WSF: Corporatization of Poverty, Local Reporter in Africa

Kate Eleanor, 12.02.2007 19:24

The World Social Forum began on January 25 with a march from the biggest slum in Africa, Kibera (the location of the movie Constant Gardener) to Uhuru Park (Freedom Park). A huge stadium was filled with street puppets, banners for every social justice cause under the African sun, gigantic multi-colored PACE flag, signs that said "The World's Number 1 Terrorist" over a picture of our commander in chief, and people in blazing African colored dresses, saris, hijabs, those sporting Mohawks and just every stripe and color all rocked out to the music.

[Kate is Medford resident who is currently completing her university studies, studying coastal ecology in Stonetown, Zanzibar, Tanzania. The first chapter of her WSF report-back is at  http://www.rogueimc.org/en/2007/01/7879.shtml. Below are the three remaining chapters.]

POVERTY AND MILITARISM

I am writing to you on the last day of the 7th annual World Social Forum in Nairobi, Kenya. This is the largest gathering of NGO's and grassroots organizations in the world. It began in response to the World Economic Forum- a glitz and glam event that works to "end poverty" with celebrities and statesmen who come by invitation and a $2,000 entrance fee. A bunch of NGOs were highly critical of the "corporatization of poverty", and were not invited back….so they started a forum that would address the systems of global injustice that perpetuate poverty.

This year was the first time it was in Africa, making travel arrangements a lot more prohibitive for the usual attendees, and as a result they had fewer people than usual, but about a bazillion times more Africans – and altogether over 50,000 people from all over the world.

The event began with a march from the biggest slum in Africa, Kibera (the location of the movie Constant Gardener) to Uhuru Park (Freedom Park). A huge stadium was filled with street puppets, banners for every social justice cause under the African sun, gigantic multi-colored PACE flag, signs that said "The World's Number 1 Terrorist" over a picture of our commander in chief, and people in blazing African colored dresses, saris, hijabs, those sporting Mohawks and just every stripe and color all rocked out to the music. People danced with Western Sahara flags. This is the last colony of Africa, belonging to Morocco, and at this event they are actively seeking an international support to galvanize this movement- which is exactly what the WSF is all about. You had signs identifying groups spanning the spectrum from "Ecumenical Solutions to Poverty" to "Ugandans for Sexual Diversity."

The next day we started workshops. Some of the themes: "The link between Free trade agreements and militarization", to the "Illegitimacy of African Debt", to "The Expansion of Military Bases around the world."

It was an incredible event, but I feel like I am being deceiving if I leave out the fact that it was shockingly disorganized. After waiting for hours and being told repeatedly to keep coming back, we never got our programs the first day. After waiting for hours the day the forum started and getting conflicting instructions from most volunteers we talked to, we finally got a program the last day. Because there was no program, and unlimited conflicting advice about what time the damn march started, Michaela and I missed it altogether. Most everyone I talked to was very frustrated by the lack of organization, although everyone was also enchanted by the international atmosphere and the kind of people you got to meet (while waiting an hour for your workshop to start… assuming that it starts at all).

I just say this because I know that it is big dream for many activists from around the world to come, and it is a major (not to mention costly) undertaking. That said, it was the first time it was held in Africa, and it was held inside of a sports stadium area that made for many technological difficulties. I came on my own, not as a presenter with an organization or a clear direction of what I wanted to gain out of it. I cannot fathom organizing a week long international event for over 50,000 people on the limited budget that the WSF has. Just something folks should know going into it. But I learned quickly that is not really about the workshops as much as the powerful atmosphere of 50,000+ people dedicating themselves to fight against global injustice. Clearly, the WSF has played an invaluable role in mobilizing the millions around the world on Feb 15th to protest against the war. From this forum, incredible alliances have been made, including the Network for the Abolition of Foreign Military Bases that is now doing phenomenal things on an international scale. Also, Latin American social movements, like getting Evo Morales elected, had a huge base of support from the WSF. It is clear, while frustrating at times and exhilarating at others, that this is no ordinary conference.

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WAR & IMPERIALISM

Michaela and I commented on how the WSF felt like a conference in the US….. with a billion times more diversity than we had seen on conferences in the US. We saw this because the most visible cause there was clearly an anti-Bush movement- this tied together the rest.

People may have been excited in the US about the Democrats taking over the house and the senate in November, but it was nothing compared to the excitement about it here. A random Kenyan guy brought up the news in the first few minutes of the conversation. It was seen as the great cause of hope in the presentation I went to about to build a committed pro-Palestine movement in the US.

I watched people from London, Kenya, the Philippines, and Palestine give speeches with more references to Condi Rice, James Baker, and Rumsfeld than any of the names of the people in power in their own respective governments. I had no idea the extent to which these names are so universally recognized. Again, the difference came up again in a speech by Walden Bello, who is one of the founders of the WSF movement. He is director of Focus on the Global South, and has written many books arguing that free trade policies have crippled the developing world. He began talking about how Bush said he would stay in Iraq even if "his dog and his wife" were the only ones at his side. He talked about how much more powerful the US has become since we have invaded Iraq.

Then he talked about the hope that the global peace movement has brought, eventually leading to the withdrawal of Italy and Spain in Iraq. Then he talked about what great hope the defeat of Israel brought- 800 some guerillas in Lebanon defeated the Israeli/American military might. Wow! I think most Americans would be shocked to see our name so closely tied with the Israeli invasion of Lebanon. And even more shocked to hear a comment supporting Lebanese guerrilla groups met with a roar of applause from such an international audience, with few, if any, recognizably Muslim people in the crowd.

And remember, I am not writing from an anti-war conference in Cairo (and by the way, there is a big one coming up there in March put on by Stop the War Coalition). I am talking about a conference in Nairobi that spans the issues of social justice, with groups present like Oxfam, Amnesty International, and lots of faith based development orgs. I knew the world was against Bush, but I never imagined this...
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THIRD WORLD DEBT

There were a lot of presentations and marches about the eradication of third world debt owed to the IMF. The idea was that this debt was illegitimate debt, incurred by corrupt dictators often installed or otherwise supported by the CIA. The North has exploited the natural and human resources of the global South for centuries, so the South shouldn't owe the North anything at all- in fact, the argument was made that the opposite is true.

The movement wasn't calling for debt forgiveness or cancellation, but eradication of the very idea that the South should spend all their tax money on servicing the debt that was coerced upon them by the World Bank and IMF.

What was most interesting to me was the highly popular idea here that the North should begin paying its debt owed to the South by compensating for the excessive use of carbon dioxide used in the North. Global CO2 emissions (almost all emitted by the North) are causing large scale crop failure and other widespread environmental problems to the more vulnerable countries in the South.

I find some difficulties with these arguments, namely that how would we know all that money would actually benefit people when there is so much corruption in governments around the world…. And how else to distribute this money than through governments? Any thoughts?
If you are interested in this issue, take a look at Jubilee, the NGO spearheading this global eradication of third world debt movement.

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