managed to cultivate a welcoming community, with spaces directed for discussions on mental and physical health for every member. This is a positive development which I believe every communist organisation should learn from. Moments for entertainment are essential in maintaining morale and strengthening our relationships in our class war against the bourgeoisie.
G: How can people help with Prolewiki if they wish to do so?
As a sympathiser, you can share our work and project with your comrades. As a reader, you can contribute to edits which improve our articles, now that we’ve recently adopted a feature which allows us to receive edits from readers which we moderate. As an editor, you can contribute to the direction of the project by making and voting on proposals, as well as contributing to articles without moderation (though still facing scrutiny of the editorship). Editors who show commitment to the project can eventually contribute to management of the project. We recently had elections and voted in two administrators after substantial contributions to our encyclopedia. We also accept financial donations from anyone interested in contributing with the costs of maintaining a website and promoting the project.
G: Before Prolewki were there any other similar leftist websites?
Yes, and your question made me realise I left out another inspiration for ProleWiki. There is another project, also based on Wikipedia, called ‘Leftypedia’ which adopts a “catch-all” policy of allowing editors from many spectres of “leftist” philosophy, ranging from anarchism to social-democracy. I thought it would be more useful to the working class if there was a centralised website with Marxist-Leninist principles. And we went one step further and also expanded our project to other languages, while Leftypedia only offered content in English.
G: What articles on Prolewiki are you most proud of?
Our article on Fascism is very accurate and well sourced. While it’s short, I also like how our article on Stalin turned out.
G: Are there any questions you yourself would like to ask the CPA?
How Australia relates to the world market in terms of unequal exchange and imperialism, and what justifies the Australian bourgeoisie rallying up against China?
G: Final question, is there anything you’d like to say to readers?
Always be critical! It’s through critique that we advance our knowledge and understanding, as well as the strength of our party.
To quote Mao Zedong, “If we have shortcomings, we are not afraid to have them pointed out and criticised, because we serve the people. Anyone, no matter who, may point out our shortcomings. If he is right, we will correct them. If what he proposes will benefit the people, we will act upon it.” ϑ
