numero 1 du vendredi 10 - Le Forum Social Africain
Transcrição
numero 1 du vendredi 10 - Le Forum Social Africain
Un autre monde est possible Lundi 31 janvier 2005 - N° 5 - Quotidien du 5ème Forum Social Mondial - Porto Alegre FSM 2007 Rejet d’un forum «labelisé Sheraton» PAGE 5 ÁFRICA E BRASIL Uma ponte é possível PAG. 3 FSA tenta mobilizar o mundo para 2007 5e Forum Social Mondial Porto Alegre, 26 - 31 janvier 2005 DIÁLOGO SOBRE O FSM EM ÁFRICA FSA tenta mobilizar o mundo para 2007 Com dados – o relatório de actividades desenvolvidas pelo Fórum Social Africano de 2001 a 2005 -, Taoufik Ben Abdalah mostrou aos participantes do ´Dialogos sobre o fórum 2007 em África´, realizado ontem, 30, no espaço B do território social africano, que o processo de construção do FSM já come-çou, tem projectos e uma visão própria para o evento. A Indía, o Brasil e a Europa aprovaram esse pensamento singular, apresentaram sugestões e se disponibilizaram a apoiar onde, como e quando o FSA quiser. “Estamos a trabalhar há alguns anos para mostrar que existimos e para melhorar a nossa prestação nesse movimento mundial. Em 2001 criamos esses espaço deno-minado FSA, que agrupa um número significativo de movimentos de todas as regiões do continente. Somos 54 países, distribuidos por quatro regiões, sendo que a demo-cracia é ainda uma miragem em alguns desses países, o que cria dificuldades aos movi-mentos sociais , revela Ben Abdalah, enumerando as actividades do FSA de 2001 a 2004. Bamako (2001), Addis Abeba (2003), Lusaka (2004) e, pelo meio, uma série de foras nacionais e regionais, a par das participações em Munbai e Porto Alegre. “As actividades nacionais e regionais foram de suma importância porque permitiram-nos trazer mais movimentos sociais para o FSA. Os fora dos outros continentes dispostos a apoiar a organização em África Em Lusaka, por exemplo, tínhamos uma delegação com mais de 400 pessoas, temos vindo a assegurar uma presença no Conselho Internacional, embora algumas vezes tenha sido uma presença mais política, inclusive foi a partir dali que se iniciou a discussão para que o FSM 2007 se realizasse em África”, completa. Uma dinámica que vêm funcionando como fermento para os movimentos sociais – organizações, associações e sindicatos – e que estimulou o Conselho Internacional a discutir a realização do próximo evento em África e que este seja um espaço aberto e com uma visão e pensamento nativo. Sobre esse particular Trevor Ngwane, África do Sul, apelou à união do continente e a necessidade de se construir um movimento social forte. Já Boubacar Diop, do Congad Senegal, lembrou que ´a África é uma das principais vítimas da acumulação de capital´, fazendo directa ao pensamento de Carl Marx. Um contra-poder à mundializa “A África enfrenta grandees dificuldades políti-cas, económicas e sociais. Mas é preciso lembrar que ela não é pobre, foi empobrecida através da escravatura, do colonialismo, do genocídio, da desumanização da huma-nidade, etc, e exigir uma reparação. É preciso questio-nar a dívida externa do continente, a ajuda ao desenvolvimento e o papel C Flamme d’Afrique-Flame of Africa, um ano depois Foi no Fórum Social Mundial de Mumbai, em Janeiro de 2004, que este jornal foi lançado. O objectivo de Flamme d¢Afriaue-Flame of Africa era dar mais visibilidade à participação africana nesses encontros, facilitar a expressão e partilhar as ideias desenvolvidas pelos africanos, seus valores e suas expectativas dentro do slogan “um outro mundo é possível”. Este quotidiano, que circula apenas por ocasião dos foras, faz aqui a sua quarta experiência. Após Mumbai, o Chama da África acompanhou o 1º Fórum Social social da África de Oeste realizado em Conakry (Guiné) de 28 a 30 de Novembro 2004. Em Lusaka, durante o 3º Fósum social africano, que decorreu entre 10 e 14 de Dezembro, fez-se mais uma edição deste jornal. Este 5ª FSM é, portanto, a quarta etapa de uma experiência que completa agora um ano de existência. A iniciativa de animar este jornal resulta de uma parceria entre Enda Tiers-monde, Instituto Panos da África do Oeste e Mulheres pela Mudança. Paralelamente ao acompanhamento da participação africana nos FSM, traduz uma vontade de aumentar o trabalho dos m ídias e as comunicações para reforçar os movimentos sociais africanos, assegurando uma maior difusão das ideias e das perspetivas que se vão surgindo. Os jornalistas que compõem a redação do Flamme d’Afrique-Flame of Africa vêm de diferentes países africanos. A par do jornal, eles fazem a cobertura do FSM para melhor informar o público africano através de outros canais (listas de difusão e jornais on line). Rédaction française, lusophone et anglaise Comité éditorial : Taoufik Ben Abdallah, Diana Senghor; Thomas Deve ([email protected]) - Coordinateur : Tidiane Kassé – Rédaction : Hippolyte Djiwan, Ousseini Issa , Vladimir Monteiro, Souleymane Niang, Constança de Pina, Diana Mulilo, Glory Mushinge, Console Tleane, Viriato Tamele - Montage : Noma Camara. Contact : [email protected] da sua diáspora no desenvolvimento da Europa”, sugere Buba, para quem não existe nenhum outro continente que pode contestar e questionar o capitalismo liberal como a África. Apelos e constatações que, ao que parece, tocaram a consciência dos presentes e levaram a Indía a se disponibilizar, de imediato, a apoiar os africanos no processo de construção do FSM 2007. Segundo Nandita Shah, FSM da India, esta é uma bonita ocasião para se realizar este evento em África e estão a espera apenas que o FSA lhes diga como e onde querem o seu apoio. “O desafio que colocamos é de buscar as linhas comuns entre a África e a India. Pensamos que, em Mumbai, mudamos um pouco as linhas de força que caracterizavam o FSM e que em África pode-se avançar um pouco mais. Estamos a aguar-dar apenas que nos digam onde e como querem que lhes ajudemos para podermos estabelecer alianças. Estamos ansiosos a aguardar o FSM de 2007”. António Martins, FSM Brasil, indica, por sua vez, que a África será um grande desafio e que a sua escolha tem um sentido político forte por ter sido a principal vítima da globalização, mas também por causa da dívida que o mundo tem para o continente. “O FSM deve cobrar essa dívida. Sabemos que o continente enfrenta problemas graves porque alguns países ainda não enveredaram pela via da democracia, há falta de liberdade de imprensa e défices económicos importantes por causa dos programas violentos do FMI e do BM. Penso que estes problemas deviam ser debatidos em outros fóras que antecedem o FSM e que o protagonismo desse processo fosse da África e do FSA. Já Bernand Pinaud, FSM Europa, foi buscar numa citação do Times a força do FSM - o FSM é um contra-poder à mundialização do neo-liberalismo – para falar do próximo fórum em África. “É preciso que esse contra-poder, que é o FSM, alargue o seu espaço geográfico e que se transforme numa organização popular. Lá na África vamos encontrar muita pobreza e outros problemas que questio-namos aqui. Queremos con-hecer os problemas e o seu povo simples e feliz, a sua cultura. Esperamos encontrar a economia e uma dinámica social o mais forte possível e discutir temas mundiais, como a globalização, por exemplo, do ponto de vista dos africanos”, conclui Pinaud não sem antes comprometer e im-plicar as organizações euro-peias com o FSM 2007 em África. Constânça de PINA AGENDA FSM 2007 Africanos e afo-brasileiros buscam consenso A reparação é um elemento comum e deve estar sempre presente nos discursos dos governos e no seu relacionamento com as instituições financeiras internacionais e com as multinacionais. Este ponto de vista foi defendido ontem, 30, no espaço Kilombo, por todos os participantes do debate sobre as trocas entre o Conselho Africano e o Comité Afro-brasileiro: que agenda na perspectiva do FSM 2007. Emir Silva, do Movimento Negro Unido, realçou na sua intervenção a importância de vincar a questão da