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WSF 2011: Searching For Direction In People's Movements

By Sachin Kumar Jain

09 March, 2011
Countercurrents.org

The World Social Forum (WSF) came into being to explore a possibility. We knew that a society built on the superstructure of the current global economy based on capitalist policies could never be free from feudal and colonial exploitation. We needed to dream of building a new world and have faith in our ability to create such a world. But building a new dispensation would require analyzing and reviewing the direction in the world is proceeding. So we decided to gather together every year in this forum to examine where our world is heading.

This year's WSF organized in Senegal was significant for two reasons. First, it was organized on African soil. Second, the people's movements and activist groups who assembled in Dakar sought to understand how they could strengthen themselves for their struggle to change the political contours of the world. The organization of the event may have been found wanting in many ways but it nevertheless provided the ideal opportunity to examine the critical Middle East and African question in contrast to Democracy and Social Change enigma. .

It was a time of turmoil in the region. Even as 50,000 people gathered to explore the way to democracy and happiness, in neighboring Egypt hundreds of thousands of people came out into the streets to free themselves from the clutches of dictatorship and fight for the restoration of democracy in their country. It was an exhilarating experience to watch people at the forum excitedly discussing Egypt and tracking whether Hosni Mubarak had abdicated power or not. A large rally was organized in Dakar in support of the people's movement in Egypt , which ended in a demonstration before the Egyptian embassy.

It was during these days that a similar political environment was building up in many other African and Middle East countries like Tunisia , Algeria , Yemen , Iran and Libya . And groups from around the world were rallying in solidarity with these people's movements. For those 10 days, newspapers across Africa and Europe devoted most of their space to report what was happening in Egypt and these other countries because of its spillover implications across the region. From this you can get a sense of the political climate across the Middle East and Africa .

Incidentally, around 1,000 delegates were activists from countries like Burma and Congo who had sought political refuge in France , South Africa and other countries after being forced to flee their home countries because of their participation in revolutionary struggles.

This year the focus at the Dakar forum was on international migration, democracy and the political character of different countries, the exploitation of land and natural resources, and other related issues.

Over 50,000 social activists from across the globe gathered in the first week of February in Dakar, the capital of Senegal, a country situated in the western fringe of Africa, to participate in WSF 2011. This series of global meetings has been held regularly every year ever since the first forum was organised in Porto Allegro, Brazil , in 2001. It provides a platform for social activists from across the world to share their ideas, strategies and struggles for creating a new and better world.

The first WSF was a response to the World Economic Forum organized at Davos in Switzerland . It boldly articulated the stand that it is possible to create a world in which basic human needs would gain precedence over ever-growing corporate rapaciousness and exploitation. Ten years have gone by during which WSF has sought to unite social movements across the world struggling against the forces of neoliberal capitalism and militarism, seeking a world order based on social justice and dedicated to humanity.

The chain of global meetings held in Brazil , India , Kenya and now Senegal reveal that the political orientation of not just local, national or regional forums but even the WSF is veering leftwards. In Africa this year, the attempt was once again to link local conditions with the global struggle for justice and equality.

The main agenda of the Dakar forum was the current recession in the global capitalist economy, which is impacting most severely on the poorest countries in the world. Its effects are clearly evident in the turmoil we are witnessing in the financial, energy and food sectors of most countries as well as the climatic changes taking place the world over. Privatisation of public resources under the neoliberal policies supported by global institutions like the World Bank and International Monetary Fund has had its most deleterious effect on countries in the African continent.

Keeping in mind the current global economic conditions, the Dakar forum focused on three main ideological issues: the growing criticism of capitalism, the growing strength of the struggles against capitalism and imperialism, and using democratic and traditional methods as an alternative to repression and exploitation.

The six-day forum began with a huge rally from downtown Dakar to the university, where the programmes were subsequently organized. There was unbounded enthusiasm among the participants, the diversity in the messages sporting the banners they carried and the slogans they shouted pointing to how wide range and depth of the concept of social justice. The rally ended with a speech by Bolivia 's leftist president Evo Morales. Denouncing imperialism in no uncertain terms, he underlined the importance of WSF, pointing out that it is like a school where activists learn how to develop, consolidate and strengthen their social revolutions to make them more effective.

A host of activities were planned on the forum agenda. The first day was devoted to Africa and emigrants from the continent. The daughters of Franz Fanon and Malcolm X participated in this session, discussing the legacy of their famed fathers. There was also a session chaired by former Brazilian president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva in which he urged stronger ties between African and South American countries. Brazil is not just home to WSF but to the largest number of African emigrants.

