World Social Forum 2003
100,000 call for 'another world'
By Alicia Jrapko and Johnnie Stevens
Porto Alegre, Brazil
From Jan. 23 to Jan. 27 over 100,000 people from 156
countries, representing over 5,000 organizations, gathered at
the third World Social Forum here under the slogan: "Another
World Is Possible."
With the Pentagon on the brink of an aggressive war against
Iraq, and resistance to Washington and Wall Street's domination
growing stronger throughout Latin America, this Forum became a
magnet for popular struggle against U.S. imperialism. Tens of
thousands demonstrated both at the opening ceremonies and in a
special action against the Free Trade Area of the Americas.
Both protests also demanded no U.S. war on Iraq.
The presence of the new Brazilian president, Luiz
Inácio Lula da Silva, along with President Hugo
Chávez of Venezuela, electrified the participants and
caused tens of thousands to spill out of the main meeting hall
of the event.
The WSF was born in 2001 as a reaction to the World Economic
forum that gathered many of the world's wealthiest bankers and
billionaires in Davos, Switzerland. That center of corporate
chieftains, of the World Bank, IMF and Pentagon, had become a
magnet, too, but of anti-globalization protest.
Porto Alegre, capital of the Brazilian state of Rio Grande
do Sul, also hosted the second WSF. But, according to veteran
participants, this one took top prizes not only by doubling the
size but for mixing a stronger feeling of struggle in with the
warmth of solidarity.
Last year, the World Economic Forum met in New York. While
thousands of people from the United States went to Porto Alegre
to participate in the WSF, other thousands protested this
meeting of the rich in Manhattan.
1,700 sessions and workshops
Through the days the WSF met, anti-imperialist sentiment was
noticeable in word and mood. There were approximately 1,700
sessions and workshops. Topics ranged from corporate misconduct
to the Third World debt, the war on Iraq, the FTAA, the
environment, women, HIV/AIDS, and the landless and reparation
struggles.
The panelists were philosophers, intellectuals and
well-known activists and personalities like left-wing
presidential candidate Evo Morales from Bolivia, Nobel Peace
Prize winner Adolfo Perez Esquival from Argentina, the Rev.
Daniel Ntoni Nzinga from Angola, Portuguese journalist and
political commentator Miguel Urbano, linguistics expert Noam
Chom sky and actor Danny Glover from the United States, Olympic
gold medalist boxer Teofilo Stevenson from Cuba, and activist
Ismael Guadalupe of Vieques, Puerto Rico.
The first day opened with a march and rally that brought
together thousands for justice, peace and socialism. Marchers
supported the Bolivarian process in Venezuela and the struggle
of the Palestin ian people. Hundreds of signs read "No to war,"
"Down with the FTAA," "Trade with justice," "Solidarity with
Venezuela" and "Against the coup." Also popular was "Cuba yes,
Yankees no." Chants against the war in Iraq in many different
languages could be heard.
A very impressive Cuban delegation made up of
representatives of all sectors of Cuban society passed by, led
by family members of the five Cuban heroes now held in U.S.
prisons. Gloria La Riva and Alicia Jrapko, members of the
Committee to Free the Five from the United States, participated
in a workshop about the Cuban Five organized by the Brazilian
committee.
Lula speaks to WSF and WEF
Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva spoke
the second day to thousands of people. The next day he left to
attend the Davos Forum. He said he would go to Davos to tell
people there that it is not possible to continue with an
economic system where a few eat five times a day while many
spend five days without eating on the planet Earth.
It was Lula who invited Hugo Chávez to the WSF.
People lined up for hours to hear the Venezuelan leader speak.
Chávez attacked neo-liberal globalization by proposing a
Latin America Monetary Fund opposed to the traditional IMF,
World Bank and other imperialist financial organizations. He
also proposed setting up a continent-wide organization like
OPEC to defend the natural resources of Latin America.
Thousands of copies of Chavez's book, "The Fascist Coup
Against Venezuela--The Life of the Homeland Is at Stake Here,"
were passed out.
Gloria La Riva from the United States spoke at a workshop
about terrorism, media and the war. Participants cheered when
La Riva described the recent anti-war demonstrations, the
biggest since the war in Vietnam, organized by Inter national
ANSWER.
Berta Joubert-Ceci participated in a panel on Women's
Organizations Around the World, and also in a workshop
organized by the Secretariat of WSF 2003 discussing the Feb. 15
international day of protest against a war on Iraq called by
the European anti-war movement. Joubert described the
development of the new U.S. anti-war movement led by
ANSWER.
Which way to the new world?
With the slogan "A better world is possible," the WSF begs
the question: "How do we get there?" A minority of
participants, but still a good number, made it clear they
believe that the answer to the problems facing humanity is not
to reform capitalism or make it more humane.
Groups and individuals with a revolutionary perspective were
more likely to have been invited to speak at the parallel
sessions, not those put together by the WSF organizers. For
example, Hebe de Bonafini, the president of the Mothers of
Plaza de Mayo of Argentina, was invited by the Landless
Committees of Brazil. She complained that grassroots
organizations had little space at the forum. She said that
globalization has to be destroyed, not reformed.
Last year anti-imperialists sharply criticized the WSF's
social democratic organizers for refusing to invite groups
waging legitimate armed struggles of national liberation, like
the FARC-EP of Colombia. These groups were also not invited
this year. The ideological thrust of the WSF organizers denies
the pressing need for workers and oppressed peoples to struggle
for power.
On the other hand, the WSF was still a magnet for tens of
thousands wanting to struggle against imperialism. Strong
participation by the Communist Party of Brazil gave clarity and
fighting spirit to the demonstrations and many of the
sessions.
At the ending rally the International Action Center
delegation carried a banner reading "Long Live the Resistance
of the Latin American People," a resistance that could be seen
during the WSF.
Next year's WSF is scheduled to take place in India.
Johnnie Stevens, Alicia Jrapko, Gloria La Riva and Berta
Joubert-Ceci made up the International Action Center delegation
to the WSF.
Reprinted from the Feb. 13, 2003, issue of
Workers World newspaper
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