reparação, inclusive através de acções juridicas internacionais, para com os africanos. “A África do Sul conseguiu, através da Comissão dos Direitos Humanos das Nações Unidas, responsabilizar instituições financeiras como o FMI que suportavam o aparthaid. Na Ruanda, a ditadura é financiada por esses sistemas”, exemplificou Emir. Já Deisy Benedito, do Fórum das Mulheres Negras do Brasil, preferiu destacar algumas medidas públicas que vêm sendo adoptadas e que Lundi 31 janvier 2005 - n° 5 - PAGE 2 são direccionadas para os sectores discriminados, essencialmente mulheres e crianças. Resultados animadores que levam os afrobrasileiros a defender a elaboração de uma agenda de lutas que inclui, entre outros temas, a questão da reparação e dos direitos humanos. A África, segundo Taoufik Ben Abdalah, também defende esta reparação mas, propõe mais outros temas, com por exemplo, o acesso aos medicamentos para o tratamento do Sida – o Brasil se mostra disponível para transmitir a tecnologia -, educação, saúde, moradias, elaboração de políticas falicitadoras para os afro-brasileiros e busca de um relacionamento comercial mais favoravel. “A África está a preparar o 2007 e é necessário desenvolver uma visão e uma estratégia para nos mostrarmos solidários e unidos durante o processo de construção do FSM. Essa oportunidade vai nos permitir atingir um determinado número de objectivos comuns”, assegura Ben Abdalah. C. PINA 5e Forum Social Mondial Porto Alegre, 26 - 31 janvier 2005 CULTURA APROXIMA ÁFRICA E BRASIL Uma ponte é possível Os afro-brasileiros procuram cada vez mais aproximar-se das suas raízes africanas, particularmente através da cultura num processo que também abrange parte da população branca. A capoeira, oriunda do continente negro, e os contactos culturais são algumas das vias escolhidas. Desde a chegada ao poder do presidente Luiz Lula da Silva há pouco mais de dois anos, a imprensa africana tem destacado a aproximação económica e os contactos políticos entre o Brasil e a África subsaariana, materializados pelas visitas do chefe de Estado e por figuras importantes do seu Governo como o ministro da Cultura e cantor Gilberto Gil. No entanto, a aproximação ao continente negro pelos brasileiros, particularmente os negros que representam cerca de 45% da população do país começou há muito tempo através da cultura e em particular daquelas cujas raízes se estendem à África como a capoeira. Ana Paula, de Bahia, descobriu a capoeira ao militar num movimento de cons-ciência negra. «Antes de ser uma prática desportiva, a capoeira é acima de tudo uma busca da nossa história», explica. São várias as versões sobre a origem da capoeira, particularmente a Capoeira Angola, uma expressão da tradição afrobrasileira que conjuga diferentes manifestações culturais como a dança, a música, o jogo e a espiritua-lidade, segundo o Nzinga, um dos vários grupos que se dedica ao ensinamento desta arte. Alvo de medidas de repressão de 1821 a 1930, a capoeira conquistou progressivamente seu espaço graças a mestres afro-brasileiros conceituados e é hoje praticado tanto pelos negros como pelos brancos. «A capoeira salvou-me a vida», conta um mestre residente na Cidade de Deus, favela violenta do Rio de Janeiro imortalizada na tela pelo cineasta Walter Salles. Já Marcos, do estado de Espírito Santo, mostra-se preocupado com a forma como a capoeira tem vindo a ser utilizado por alguns praticantes. «A capoeira é uma forma de lembrar a mãe África. No entanto, ela tomou um novo caminho e é usado para briga de rua», lamenta Marcos. Sendo assim, o afro-brasileiro propõe uma paragem para uma reflexão sobre a situação actual e defende os verdadeiros mestres. «Onde há um bom mestre há uma boa capoeira», conclui. Além da história e da descoberta das raízes africanas, o grupo Nzinga, de São Paulo procura através da capoeira educar os seus praticantes, nomeadamente no combate ao racismo. «Estamos bastante envolvidos na questão das quotas para estudantes negros nas universidades», indica Gabriel, um dos brancos integrantes do grupo. A prática dessa manifestação cultural pelos brancos divide os negros mas para o grupo Nzinga, a questão não deve ser colocada. «Quando, eu branco, me aproprio a capoeira, a capoeira também apropria-se de mim, fazendo de mim um agente para sua continuidade», lança. Já Gilson, praticante negro de Bahia, a principal ameaça sobre a capoeira prende-se com o risco de regulamentação da profissão. «Para ser mestre de capoeira, é preciso ter um diploma em educação física. Já viu um negro terminar a universidade e ir ensinar capoeira», pergunta. Vladimir MONTEIRO Ministro Gilberto Gil: um afro-brasileiro no Governo DIRCE CARRION - COORDENA O PROJECTO “OLHARES CRUZADOS” «Há um desconhecimento entre povos irmãos» A arquitecta está por detrás de um livro que reúne fotografias e cartas da autoria de crianças de Cabinda (Angola), Maputo (Moçambique), Rio de Janeiro e Porto Alegre (Brasil). A ideia é facultar o conhecimento entre povos unidos pela língua mas separados pelo Atlântico. Como nasceu o projecto “Olhares Cruzados”? O projecto foi desenvolvido com base nas relações entre crianças africanas e brasileiras, através de uma troca de fotografias e cartas. A ideia começou com uma documentação em Cabinda, uma província angolana onde se vive uma situação bastante difícil a nível dos direitos humanos. A gente tentou levar as crianças dessa província a contar sua história às crianças da favela do Morro de Chacrinha, no Rio de Janeiro, onde há também uma realidade bastante dura. Trabalhamos igualmente com Maputo e Porto Alegre: no caso da capital moçambicana, as crianças moram num lixão enquanto que na cidade gaúcha, são filhos de catadores de papel que também moram numa zona de lixão. A nossa ideia era trabalhar com crianças sujeitas a situações de grande dificuldade e mostrar não só o lado de opressão mas também suas esperanças. A outra ideia é desenvolver em países africanos de língua portuguesa (PALOP) um contacto entre crianças. Há um imenso desconhecimento entre povos que são irmãos. Qual é a próxima etapa desse trabalho? Queremos aproveitar a Programme des activités menées par le Forum social africain 22-23 janvier : Reunion du Conseil du Forum social africain 24-25 janvier : Participation africaine au Conseil internacional du Fsm 28 janvier: Séminaire de restitution du Forum social africain de Lusaka: “Résistances populaires et alternatives démocratiques au néolibéralisme” 12h-18h, Salle F 20 28 janvier : Tribunal des Femmes Africaines 15h-21h, Salle J 609 30 janvier : Dialogue sur le Forum Social Mondial 2007 en Afrique 12h-15h, Salle B 202 Interactions avec les movements afro-brésiliens Activités culturelles : Les Sakala Brothers (Zambie) et les Gnawa (Maroc) Stand du Fsa : Numéro 04, Espace thématique 01, Amphithéâtre Por do Sol - Avenue Edvaldo Pereira Paiva Contact : Hôtel Novotel - Tel: 51 33 27 92 92 – Cell 81 57 66 19 Les musiciens marocains ont animé le Fsm. Lundi 31 janvier 2005 - n° 5 - PAGE 3 riqueza da língua portuguesa para estabelecer essa troca e dar continuidade ao trabalho nos PALOP (Angola, Cabo Verde Guiné-Bissau, Moçambique e São tomé e Príncipe). Conheço esses países todos e constatei que existem particularidades muito grandes. A nossa ideia é poder levar o projecto a outras cidades, outros países para um maior enriquecimento e um testemunho da riqueza dessa língua. Estou a frente de um projecto chamado África-Brasil-África que visa a documentação de todos os países de onde vieram os escravos para o Brasil. Trabalhamos com a Secretaria especial de políticas de promoção da igualdade racial para apoiar e buscar formas de valorizar a contribuição dos afro-descendentes porque na verdade, tudo o que a gente ouve falar da África no Brasil e no mundo é a Sida, a fome e a miséria. São sempre aspectos negativos da África quando o continente tem uma riqueza imensa tanto cultural quanto humana. A