Um Outro Mundo é Possível!
Another World is Possible!

What is the World Social Forum (WSF)?

The WSF was born to challenge the World Economic Forum, a global meeting attended by political leaders, such as presidents, royalty and US Senators and representatives as well as corporate representatives, which is held annually in Davos, Switzerland. Though WEF claims to represent the world, it is dominated by Western/Northern elites and to be invited to the table, a company must have annual revenues of over $1 billion.

Obviously this leaves many out of global economic decision-making. Therefore, in January of 1999 a counter-forum was held in Davos. At this time, various groups came together and suggested the possibility of a counter think-tank in Porto Alegre, Brasil. Porto Alegre was famous in left circles for the political stronghold of the PT or the Workers’ Party and the Orçamento Participativo (OP) or the Participatory budget process. Therefore, the first WSF was held in Porto Alegre in 2001, attracting more than 20,000 participants from 117 countries. The following year, Porto Alegre was again home to the WSF, welcoming more than 50,000 participants from 123 countries. In 2003, roughly 100,000 participants from 123 countries come to Porto Alegre with more than 25,000 in the youth camp. In 2004, the WSF moved to Mumbai India. Various Indian NGOs and social movements joined the organizing committee and the forum was held in January 2004 with more than 75,000 participants representing 1,650 organizations from 117 countries. This year, the fifth WSF was held from January 26-31st in Porto Alegre and brought together 155,000 participants, from 135 countries and 6,880 lecturers. More than 200,000 people in the opening march, 2,500 activities and 2,800 volunteers. Non-officially there will not be a large WSF next year. Instead there will be various regional forums and the next large WSF will be held in 2007. The proposed site is Africa, but the exact location has not been announced.

The WSF process is very mixed. The people that come have quite different ideological backgrounds, histories, education and ideas of social, cultural and political struggle. This is both the strength and tension present within the forum process. Though participants vary greatly, all that come to the WSF must sign on to the WSF Charter of Principles. This establishes the goals of the WSF, which are in short to provide an open meeting place for building alternatives. This space is not anti-Davos but instead a venue to discuss current projects, struggles and dreams of new forms of organizing that promote alternatives to current political, social and economic structures. Participants are encouraged to situate their actions, speak from and regarding their particular experiences in an effort to promote debate and active participation in international contexts. The WSF process is opposed to multinational corporate globalization. It is clearly anti-neo-liberal but not necessarily anti-capitalist. The World Social Forum is also a world process. In contrast to the World Economic Forum, the WSF seeks to include as many international voices as possible. The WSF is also seeks to represent civil society and therefore neither party representatives nor military organizations can participate in the Forum, though individuals who commit to the Charter may be invited to participate in a personal capacity. For example, this year both Lula and Hugo Chavez spoke to tens of thousands of people at the forum. Chavez was emphatic that he was speaking as Hugo, and he just happened to be the president of Venezuela.

Thus all dedicated to this process attended this year’s WSF. It was organized around five ‘transversal axes’ which participants were told to keep in mind throughout the forum: social emancipation and political dimensions of struggle, struggle against patriarchal capitalism, struggle against racism and other types of exclusion based on ancestry, gender, and diversity and the conference was also focused on 11 thematic areas designated by letters:

A: Autonomous thought, reappropriation and socialization of knowledge and technologies,

B: Defending diversity, plurality and identities

C: Arts and creation: weaving and building people’s resistance culture.

D: Communication: counter-hegemonic practices, rights and alternatives.

E: Assuring and Defending Earth and the People’s Common goods- as alternative to commodification and transnational control.

F: Social Struggles and Democratic Alternatives- against Neo-liberal domination.

G: Peace, demilitarization and struggle against war, free trade and debt.

H: Towards construction of international democratic order and people’s integration.

I: Sovereign economies for and of people- against neo-liberal capitalism.

J: Human rights and dignity for a just egalitarian world.

K: Ethics, cosmovisions and spiritualities- resistances and challenges for a new world.

Each letter had its own space at the Forum offering various conferences during four time slots. Therefore, one had 55 formal presentations to choose from at any one time. There was also the Youth Camp, a large area in which young people from all over the world set up their tents and camped during the forum. At the youth camp there were various teach-ins, discussion groups, food stands, and there was always a party. Moreover, the forum offered cultural events. For example, the opening concert featured the amazing, now Cultural Minister of Brasil Gilberto Gil, and Manu Chao. Moreover, throughout the week there were various concerts, dances, and performances. There were also talks given by notable peoples such as Lula and Chavez. You name it you could find it at the forum!

Why is the forum important?

The WSF is a space to freedom dream: to talk with others about your particular struggles and to struggle in solidarity with people from across the world. The U.S. has not been well represented in the WSF. We as U.S. residents must be a part of this process to promote dialogue and question that which is taken for granted in our cultural political context. We cannot simply denounce global power structures and institutions. We must believe that another world is possible and actively struggle to make it so.