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“Another World is Possible and you can hear her Breathing”
Reprinted from Catholic New Times - February
2003
World Social Forum 2003
As January drew to a close, Canadians witnessed, with a growing
sense of dread, media image after media image of escalating Western
preparations for war with Iraq. At the World Economic Forum in Davos,
Switzerland, our global economic and political elite met in a somber
mood and bemoaned the growing public distrust of their leadership.
In stark contrast, a hemisphere away in Brazil, hope was contagious
and the word on the streets was peace.
From January 23 to 28, 100,000 people gathered in Porto Alegre,
Brazil to participate in the World Social Forum. KAIROS, a partnership
of Canadian churches dedicated to social justice, sent a delegation
of 17, joining with Development and Peace and other Canadians to
contribute to this diverse and optimistic gathering of people opposed
to corporate globalization. We were youth and middle-aged; Metis,
Southern, and immigrant; women religious and priests (one male Roman
Catholic, one female Anglican); lay grassroots activists and ecumenical
staff; committee chairs and volunteers; teachers and students; and
so much more. We came to learn more about the issues facing the
people of other countries, to connect with other human rights activists,
to update ourselves on the campaign for the cancellation of illegitimate
debt, to learn what ordinary Americans and Iraqis thought about
the conflict between their nations, and to bring messages of hope
from our communities—pictures and stories that testified to
economic and social alternatives.
In this open gathering for reflection and action, resistance and
alternatives, another world truly seemed possible: Israelis linked
arms with Palestinians and shared a joint letter of peace with a
packed, yet hushed, stadium of 15,000; Americans followed Iraqis
onto podiums to testify to their growing opposition to war; Bolivians
shared stories of their successful fight back against privatization;
the landless movement of Brazil showed the world vibrant communities
now settled on unused land; Colombians displayed their conviction
in a life without fear. And Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, former metal
worker and union leader, now President of Brazil, came to Porto
Alegre to consolidate his message for Davos.
From its inception three years ago, the World Social Forum has
been a study of unity in diversity. Participation has grown from
10,000 in 2001 to 50,000 in 2002 to100,000 delegates from 130 countries
in 2003. What the World Social Forum has achieved in those three
short years is the symbolic unification of two historic people’s
movements—the movement for peace and human rights and the
movement for economic justice, referred to in its most recent incarnation
as the anti-globalization movement. In workshops, participants consistently
connected militarization with globalization, the impending war in
Iraq with the advance of the Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA),
and then took their message to the streets, chanting “No to
war, no to the FTAA.” Out of the more than 1700 panels and
workshops a common message again emerged—militarized, coporate-led
globalization must be confronted and opposed. Another world—one
that recognizes and honours the dignity of every human person—must
be realized in its place.
Throughout the Forum, speaker after speaker denounced the “empire
builders,” most notably the current US administration. American
social critic Noam Chomsky argued that the administration had outdone
its predecessors in “arrogance” by declaring that it
will brook no opposition to its foreign policy agenda and implement
it by force if necessary. Indian writer Arundhati Roy proclaimed:
“We, all gathered here, have laid siege to the empire. We
have stood up and forced it to drop its mask.” Continuing
to confront the “empire” will necessarily be a part
of the long work of creating the world that we at the Forum saw
as possible.
The chief dilemma of this year’s event was largely a problem
of success. 100,000 people strained the solid organizational capacity
of the Brazilian hosts. The late publication of the forum agenda
contributed to an early sense of chaos and a feeling of disconnection
of the parts from the whole. How do you manage venues and translation
for the most popular speakers? How do you weave together the outcomes
of 1700 workshops and panels? Smaller and more in-depth forums at
national, regional levels, some with a thematic focus, may offer
some answers while still preserving the momentum of the WSF vision.
Indeed, KAIROS delegates are committed to such action, and will
bring their experiences to a series of local fora taking place across
the country in coming months.
We went to Porto Alegre carrying messages of hope and we encountered
hope at every turn—more than we could have imagined. Our experiences
confirmed KAIROS’ initial sense that the positive impact of
the Porto Alegre gathering would extend well beyond the five day
event. We who have been working on social justice and environmental
issues in our local communities return with new ideas and approaches
to carry the struggle forward. We are nurtured and our movements
are strengthened. The urgency of the stories, the power of ideas,
the strength of a common vision and the call to action make us messengers
of hope, bringing a tonic to those weary with the day-to-day demands
of fidelity to a vision of social justice.
But what of the broader public? Virtually non-existent coverage
in the English-Canadian media causes us to ask, ‘who will
hear the message?’. Arundhati Roy closed the Forum with the
words: “Not only is another world possible, she is present.
If you listen carefully you can hear her breathing." Next year
delegates to the World Social Forum will gather in India. Before
the spirit of Porto Alegre manifests itself in India in 2004, let
us pray that the powers-that-be find ears to hear.
Jennifer Henry, Team Leader for Animation, Communication, and
Education at KAIROS, was a member of the KAIROS delegation to Porto
Alegre. A full report on the 2003 KAIROS delegation experience is
available by contacting Jennifer Henry: E-mail/Courriel à Jennifer Henry
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