ideia é trazer isso e a responsabilidade do Brasil é muito grande. É um dever nosso porque o Brasil foi construído por africanos. V. MONTEIRO 5e Forum Social Mondial Porto Alegre, 26 - 31 janvier 2005 ECONOMIE SOCIALE ET SOLIDAIRE Des innovations pour changer le monde Jeunes au Cap Vert : dans les réseaux de solidarité on cherche des moyens de sortir de la crise. Contribution Batailles commerciales et conflits en Afrique L’un des succès de la mondialisation, dit-on, est le formidable développement des échanges commerciaux. La raison, selon le dogme néo-libéral, est le marché. Plus un pays vendra, plus il y aura de la croissance. Et pour un pays du Sud, il augmentera ses moyens de lutte contre la pauvreté. Le marché serait ainsi le bienfaiteur de l’humanité. Si la pauvreté existe, c’est parce que les pays concernés ne sont pas ouverts à la concurrence, au libre échange, dit-on. Supprimez vos barrières tarifaires et mille écoles écloront, des centres de santé se multiplieront. La justice ne sera plus pour le riche, l’équité ne sera plus un vœu pieux pour rêveur. La démocratie s’enracinera. Par la grâce, la bénédiction et les conditionnalités de la Banque mondiale, du Fmi, et de l’Omc, l’Afrique s’y est mise. Bradage (pardon, privatisation) de tous les biens de la nation. Les sous ne sont pas arrivés et la pauvreté s’est élargie a d’autres citoyens. Non satisfaits, les conseillers en croissance économique par la concurrence ont pointé du doigt l’habit qui protège tant soit peu, alors qu’il est déjà transparent ; à savoir les taxes et impôts. A défaut de les supprimer, les réduire fortement. Ainsi dit, ainsi fait. La croissance n’est toujours pas là et les capitaux non plus. Alors qu’ils ont des taux douaniers les plus bas que ceux des pays du Nord, il leur est demandé de les supprimer afin de permettre à la concurrence de s’épanouir. Tout simplement se faire harakiri. Le résultat est que l’Etat n’est plus que l’ombre de lui-même en Afrique. Après quoi, on chante que le continent n’est pas apte au progrès, c’est à dire à la modernité. Comme il est facile de se donner bonne conscience. La réalité est tout autre. La bataille de plus en plus acharnée entre les entreprises multilatérales, pour satisfaire toujours plus l’actionnaire et concentrer plus de pouvoir dans les mains du management, se traduit d’abord par une réduction drastique des coûts d’exploitation des ressources (financières, humaines, etc.) et par l’accès facile aux matières de base. Le continent africain est la réserve mondiale des matières premières : diamant, cobalt, cuivre, manganèse, bauxite, coltran, etc. Sur 150 millions dollars Us d’exportation en 2003, la part de ces matières en représente la moitié, soit 75 milliards de dollars américains. En y rajoutant les produits agricoles, cette part des ressources naturelles représente les deux tiers. Les capitaux des sociétés minières africaines sont détenus à 90% par les échanges. Et selon les pays, 50% à 80% des recettes en devises proviennent des ressources naturelles. D’où l’importance de ce secteur pour le développement de ces pays. La détérioration des termes de l’échange qui en résulte serait le fait de la non amélioration de l’of- fre. Alors qu’elles se font une guerre acharnée sur leur marché domestique, les mêmes compagnies se mettent ensemble dans des structures capitalistiques communes pour gérer les ressources naturelles africaines, en maintenant un contrôle sur les prix et les conditions fiscales et sociales d’exploitation. C’est-à-dire un cartel, principe combattu aux Etats Unis et par l’Union européenne. Ou est le principe du marché ? Dans le secteur de la bauxite, en dix ans, les prix ont chuté de 50 dollars la tonne à 25 dollars. Sur la même période, celui de l’aluminium, qui est son dérivé, est passé de 850 dollars la tonne à plus de 1850 dollars. Naturellement, les Etats africains n’y gagnent rien. Un pays comme la Guinée (première réserve mondiale) a vu ses recettes d’exploitation (principale source) passées de 350 millions dollars à 80 millions de dollars. Si les Etats se retrouvent sans sous, les populations qui se trouvent souvent dans ces zones d’exploitation sont souvent très pauvres. C’est ainsi que la non retombée d’avantages attendus de ces mines, sur des territoires de certaines communautés, devient l’objet de contestations politiques de la part de ces citoyens qui se sentent frustrés dans la répartition des maigres ressources. D’où des conflits violents, souvent entretenus par des compagnies concurrentes. Ça a été le cas dans le conflit sierra léonais ou des milliers de personnes ont été tuées. Ces mésententes sociales sont occasionnées aussi par des sociétés évoluant dans des secteurs différents. Il en a ainsi été en Angola de 1975 à 2002, avec une guerre qui a mis aux prises, par Angolais interposés, les compagnies pétrolières (soutien des l’Etat) aux compagnies diamantaires (alliés des rebelles de l’Unita). La fracture sociale occasionnée par les politiques d’ajustement structurel de la Banque mondiale et du Fmi, ainsi que la libéralisation commerciale imposée par l’Omc, ont détruit l’institution sociale qu’est l’Etat, en Afrique. La rapacité de la concurrence entre firmes multinationales au Nord, à coup de capitaux et autres, se traduit en Afrique, grâce à des instruments comme la dette, les conditionnalités d’investissement, les différents codes miniers, l’extraversion de l’économie, la monétarisation des valeurs sociales, par la destruction des mécanismes autonomes de développement. En tant que réserve mondiale des matières premières, l’Afrique devient le champ de bataille privilégié des compagnies qu’il faut arrêter non pas par la bonne conscience de l’aide, ou par un quelconque plan Marshall pour l’Afrique, mais en changeant les rapports de force grâce à une plus grande et meilleure implication des populations dans le processus de développement national. Bakary FOFANA Directeur Cecide (Guinée) Valoriser les liens de solidarité et les diversités culturelles dans les activités économiques, faire en sorte que l’économie soit au service de l’être humain et non le contraire, promouvoir la création de la richesse et l’équité dans l’accès aux ressources. Devant la faillite des politiques néolibérales, avec leur cortège de pauvreté et de misère dans les pays du sud, le Réseau intercontinental de promotion de l’économie sociale et solidaire (Ripess) propose ces alternatives pour changer le monde. Hier, ce réseau qui couvre les cinq continents partageait sa vision d’un autre monde. Un monde où l’économie sociale et solidaire englobe une multitude d’innovations provenant de l’intérieur des sociétés et participant à générer des emplois, ainsi qu’à développer des capacités chez les individus. La notion d’économie sociale et solidaire renvoie à une diversité d’acteurs tels que les mutuels de crédit épargne et les mutuelles de santé, les petites et moyennes entreprises et les micro-entreprises formelles, les groupes de producteurs ruraux et les coopératives agricoles, tout comme les syndicats et les groupements et associations de femmes. Elle comprend également les associations de ressortissants et de migrants, les groupes de presse et les radios communautaires, les Ong, etc. «Il s’agit de changer de paradigmes de développement pour asseoir les règles d’un développement de l’intérieur de nos pays, à travers la promotion d’un pluralisme économique», préconise le président du Ripess, le Sénégalais Abdou Salam Fall. Et de poursuivre : «Nous œuvrons pour que l’entreprenariat privé s’exprime fortement mais aussi pour que l’économie publique se développe, et qu’elle puisse prendre en charge les investissements dans les secteurs où la valeur ajoutée en terme purement de profits n’est pas nécessairement réalisée, de manière à créer les conditions d’un accès équitable à un ensemble de service». A écouter aussi le Nigérien Ibrahim Farmo, l’économie