I met Wam Kat in 1999 in the Netherlands. He had set up a European youth forum there for the protection of forests, the promotion of sustainable energy, and a place to bring like-minded, optimistic and idealistic people together. Wam never said no to an idea. Whoever wanted to organize an action could always count on his support, even if it seemed like there was no money. Wam’s motto was “We’ll find a way to get financial support.” This attitude continued to surprise people. In 1981, Wam was co-founder of the Disaster Plan–Kitchen, which did things like provide food to the thousands of protesters at a nuclear facility.
In the war-ravaged former Yugoslavia, he was a peace activist for eight years. These days, Wam works at Fläming Kitchen, an international mobile kitchen that provides meals at all kinds of protest events. In 2008, he wrote a vegetarian cookbook, Rezepte zur 24 Kulinarischen Weltverbesserung (Recipes for 24 Culinary World Improvements), in which he explained the relationship between eating and politics. It’s out in German, because after Bosnia he settled near a former East German village, where he continues to live and work.
Wam is always busy making the world a little prettier and more pleasant, shaking people up, and inspiring people—and providing them with honest and delicious food!
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Photo: flickr/judo10
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