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NEWS & LETTERS, April-May 2006World Social Forum-Bamako as Africans see itBanjul, The Gambia--The World Social Forum (WSF) is a gathering of civil society groups and movements that meets every year in order to try to find solutions to fight against the continued domination of corporation capitalism. For the first time, this year WSF changed its format from one centralized forum to a more global one with events taking place in Bamako, Mali (Jan. 19–23), Caracas, Venezuela (Jan. 24–29), and Karachi, Pakistan. The first WSF was held in Porto Alegre in 2001. The organizers say they began the forum as a response to neo-liberalism and corporate capitalism and to enable activists, NGOs and civil society groups to come together to share ideas, experiences and seek solutions. This is now the sixth year and some people at this year’s forum began to question the fact “that nothing seems to be coming out of these enormous efforts.” Holding the WSF in Mali was important to Africans for a number of reasons. First it allowed the participants to feel “more connected to the process than if it was held elsewhere.” Second, it enabled Africans to lay down their own agenda and discuss issues that are more specific to their countries and needs. Finally the forum in Bamako acted as a preliminary to WSF 2007 to be held in Nairobi, Kenya, and for the other landmark events in 2007 which will mark the 200th anniversary of the abolition of the slave trade and the 50th anniversary of Ghana's independence. There were several major themes at the WSF: War and militarism, security and peace, globalized liberalism, aggressions against peasantry, alliance between patriarchal and neo-liberal systems, and marginalization of women’s fight, culture, media and communication, destruction of ecosystems, international trade, debt and economic and social policies, social struggles, social and human rights. The report on employment and poverty was attended by male and female trade unionists, which ensured there was a gender dimension to the discussions. Many Africans ask a number of questions. The first of which is, “Who funds the WSF?” It is very difficult to determine who pays for the WSF. It is hard to find any organizations or funding bodies highlighting their role as sponsors. Their second question is, “Are grass roots organizations represented”? The answer to this highlights the problem faced by many grass roots organizations and explains why so few Africans have previously been unable to attend. Unless groups can find sponsorship from private foundations, attending is almost impossible. Do the people at the forum represent the views of the organizations they represent? There seems to be a lot of criticisms over the WSF's form, structure and decision-making. What were the focus areas in Bamako this year? What does the WSF mean for Africa? What global solution is the WSF generating? It is difficult to see exactly what has been achieved after six years of WSF forums. However it is possible that the change in format from one centralized gathering to this year’s format spread over three continents may enable more participation and decision-making at grass roots level by activists and civil society members. --Fabakary Taal, West Africa Correspondent |
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