sociale et solidaire apparaît comme un projet de société qui va à l’encontre du capitalisme et du socialisme, même si par ailleurs son socle est cacheté de socialisme. «Il s’agit d’une alternative qui permet pour nos pays africains d’évoluer dans un monde où le partenariat sincère va s’instaurer entre le nord et le sud», précise M. Farmo. Alternative qui, selon également la Guinéenne Djakagbé Kaba, «est une vision collective et sociale du développement qui place l’humain avant toute autre considération. D’un continent à l’autre, les populations de nos Etats sont confrontées aux mêmes problèmes engendrés par les politiques néolibérales». Le Ripess se présente ainsi comme un instrument de négociation internationale, qui vise en fait à renforcer le pouvoir d’agir des peuples, à travers la promotion de l’économie sociale et solidaire. «Après ce rendez-vous de Porto Alegre, le réseau a dans son agenda, l’organisation de la 3e rencontre internationale sur la globalisation de la solidarité, prévue à Dakar, en novembre prochain», annonce son président. Ousseini ISSA EMIGRATION ET SOLIDARITE INTERNATIONALE Ces citoyens entre deux mondes Construction de classes, de centres santé ou de routes, réalisation de forages, prise en charge de l’impôt des collectivités… A travers de multiples actions les Africains de la diaspora contribuent beaucoup au développement socioéconomique de leur pays respectif. Dans certaines régions du Mali ou du Sénégal, l’essentiel des infrastructures existantes ont pu être réalisées grâce à l’appui des fils de la localité ayant émigré en Occident. Ce constat également est valable pour l’Asie du sud est et les Caraïbes. Ces émigrés, regroupés en organisations et associations, ont tenu à prendre part à ce 5e Forum social mondial de Porto Alegre pour discuter et parta- Lundi 31 janvier 2005 - n° 5 - PAGE 4 ger leurs expériences avec les mouvements sociaux. Mme Brice Monnou, Africaine d’origine vivant en France, voit dans ce Forum social mondial «un espace d’échanges, de partage. Une occasion de dire à celui que tu as en face, celui que tu vas rencontrer, ce que tu fais chez toi, ce que tu sais faire, ce que tu aimerais faire avec lui. Et aujourd’hui, nous sommes venus pour rencontrer, pour partager avec le monde entier sur ce que nous faisons». Mme Monnou est vice-présidente du Forum des organisations de solidarité internationale issues des migrations (Forim). (Suite page 5) 5e Forum Social Mondial Porto Alegre, 26 - 31 janvier 2005 Comentário Manual do FSM Un Forum social mondial au contact des populations en 2007, pour mieux vivre les réalités du continent ? AFRIQUE 2007 EN PERSPECTIVE Pas de Fsm «label Sheraton» «En 2007, nous voulons vivre un Forum social mondial à l’image des peuples africains. Nous voulons vivre ensemble leurs difficultés. Nous voulons rencontrer un peuple africain festif. Nous ne voulons par dormir dans les grands hôtels comme le Sheraton. Nous voulons dormir là où le peuple africain est. Nous voulons rencontrer les mouvements paysans…» Bernard Pinaud du Crid (France) exprime ainsi ses attentes par rapport au Forum social mondial que l’Afrique accueille en 2007. Une intervention faite dans le cadre des «échanges sur le Forum social mondial en Afrique 2007 », organisé hier. Loin d’être un débat entre Africains, la rencontre était élargie aux autres Forums sociaux. Ainsi, outre Taoufik Ben Abdallah, du Secrétariat Forum social africain, de Boubacar Diop, président du Collectif des Ong africaines pour le développement (Sénégal) et de Trevor Ngwaane de Anti-Privatisation Forum (Afrique du Sud), il y avait Nandita Shah de l’Inde, Antonio Martins du Secrétariat international du Forum social mondial, ou encore Bernard Pinaud du Crid. L’organisation du Forum social mondial en Afrique en 2007 est une réalité. Le conseil international du Fsm en a décidé ainsi depuis sa réunion des 24 et 25 janvier, en prélude à ce rendez-vous de Porto Alegre. Certes le pays qui doit l’abriter n’est pas encore connu, mais déjà, les acteurs de ce grand rassemblement s’interrogent sur les attentes du Fsm à nourrir en direction de l’Afrique. Au niveau du Secrétariat Fsa les travaux de définition de critères avancent, précise Taoufik Ben Abdallah. «Certaines candidatures sont reçues et d’autres sont en attente», confie-t-il. Faisant aussi savoir qu’à l’instar du Brésil et de l’Inde qui ont su marquer le Forum social mondial, «l’Afrique doit donner une marque au Fsm 2007». A ce propos, les grandes déci- sions seront prises «de façon assez large», poursuit M. Ben Aballah, en indiquant qu’il est envisagé déjà des rencontres et des séminaires à organiser à court terme à cet effet. D’ores et déjà, Boubacar Diop avance que l’Afrique doit être le tombeau du capitalisme. Pour lui, «le continent africain a le plus payé pour l’expansion du capitalisme et par conséquent doit être sont point final». De la tenue du Forum social mondial en 2007, Trevor Ngwaane attend «une Afrique unie, une Afrique qui reconstruit les bases syndicales, une Afrique qui renforce les bases des mouvements sociaux pour la paix, une Afrique qui remet en cause l’idéologie capitaliste, une Afrique qui montre au monde « qu’un autre monde est possible et qu’un autre système est possible». Un certain enthousiasme entoure déjà ce Fsm prévu en Afrique. «De toutes les décisions prises à Porto Alegre, la confirmation du choix de Les petits pas du Fsa Les échanges sur le Forum social mondial 2007 en Afrique, organisés hier par le Forum social africain, ont permis à Taoufik Ben Abdallah, du Secrétariat Fsa, de faire un petit bilan sur le parcours de cette instance. Depuis 2001, souligne-t-il, celle-ci ne cesse d’améliorer sa participation au sein du Fsm. Mais cette évolution se fait avec «beaucoup de difficultés», dans la mesure où l’élargissement du Fsa ne va pas aussi vite que souhaité. En effet, les contextes de certains pays africains ne sont toujours pas favorables à la mobilisation d’organisations et de mouvements sociaux. Taoufik Ben Abdallah a rappelé l’organisation des Forum social africain de Bamako en 2001, d’Addis-Abeba en 2003 et de Lusaka en 2004, ainsi que les forum sociaux régionaux, dont celui que la Guinée a abrité en novembre 2004, pour le compte de l’Afrique de l’Ouest. Autre acquis, le fait que «le comité de décision du Fsa s’est élargi et que les décisions sont prises sur une base plus large». Au même moment, le Secrétariat a assuré sa présence au sein du Conseil international. Toutes choses qui sont présentées comme des évolutions positives. H. DJIWAN l’Afrique pour abriter le Forum social mondial en Afrique en 2007 est la plus importante», s’exclame ainsi M. Antonio Martins du Brésil. Pour lui, il y a sens politique à voir dans cette décision. Le Forum social indien, qui en 2004 avait tenté et réussi le pari de délocaliser le forum de Porto Alegre, se dit prêt à apporter sont expertise aux Africains, «pourvu qu’ils expriment leurs besoins», souligne Nandita Shah. Un appui qui s’inscrit dans «la construction d’une alliance entre l’Afrique et l’Asie» proposée par ce dernier. Hippolyte DJIWAN Com a vossa liçenca gostaria de realçar o que foi omitido pela revisão que foi feita ao artigo da minha autoria sobre o livro do Boaventura Sousa santos com o nome de Manual do FSM. Refirome parti-cularmente a analise feita as criticas do Boaventura ao Lula pelo facto de ter se juntado a uma campanha Chamada Global contra a pobreza e ao ir ao Davos fiz uma alusão ao facto de que a campanha que o Lula lançou não é da sua iniciativa, como o Boa-ventura disse, mas sim das organizações da sociedade civil dos qua-tro cantos do mundo que se levantaram contra a pobreza e esta campanha é uma chamada para a cumprimento das Metas de desenvolvimento de Milénio e que e o facto dela ter sido lançado no FSM2005 constituí algo positivo que devia se em vez de ser olhada de uma forma negativa. O autor do Manual ao