2 February 2007
The World Social Forum was held in Africa for the first time earlier this month. For five days, more than 50,000 people gathered in Nairobi, Kenya, to discuss the most pressing issues affecting social, economic and environmental justice in the world today – to voice outrage, to celebrate progress, and to inspire each other.
Turnout was lower than expected and considerably lower than in past years, when up to 200,000 people attended the Forums held in Porto Alegre, Brazil, and Mumbai, India. The lower numbers were due, in part to the relative lack of participation by Kenyans. This was significant because local residents typically make up the bulk of attendees. Indeed, a dispute arose over fees charged for entry, which prompted a protest and direct action by Kenyans who demanded and eventually received a waiver of registration fees. While the event placed African struggles and activists in the limelight, according to some commentators, it also showcased Africa’s weaknesses, laying bare the resource constraints facing African civil society and the moral and political compromises which can arise in their wake.
The motto of the social forum may be “another world is possible,” but the event itself was not able to escape the realities of the world, in which money talks – and divides – through its power to buy access, privilege, and voice. For example, many participants were aghast at the ubiquity of Celtel’s logo (a cellular telephone company that had exclusive rights to sell mobile phone services – and advertise – at the WSF) and at the high price of food and water inside the venue. This commercial presence sparked concerns about the corporatization and elite capture of the Forum.
Pambazuka news director, Firoze Manji, remarked that the Forum resembled “a trade fair” where “those with greater wealth had more events in the calendar, larger (and more comfortable) spaces, more propaganda – and therefore a larger voice.” In this context, Manji argued, international NGOs essentially bought a greater presence at the Forum than social movements and local organizations could afford, although the latter had messages that are equally, if not more important and pertinent to share.
Glossy publications, bedecked stalls, electronic equipment, and prominent event posters were perhaps the most visible markers of the more well-endowed groups participating in the Forum, but they weren’t the only indications of the divisions manifest at the gathering. Certain activist communities set up separate spaces outside of the shared forum venues. While the designated areas helped to concentrate attention on specific issues, the tendency to retreat into “silos” highlighted the need for greater linkages between communities, beyond the informal networking that takes place at events like the WSF.
For example, although concerns about the violation of rights were at the heart of many of the issues that were raised at the Forum, the majority of sessions which explicitly focused on human rights were housed in a separate tent from other activities. The concentrated attention to human rights and the continuous program of seminars addressing this issue throughout the Forum were encouraging. However, the isolation of the human rights events in their own tent not only reflected the privileged facilities that more well-resourced groups enjoyed at the WSF, it also hinted at a deeper and more worrying tendency within civil society: the segregation and “professionalization” of human rights. This trend effectively relegates human rights discourse and activism to the domain of “experts” and distances it from grassroots struggles. At one session, Mary Robinson, former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, acknowledged this phenomenon and made a strong call for greater collaboration between human rights, development, and environmental activists.
Despite all these concerns, there is much to praise about the WSF…not least, its diversity. One could find a bit of everything in Nairobi, from discussions on racism and panels on labor movements, to talks on HIV treatment and solar cooking classes; from debates on agricultural trade and sessions on anti-privatization strategies, to protests against war and exhibits of crafts from women’s cooperatives. Amidst the various issues, however, several themes emerged as particularly salient: economic justice; war and militarization; and natural resource control.
Economic justice and global inequality were a central focus of many of the activities at the Forum. There were myriad seminars on the impacts of economic globalization and the role of multinational companies and international institutions in capitalist expansion. Reflecting the heightened focus on Africa, where small-scale farmers suffer at the hands of a grossly skewed international trade regime, the issues of agricultural trade, corporate promotion of input-intensive farming, and impacts on local producers were also central. Economic Partnership Agreements (e.g., trade deals between African and European nations) also commanded considerable attention, and during the Forum hundreds marched in downtown Nairobi, protesting the unfair terms of these agreements.
One issue which unified activists from across the globe was the call for an end to war and increasing militarization throughout the world. At numerous discussions and marches, speakers and protesters vocally denounced the bellicosity and imperial designs of the United States, as well as abuses by other governments, such as that of Sudan, where violence adds to the daily toll of poverty and disease.
As the world, and particularly Africa, witnesses a heightened scramble for natural resources, driven by (and, in turn, driving) the rise in commodity prices, rapid population growth and excessive consumption, there is a growing consciousness about the heavy burden of this exploitation on people and the environment. It was no surprise, therefore, that so many sessions at the Forum addressed the issue of natural resources. Several events brought together representatives of communities affected by oil, gas, mining, and logging, to share their experiences and discuss emerging campaigns, such as the initiative to End Oil Aid and the Publish What You Pay coalitions, both of which are rapidly expanding in Africa. Land rights and the status of cultural minorities were other prominent themes addressed by groups from around the world, who shared experiences, critiqued market-based (and often World Bank-supported) land reforms, and presented best practices regarding the evolution of land tenure laws and cultural safeguards.
What was a surprise, perhaps, was how little emphasis was placed at the Forum on climate change. Although global warming, its impacts and potential solutions were addressed in a number of sessions, there were no prominent banners, high-profile panels, or marches concerning this pressing issue. This relative lack of attention could be an indication that, particularly in Africa, climate issues continue to take a backseat to other more apparent causes and manifestations of economic inequality, poverty and injustice – despite the fact that the continent is expected to suffer disproportionately from the effects of global warming.
The common thread throughout many of the sessions was a critique of capitalism and the international powers that undergird the increasingly unequal global economy – among them, the major international financial institutions. With regard to the latter, there is little question that the dominant sentiment at the Forum was one of disdain for the role that the World Bank and IMF have played in promoting the expansion of global capital and the neoliberal agenda – to the detriment of the poor and the planet. In particular, there was a lot of energy and momentum around calls for debt cancellation, repudiation, and audits of the international financial institutions to whom so much of the debt is owed. Debt groups, including prominent coalitions like Jubilee South, were represented in “full force” at the Forum. They held lively marches and cordoned off a “debt free zone” inside the Moi International Sports Stadium which housed the week’s events. Other groups discussed alternatives to the current international financial system – such as ways for governments to tax and regulate international investors and corporate actors more effectively, and more democratic ways to direct and manage aid flows. Many people shared concerns about the pitfalls of massive infrastructure development – large dams, roads, and electricity grids that are designed to serve big business – and the role that public banks, like the African Development Bank and European Investment Bank, are playing to promote a big infrastructure agenda in Africa. One can’t help but wonder, did the World Bank and IMF representatives who sat inconspicuously taking notes in session after session, capture those critical voices? Did they hear the messages that participants were sending?
For all the discussion that was had in and between seminars, many questions remain unanswered after Nairobi – not just the big ones such as how to solve the world’s problems, but more immediate issues about the future of the Forum. Will there be such a gathering again, and what will be done to ensure an open, equitable, and fertile space for movement building? These questions are not just for the organizers’ to wrestle with, but for each of us to contemplate as we work locally and globally to create another world.