A Report from the World Social Forum

Another World is Possible
A Report from the World Social Forum
By Mike Rhodes

The sixth World Social Forum (WSF) is in full gear in Caracas Venezuela. With dozens of simultaneous events taking place all over town, most participants are limited to attending two or three activities a day.

The purpose of the WSF is to bring together activists from around the world under the theme that Another World is Possible. Although final numbers are not yet available it is expected that there are about 100,000 delegates at this years events.

Participants arriving by plane landed at the Caracas Airport, where many had a long wait to get into town. The regular road to the city was out and busloads of participants were sent on a long and winding detour over a mountain.

The WSF officially started on Tuesday, January 24 with a 60,000 person march through town. See the IMC story and photos about the march at: http://www.indybay.org/news/2006/01/1797969.php

The next day scheduled meetings, speeches, forums, and other events began. Many participants at this years WSF have complained of poorly organized events that have been cancelled without notice, the large distances between activities, and the lack of communications about events that happen with little or no notice. There is also a “Tower of Babel” phenomena with dozens of languages spoken and very few of the events being translated. Spanish is the primary language in use.

In spite of these criticisms the mood at the WSF is upbeat and optimistic. Paul LouLou Chery, Secretary General of the Confederation of Haitian Workers said the WSF was a great opportunity to meet others. Chery said “we are here to discuss our successes and failures...we are looking for a new path.” Chery said he was hopeful because so many people had come together to share their experiences and learn from each other. He concluded, “the decision to have this event in Venezuela was appropriate because this country is an inspiration to the world.” He was talking about President Hugo Chavez’s independent politics that are using Venezuela’s resources to benefit the people of this country and are sometimes confrontational with the United States.

Maria De La Villanueva, a community radio journalist from Venezuela, had another perspective on the WSF. Villanueva said “there are two views about the purpose of the WSF. The WSF brings together two different groups. It brings together grassroots activists from popular organizations around the world and workers with Non Governmental Organizations (NGO’s).” According to Villanueva these two groups have two significantly different perspectives. She said “the participants from the NGO’s largely look at how they can ‘help’ the poor. The grassroots activists are working for structural economic and social change” that will bring about a more just world. The WSF provides an opportunity for these groups to come together and discuss the issues surrounding these strategies for social change.

Villanueva says there is a discussion within the organizing body of the WSF to analyze the outcome of the events discussions. One view is that it is enough to bring everyone together for five days of discussions. Whatever comes out of those discussions and the networking that takes place during those days is the purpose of the WSF. The alternative to this approach is to have proposals and a process that would develop a political strategy.

At the workshops, participants are sharing an enormous amount of information. At a workshop held on Thursday (January 26) looking at the social movements in Latin America, participants heard first hand accounts from numerous countries. One panel member from Bolivia spoke about the recent electoral victory of Evo Morales. He described the building of the popular movement that included three sectors - unionized agricultural workers, the indigenous movement, and organizations working to stop privatization. Evo Morales was dependent on the grassroots movement for his election and will be held accountable to carry out their demands. This is in stark contrast to the situation in Venezuela where there is not a strong popular movement. While the left holds state power in Venezuela, they are in a precarious position to maintain and advance the revolution without a popular movement. That is the challenge in Venezuela - to build a popular movement that will defend the advances being made and hold elected leaders accountable.

There were also speakers at this workshop from Mexico, Ecuador, and Colombia. The speaker from Mexico was optimistic that the July 6, 2006 elections in that country will see a progressive candidate elected president. He said that the winds of change from South America will blow North to Mexico this year. With left, indigenous, or socialist leaders elected in Chile, Bolivia, Uruguay, Venezuela, Brazil, and Argentina there is a great deal of enthusiasm and hopefulness about this regions ability to determine its own destiny.

At an earlier workshop, held on Wednesday, Grace Loumo, executive director of Aware-Uganda spoke about women’s rights. Loumo said “women are still fighting for the right to own property in Uganda.” She said “women are themselves treated like property by their husbands. We do not even have the legal right to own an animal.” Conference participants pointed out that the new Venezuela constitution gives women many new rights including valuing the work they do within their homes. Loumo was excited to have the opportunity to meet with women from throughout the world to discuss strategy and compare notes.

The new Venezuela constitution, adopted in 1999, says: The State guarantees equality and equity between men and women in the exercise of their right to work. The State recognizes work in the home as an economic activity that creates added value and produces social welfare and wealth. Housewives are entitled to social security.

At a workshop about developing a progressive world television network featuring a presentation by Gore Vidal, hundreds of participants waited for over an hour before someone took the microphone. The announcement was made that their was no sign of Vidal or the workshop organizers and that we should make the best use of the time. The speaker offered the microphone to whoever had something to say. Speakers immediately lined up and a translator (English/Spanish) was found. The first speaker, Anne Hess from Norway, implored the audience to think of the world as they would their home. Anne said “everyone needs enough to eat, they need a roof over their heads, and medicine when they are sick.” This simple story received loud applause from the audience.

In an attempt to clarify the purpose of the events at the WSF, the organizers issued the following statement:

The co-organized activities aim to give visibility to the methods of presenting the debate to the treatment of the themes that have arisen from the historical process of political accumulation of the World Social Forum. These themes are considered to be relevant for the consolidation of campaigns promoting some of the issues addressed in the co-organized activities. The co-organized activities should guarantee a plurality of political perspectives and give visibility to the positive dimensions in relation to the debate themes in question.

Considering that the WSF will be happening in Venezuela for the first time, it is important that the co-organized activities contain a dialog dimension between the WSF process and the Venezuelan organizations, facilitating the diffusion of issues and experiences addressed along the history of the Forum.

The co-organized activities should also contribute to get the Forum in Caracas closer to its polycentric dimension. Some of the panels will function as “windows” for the Forums in Bamako (Mali) and Karchi (Pakistan), as colleagues from Asia, Africa, and Europe participate as speakers on panels in Caracas. The composition of the panels must guarantee gender and regional balance and an equitable representation of networks and campaigns. As well, panels must be balanced between intellectuals and other people that may have important contributions on the political reflections and actions in the international movement of resistance to neoliberalism.

The World Social Forum, as a space for debate, articulation, interchange and convergence, intends to construct a critical vision and to develop alternatives. These alternatives are expressed in the development and practices of a popular movement that challenges neoliberal policies through mobilization, both from inside and outside the state apparatus (End of statement).

Additional reports and photos from this week’s events will be posted to this Indymedia site. For more information about the World Social Forum, see http://www.forumsocialmundial.org.br

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Additional Note:

There will be a National Solidarity Conference on Venezuela March 4-6 in Washington DC. For more information call 202 544-9355 or email nicanet [at] afgj.org