criticar este gesto do Lula junta-se aos manifestante de rua que também se apro-veitaram desta iniciativa para manifestar as sua posições, por mais legítimas que elas sejam deviam ter sido situadas num momento propício. Referi-me também a uma crítica ao facto de autor ter dito que muitas das ideias do froum social estão sendo levadas pelo forum de Davos e que só isto pode ser usado por aqueles que participam nos dois fora. Viriato TAMELE Ces citoyens entre deux mondes (Suite de la page 4) Une structure qui, selon elle, regroupe six cent organisations de migrants originaires d’Afrique du Nord, d’Afrique au Sud du Sahara, de l’Asie du Sud Est et des Caraïbes. «Ces organisations travaillent, en France, pour l’intégration de leurs membres mais aussi pour le développement des pays dont sont originaires ces membres», souligne Mme Monnou. Selon elle, les migrants ont des problèmes qui dépassent l’obtention des papiers leur permettant un séjour légal sur leur terres d’accueil. Mais malgré ces difficultés liées à l’insertion, auxquelles ils se trouvent confrontés, «ils travaillent à valoriser leur apport dans le développement des pays hôtes mais aussi dans leurs pays d’origine». Pour mieux capitaliser cela, «le Forim essaie de mobiliser, de réunir autour d’une plate-forme tous les migrants en France pour créer une mutualisation Lundi 31 janvier 2005 - n° 5 - PAGE 5 des forces. A partir de là, nous essayons de créer un partenariat solide avec les Ong du Nord mais aussi du Sud, en tant qu’originaires des pays du Sud», souligne-t-elle. Et de poursuivre : «Avec les Ong du sud nous avons des projets. Il existe des Ong originaires de plusieurs pays africains, qui non seulement envoient de l’argent pour la réalisation d’infrastructures sociales, mais qui développent aussi d’autres formes de partenariat comme, par exemple, le renforcement des capacités des acteurs de la société civile du sud». Pour la vice-présidente du Forim , c’est, entre autres, le souci de valoriser ce genre de contact qui motive la présence des émigrés à de Porto Alegre. «Nous voulons montrer quand même que nous ne sommes pas en France pour croiser les bras, mais que les émigrés contribuent aux efforts de développement de leur pays», conclut Monnou. Ousseini ISSA 5e Forum Social Mondial Porto Alegre, 26 - 31 janvier 2005 Let the African Women’s Court benefit the testifiers, not us, the literati By Console Tleane DENEMODJIE SEI Faimartini sits quietly, her eyes down. Her mind should be far away. Her face is partly covered by her hand, which she supports with the armchair. It has taken some waiting before we could finally sit down for this interview; about thirty minutes in all. Finally, we sit down to get done with it. The focus? The African Women’s Court. “The aim of the Court is to construct alternatives from the experiences dominated by neoliberal paradigms. We would like to showcase how people, women, have been able to overcome, and are engaged in daily struggles against the excesses of neoliberalism,” says Wahu Kaare, from Kenya, one of the main architects of the Court. “This is an innovative way of dismantling the classical method of talking politics. It is a move away from talk and presentations by experts like myself. It is non-hierarchical,” adds Rabia Abdelkrim Chikh, from Senegal. The design of the Court is such that testimonies are received from women who are faced with some of the most challenging difficulties in their daily lives. Faimartini is one such person. She comes from Chad where, together with other women, and the broader communities within which she lives, are engaged in daily struggles against oil companies that have turned their lives miserable. She relates the harrowing experiences that women have to go through. The World Bank, together with oil companies, with the direct complicity of the government, are involved in some of the most destructive practices in some of the villages that produce oil. For instance, the oil production processes have given rise to the destruction of the environment and the outbreak of diseases that never used to afflict some of the inhabitants of the villages and settlements where the pipelines have been constructed. The oil pipes are build over water supplies thus contaminating both the drinking (for humans) and water for animals. “We are surrounded by oil pipelines. We are virtually imprisoned. They do not care about the well-being of our people. Men from our communities have been displaced, forced to go and work outside their residential areas. Young girls are forced into lives of prostitution,” said Faimartine. Another interviewee, whose identity cannot be disclosed to protect her, related how, in one case, violence was used to ‘cow’ a community into submission when there was a resistance against some of the practices from the oil companies. “A Mafia gang was hired to terrorise us. They burnt two hundred homesteads, killed ten people and badly injured about forty-eight others. This was after the community resisted eviction. This shows just how brutal these people (the oil companies) can be,” said the interviewee. Despite the brutality unleashed on the communities there was fierce resistance to the move to evict the community, leading to the temporary creation of a “liberated zone” where authorities could not enter. In Algeria the interplay of fundamentalist religion and neoliberalism presents a unique and painful scenario for the women. Coming from a proud history of a gallant liberation struggle that produced iconic heroes like Frantz Fanon and one of the first experiments of a socialist order in Africa, Algeria has since the early 1990s slipped into an anarchic state of unofficial rule by religious fundamentalists. Ziana Khedidja paints a disturbing picture of the turn of events in her country. In 1988 the government succumbed to pressures from international finance institutions (IMF and World Bank) and started introducing neoliberal measures. Almost at the same time the fundametalist movement emerged to campaign against the liberal reforms brought under neoliberalism. “Immediately when we saw all that, the women’s movement raised alarm against the dangers of religious fundamentalism, which were not only threatening women but the entire democratic fabric of the society,” said Khedidja. “For instance, a woman’s house was burnt down because she was divorced. After the burning of the house they started harassing other women. University women students were harassed, women were raped and later rejected by the society.” A startling revelation about the emergence of fundamentalism in Algeria is that at the same time that its proponents were committing these atrocities they were supported by the USA, Britain and Germany. These three capitals of capitalist rule were supporting the emergence of fundamentalism because it was (fundamentalism) supportive of neoliberalism, and opposed to struggles aimed at defending the gains of the liberation struggle and “socialist” rule. There can be no doubt that the African Women’s Court is an important initiative by the ASF; one that must be carried forward with all the vigour that it deserves. Yet, there are a number of challenges that must be addressed to make it more meaningful. History has inspiring examples of tribunals initiated by activists that led to significant gains. One such is Bertrand Russell and Ralph Schoenman’s International Tribunal on US Crimes in IndoChina. The Tribunal partly led partly to the US’s shaming by the world and its embarrassing withdrawal from Vietnam. Will the African Women’s Court have similar or even better achievements? It is important that the Court does not simply become one where poor African women come, relate their stories, break down, and there is no measurable political gain from the exercise. Everything must be done to avoid turning the Court into an exercise to fulfil the academic