The next two days of introspection brought out the wide range of concerns and rights issues that had brought participants together from across the globe. The evenings were devoted to music and cultural programmes as well as informal meetings. The last two days were devoted to the coordinators of various organizations, networks and revolutionary groups who expounded their plans of action for a better world based on the collective thinking of the forum. The closing ceremony had organizations making their announcements and reiterating their responsibilities.

In the initial years the WSF concept was of a platform where civil society groups could sit together and reflect on their common concerns. It was conceived to assist and strengthen grass roots organizations so they could grow and develop rather than to create a one-point programme to pursue any special agenda. But the forum became increasingly open to criticism for its inability to articulate a stand on several issues, especially with many organizations coming forward to seek help for furthering their political agendas.

In the first forum in 2001, a consensus was reached on the influential role played by Washington in the privatization of global resources. In subsequent forums one sees a tendency to view governments as part of the problem. This led to the organizers excluding governments, political parties and armed terrorist organisations. However, subsequent global political developments over the past decade point to a polarization of left forces, most clearly seen in South America than elsewhere. As a result of this process most participants today enthusiastically accept the view that political parties and governments can be used as weapons to resolve the problems raised by the crisis of global capitalism.

As in previous years, most of the delegates this year were from the host nation. In addition there were large contingents from neighbouring African countries. There was also a large number of delegates from France, Senegal 's earlier colonial master. The preponderance of Francophone countries from Africa meant the language of discourse was mainly French, unlike earlier forums which were mostly multilingual. This led to many delegates from former British colonies like Nigerian and Kenya feeling a sense of neglect.

Until now, most forums had attracted more than 100,000 delegates, hence the 50,000 who congregated at Dakar made WSF2011 look comparatively small. The largest forums organized until now were in Brazil and India , which have a population far larger than Senegal 's 12 million. But since it is the host nation that usually contributes the most delegates, the Dakar forum should not be seen as being unsuccessful.

Every forum has had its own style and character. Unfortunately, the Dakar forum will be remembered for its limited size. Truly, this is unfortunate since this forum had tremendous potential. Africa is certainly no stranger to the WSF process, having hosted the forum more times than any other continent.

The Dakar forum had to contend with many logistical problems. The local committee given the responsibility of organizing the event was not up to the task. In spite of this it refused any international assistance. It was thus inevitable that the forum suffered from a problem that is the hallmark of all WSFs – chaotic organization. There was little concept of punctuality. Many delegates found it difficult to locate the venue of their sessions. The problem was compounded by the extra classes organized by the university to make up for the loss caused by a strike there a few days earlier. As a result, in many cases the students shooed the delegates away from their allocated locations. This surprised many delegates, who felt that the organizers should have made some attempt to invite students to participate. Some haphazard attempts were made to put up tents to keep the sessions going but the general confusion prevailing led to many sessions being cancelled or organized with no contrast to the schedule.

The greatest setback was the backlash from the successful rebellions in Tunisia and Egypt to overthrow their dictatorial governments. It generated a fear in Senegal 's president Abdoulade Wade that such an organized and disciplined assembly of social activists may somehow catalyse the fall of his own government. The help and permission of the host government is crucial for organizing food, housing and other necessities for such a large assembly. But in Senegal , an unwilling president tried instead to ruin the forum.

One issue of discussion in the forum was whether it is at all necessary to organize such a gathering of social activists from around the world considering the large capital expenditure involved, its organizational shortcomings and the environmental impact. What mostly happens is that NGOs with time, financial resources and visa facilities find it easier to participate in such forums than grass roots organizations, who do not have such facilities or resources.

Several activists suggested that instead of holding such forums it may be a better idea to organize virtual forums. But it should be noted in this context that, even now, face-to-face encounters are seen as better than virtual encounters, with many universities pulling back from virtual classrooms in online education to opt for actual classes instead.

Even after a decade of successful organization of these forums, the future of the WSF is still in a limbo. The international organizing committee met at the end of the Dakar forum to discuss future strategy. When the first forum was held in Porto Allegro, it was decided to hold these meetings to demand social and economic justice from the perspective of the global south. However, the original enthusiasm has paled in the face of the organizational difficulties. Many delegates would still like to come to such forums once every two years. As long as the WSF is held the fight for social justice will not falter. But there is need for a review.

 

 


 




 


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