quests of us the educated elite, who will record the proceedings, write articles, books, and do nothing tangible with the testimonies; and with the women whose testimonies we shall have used. The future lies with the youth From page 7 who are only interested in extracting maximum profit from the working class. It is therefore encouraging and heartening to see thousands of young people taking time-off to share their experiences, struggles and hopes with other young people from all corners of the world. Attending some of the sessions organised within the youth camp has been most heartening experience. The three key issues that have dominated the sessions have centred around demanding free education, work for young people, and campaigning against drug abuse among young people. Other sessions touched on how the media portray young people. The message was clear in all sessions; young people want to inherit a world that is secured. A world that is free of exploitation. A world that respects the humanity of all people, irrespective of their colour, creed or class. One can only wish that for this young people the WSF is not simply an adventure. While some philosophers have correctly opined that “young people can only initiate revolutions but cannot sustain them”, it also true that some of the enduring revolutions or defining moments in history were as a direct result of the initiatives taken by young people. The late 1960s French student revolution and the South African 1976 student uprising are two remarkable examples. Talking about the 1976 experience, it is now perhaps time that the ASF seriously reflected on the youth component of its participation. While there were a few African participants at the Youth Camp the number is far from satisfactory. More can be done. More must be done. Forum getting popular and bigger, but facing serious challenges By Salma Maoulidi WHILE the WSF has not lost its spirit of activism and optimism for the possibility of creating another world, it is experiencing a number of problems, which have a negative impact on the participants. Translation-related technical difficulties were the first indication that all was not well prompting an emergency meeting of coordinators. Hitches first emerged with translation equipment. A number of translation booths became a beehive of activities as technicians battled with radio frequencies. Availability of the Babel translators complicated matters especially in some meetings where Portuguese was the dominant language forcing a number of English and French speaking participants to abandon workshops in frustration. Elsewhere the reverse was the case. “I wanted to follow the human rights workshop but it was only in Spanish and Portuguese”, says Akbarat from Eritrea. “I could not understand what was being said. Police confront black protestors There was no translation, so I left”. Sara Longwe from Zambia concurs, “We lost many participants at the African Court for women because there was no translation. For our power-point screen presentation, the activities were disrupted because too much light, and so one could not see the images on the screens”. Nikki from New Zealand recounts the same experience. “Can you imagine, I went to three different workshops and left all of them in frustration as there was no translation though the programme indicated that there would be English translation”. The African Flame found that the unavailability of translators was related to unavailability of translation equipment and also that the schedules given to the volunteer translators did not tally with the actual programme. Some translators had to sit next and whisper to participants or do a consecutive translation, which resulted in sessions taking longer than originally scheduled. In other instances, cancellation or rescheduling of activities caused problems. Heat and humidity took its toll on many participants in the workshops. “The tents are extremely hot”, says Esther from Tanzania, “You can’t concentrate in this heat. It is too uncomfortable”. In one session on education, participants were sponging themselves with water meant to quench their thirst or rubbing their feet with ice to cool off. Other participants resorted to their airconditioned hotel rooms or went to the Rio Grande river to cool off. Security was a major issue depending on one was staying. Shamilla from South Africa said, “Our hotel manager warns us to be careful as a number of guests report being robbed”. Many have lost money but it is not clear if travel documents have also been snatched from them. Lundi 31 janvier 2005 - n° 5 - PAGE 6 Extreme caution is advised while handling money and after visiting a Cambio or money exchange point. But perhaps one of the most troubling reports available to the African Flame is that involving sexual violence and abuse, mostly at the youth camps. Sources from the organizing committee and women activists reveal there are allegations of over 80 sexual harassment cases at the youth camp mostly at the showers and toilets. Thus far three reports of rapes have been received. The laxity in security in the youth Camp as well as in other areas of the Forum is associated with the rise of sexual crimes as well as petty crimes in the country. Those who have participated in previous forums feel that security has been lax this year. With the forum getting more popular and bigger, serious challenges will be faced but these need to be anticipated in order to avoid dampening the spirits of those that feel aggrieved and other activists who dream and fight for a better world! 5e Forum Social Mondial Porto Alegre, 26 - 31 janvier 2005 Africa in eyes of the children By Glory Mushinge A COLLECTION of over 500 photos, depicting issues that affect the Africans and AfroBrazilians way of life is on display at one of the World Social Forum (WSF) cultural diversity buildings. These are the respective works of three female artists sharing the same platform to present the untold stories of some of the very marginalized people especially children, about the harsh realities that have been presented by acts of selfishness from the well placed in society. Issues such as those of unsuccessful asylum seeking, premature deaths, internal and external displacements as well as light moments amidst such difficulties have all been encompassed in the exhibition, which is taking place in the A6 reference of Space C, Art and Creation area. Amongst the collection is that of Diece Carrion, a young Brazilian lady who is currently coordinating a children’s project involving Portuguese-speaking countries in Africa, such as Angola and Mozambique and Brazil. The project, which has been titled ‘A meeting of Eyes’ and involves children from these countries, is aimed at promoting understanding between them (the children) through photos and letter writing. Chosen with the help of local communities and associations and after a short introduction to the country and towns to which photographs and letters would be sent, the children were taught the basics of photography and were encouraged to exchange letters. The photos and letters are related in terms of history and language but separated by the Atlantic. It is from this sameexchanged material where Carrion derived her exhibition, to showcase the situations that were being experienced in these countries, through images. According to Carrion, these children live similar lives while preserving their differences “We show here, a small sample of the work the children produced and their photographic studies of Cabaña & Rio de Janeiro, & Maputo & Porto Alleger,” she says. The photo ‘s that have been mounted range from family mourning scenarios, adult street life of ganja smoking and some fond scenarios of optimistic children in the face of hunger and other difficulties. Also part of the exhibition which was launched on January 27, are such themes as ‘Where the Trees are a Desert’, showing people affected by displacement as a result of native forest destruction to tree forest development, where mega corporations continue planting millions of hectares of eucalyptus monoculture largely for exporters. The result is environmental degradation and shortage of accommodation and here; we see photos of Afro-Brazilians with weary lines on their foreheads and looks of despair. Similar to the Afro-Brazilian experience, the South African and Kenyan displacement experiences are also told in Marie Angie´s exhibition, another artist exhibiting her work in the same space. In this particular exhibition we, see blown up literature highlighting refugee issues in these countries. Most striking are such themes as ‘Displacement in Johannesburg’ and ‘Kakuma´ ´Kakuma is about a refugee camping Kenya which is a temporary permanent shelter for over 80, 000 people, with 40 per cent being children born in exile and Have never seen what they have been taught to call their home land According to the artist, these people live in Kenya but are homeless in a land where they are not allowed to work, farm, or keep livestock. More than the shortage of food and harshness of climate is boredom, such that it drives them into depression and effaces smiles from mother’s lips and the impossibilities of imagining a better future. The ‘Displacement in Johannesburg’ exhibition, is about the children that found themselves seeking asylum in South Africa from their home countries, such as Congo, Burundi, and Angola, between the ages of 5 and15. These are the very kids that made the exhibition material in a project that took about 9 weeks. Some of these children lived in a refugee shelter, while others lived with their families or stepfamilies in overcrowded flats. Home had become, for most of them, a complicated concept where a traumatic past and an unfriendly present are mixed. The artist, Marie met with these kids while working as a volunteer at a clinic in Johannesburg and established a network of contacts by means of which she collected statements, organised a creative workshop with children, and worked with Congolese and south African artists to create two sad installations, ‘The Shadow House’& ‘The Zozo’. In the words of Marie, Between the sorrow of looking back and an immense desire to get adopted to this new country, there is only one altitude: “Home is where your family is, where you feel safe.” IMF/WBank blamed for failures in public service delivery By Salma Maoulidi MANY countries will not meet their Millennium Development Goals target on gender parity in education by 2015 argues David Archer of ActionAid UK in his presentation at the Education and Citizenship for the Right to Quality Public Services for ALL workshop held at the World Social forum, yesterday. He further observed that the education sector is facing many dilemmas and funding from all sectors is in decline to the extent that it is clear that in a few years time, there will be no adequate finance for either early Education Development and Care or Adult Education. Higher education is increasingly inaccessible to the majority with the removal of government subsidies while primary education in most countries is in a deplorable state. “Many of us have been directing our advocacy at the Ministry of Education or of Finance against what we see to be a continued threat to the right to education. However, we need to exert similar if not more pressure on the IMF Defending their right to public services since it is their conditionalities the lack of maintenance and requiring a low inflation rate continuity. that limits government’s ability Babacar Diop from Senegal to address some of the serious and actively involved in adult shortfalls in the education education networks in Africa sector such as overcrowding in spoke about low salaries for classrooms,” explained David teachers and how this affects their overall performance. Archer. He also underscored the Some governments refuse aid because accepting it ran the risk impact HIV/AIDS has had on of running above the prescribed the professionals engaged in teaching. inflation rate. For countries In the aftermath of Tsunami, under HIPC and other economic Asia faces serious challenges. recovery programmes this has “Much progress had been implications including loosing made in the region in education their credit worthiness. but about 160,000 people died The sector also suffers from in Aceh Province alone. Over a quarter million people died in Indonesia, India, Malaysia and Thailand. Twenty-four nongovernmental organizations working on education were wiped out while 42 activists working in the sector lost their lives in the Tsunami. In view of such devastation what happens to education or other social services?” asks Jared Joseph from ASPBAE, a Pan Asia Network for Adult Education. Elisabeth Ramos from the National Campaign for the Right to Education Brazil emphasized that, “It is important for social movements to fight for the right to quality education as it has the potential to address historic inequalities on the basis of colour or class and opening up opportunities to previously marginalized groups”. Jared Joseph stressed the importance to globalize local action by linking advocacy agendas on the right to adequate and quality social services to global debates and campaigns so as to bring on board more people. Particular effort also needs to be put on the IMF and WB as well as G 7 governments to change their policies in areas where they impact negatively on the very survival of men and women. Lundi 31 janvier 2005 - n° 5 - PAGE 7 The future lies with the youth By Console Tleane YOU could easily mistaken it for a refugee camp. No, it is not a transit camp for the displaced peoples of Darfur, running away from the marauding gangs of the Sudanese government. This is the temporary abode for young people coming from all corners (or is it?) of the world. And their aim? To share their experiences, and lives, if all for a week, in an alternative setting. The youth camp sprawls along the main road traversing the grounds occupied by the WSF. Small tents are pitched alongside each other, hundreds, if not thousands, of them. A walk though the camp gives one a sense of the actual alternative lifestyle that these you people are living. Again, if only for a week. Smoke bellows from the small fires lit to prepare food. Some can be seen catching a nap on the dry lawns. Didn’t this young people sleep the previous night? What were they doing? Let’s leave that! But it is arguably shower time that has attracted the attention of many people. Just take a look at passers-by and you will immediately be struck by the awe and at times fascination on the eyes of the onlookers. Shower time is open, alternative if you like. The showers are in an open space. No gender differentiation. Both men and women, or should we say boys and girls, shower together. See, there are no inhibitions here. Of course not that they shower completely nude, except for an odd fellow that I saw. But what does the experience of the youth camp tell us, except our own unpronounced and suppressed envy at this expression of freedom? In one previous issue of the African Flame we reported about the fact that the WSF has become a money-spinner. At least these young people have not given the hotels and taxi drivers the extra cash that they wanted. Only airlines can claim to have benefited from these young people. Just imagine the anger and frustration that will be expressed by hotel owners and taxi drivers if all participants at WSF meetings were to opt for alternative camps like the Youth Camp. Surely, the enthusiasm from cities to host the WSF will be thrown out of the window. The second, and perhaps most important thing about the Youth Camp is the sheer interest of young people in politics. There can be no doubt that with those who populate the Youth Camp there are those who are simply undergoing the normal growth stage and therefore are simply experimenting; for them sleeping in tents is an adventure. These would mainly be rich, spoilt kids mainly from the Northern countries. Doesn’t sound politically correct does it? Yet, there are thousands of young people who are going against the grain and stereotype of young people who are completely disinterested in politics. These days young people are deliberately fed a diet of pop culture (minus politics) with the covert aim of depoliticising them. This is done deliberately so because youth is a stage where people possess the most radical potential because of the nonrelation with the means of production, either as workers (and therefore compelled at times to protect their work) or as bosses See page 8 AFRICA IS NOT FOR SALE! Another World is Possible 31th Monday, January 2005 - Number 5 - World Social Forum, Porto Alegre (Brasilia) Making Africa possible to host the WSF By Salma Maoulidi and Diana Mulilo AFRICA reiterated its readiness to host the World Social Forum (WSF) in 2007 and has acknowledged that it will take a lot of planning and serious mobilization of many actors that are not yet on board in the African Social Forum (ASF) processes to develop a critical mass that will see event bringing together all diverse players in Africa. Further it was noted that while the hosting of WSF in Africa will change the character of the social forum, it was anticipated that the Forum would equally impact Africa. A dialogue series held yesterday saw representatives from the India, Brazil, Europe and International Organizing Committee of the World social forum expressing solidarity and thanking Africa for having their processes. The representative from the Europe said they were very delighted by the African spirit that is now permeating the Forum, expressed by more visibility of the African people. For Africa, 2007 is an opportunity for the continent to strengthen its links with other movements and inclusion of all countries involved. According to a representative from Niger, “This rare opportunity should be a time to build and strengthen social movements in Africa, since our movements are still developing”. Dealing with diversity of the continent was a key concern expressed by many participants in the dialogue. A representative from South Africa urged the organizers to develop a process of inclusion so that at the end of the day, all in Africa can own the product. Solange from Mali pointed out that women and youth were not well represented in the African process and challenged all present to address the issue urgently. Many women present who cautioned that the marginalisation would be even worse especially if women identified themselves as feminists echoed this. Representatives of Trade Unions publicly expressed their willingness to work with organizations and movements currently organizing the ASF. They lamented their absence and encouraged mobilization processes that target them directly as a movement. In this respect, the inclusion and presence of diverse movements from Trade Unions, NGOs, women’s groups and youths creates strong alliances that can best fight the struggles for freedom and human rights in the continent. Njoki from Kenya a member of the International Committee cautioned against prevailing fears on the implications of the Social Forum coming to Africa. She reminded the dialogue meeting that, “We can give new meaning to the forum if we brought in new diverse ideas and issues. A good example is gender equality”. Taoufik Ben Abdallah a member of the ASF Secretariat noted all these concerns and called on all concerned to develop meaningful solidarity if 2007 is to meet expectations and standards already set by India and Brazil. “People to people solidarity is the key to building people’s Forum.” “Solidarity is an instrument that should be used to meet our objectives. The WSF can help us realize ourselves as political beings. It is an opportunity we cannot afford to miss. Attitudes need to change in order to have a consolidated vision and togetherness when we consider contributions from various parts of the African countries when we host the World Social Forum. Morocco to host regional World Social Forum in 2006 By Thomas Deve MOROCCAN-BASED ASF council member Mohammed Said has confirmed that the bungling associated with his country’s bid to host a continental component of WSF in 2006 has been cleared and the continent will rally behind them to bring the Forum expansion process to Africa. This means that Moroccan delegates attending the World Social Forum will go home a jubilant lot because their bid to host the regional world social forum proposed in the International Council for 2006 has been favourably reviewed by the African Social Forum. The process was not a smooth one but served to confirm that while the Forum is conceptualised as an open space, it still had to deal with the diverse articulations and was expected at the end of the day to develop working methodologies that will project a coordinated voice and visions. Morocco’s bid for the 2006 had been submitted directly to WSF International Council and took a long time to be discussed by the African Social Forum whose council is working very hard to unify processes and voices in Africa. Those who opposed the bid attacked the Brazilian-based members of the IC and accused them of manipulating decision processes before Africans had exhausted their own processes. It was further highlighted that the Moroccans had submitted a document that seemed to ignore the fact that they were primarily an African county. This position did not go down with some representatives from Morocco who stormed out of one ASF council meeting but were later brought back to iron out the emerging differences in an environment where they were assured that Africa wanted its processes to carry an African branding and not highlight the nation state at the expense of the Pan African project all movements were galvanising to build. Tensions had been exposed in the Lusaka African Social Forum that was held in December 2004 where participants made allegations that the Moroccans were fronting interests of those pushing for a hurried decision on IC proposals on devolution of WSF processes. Anxiety had also arisen over allegations that some South African entities had told the WSF International Council that Africa was not ready to host the social forum in Africa despite the fact that sections of Indian, Europe and Brazil were rallying behind Africa if it chose to host the World Social Forum. Members of the Brazilian and Indian secretariats of WSF had made their commitments in public during the ASForganised seminars in India. The European movements especially in Italy had communicated their willingness to help in strengthening African processes to the ASF secretariat. Meanwhile the dialogue on WSF in Africa is expected to trigger a lot of fireworks in the continent’s Council processes where some movements still feel they are not adequately represented and are anxious to develop lock-in mechanisms that will obligate the secretariat to stick to decisions made by the Council thus giving the latter little room to make alterations on positions develop in the Council without further wider consultations. In real terms, this means reopening the dialogue on ASF governance, a subject that has always torn the Council and exposed its weaknesses when it comes to process matter. The ASF secretariat has scheduled a council meeting on the eve of the 31st January at Novotel Hotel where Africa is expected to review its 2005 Porto Alegre proceedings, calls for action and probably develop an action plan to reinvigorate Commission set up in Cairo in the course of 2004.
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