Kasarani, an otherwise sleepy stadium in Nairobi, Kenya was a beehive of activity in January. Thousands of activists from all corners of the world thronged the stadium for the World Social Forum in search of a path to sustainable development, social and economic justice, continuing a tradition that started with the first the WSF, organized in Porto Alegre, Brazil in 2001. For all of us present, we realise that building another world is possible, but through alternative models for people-centred and self-reliant progress, and not the current neo-liberal globalization. Those who work on health had a clear message on what that means for health. “Health is a fundamental right. The time has come work for the right to health, to put in place universal, comprehensive and equitable health systems and social security.”
Equity in Health
In this article Patrick Bond assesses the aftermath of the World Social Forum (WSF), held from January 20-25 in Nairobi. It documents that there were some triumphs for social justice, but also some worrying trends that emerged from the forum. Bond examines what it means for the future of the WSF concept. It describes how a mixed message - combining celebration and autocritique - is in order, in the wake of the Nairobi World Social Forum. From January 20-25, the 60,000 registered participants heard the triumph of radical rhetoric and yet, too, witnessed persistent defeats for social justice causes - especially within the WSF's own processes.
This author introduces themselves as an overtly vocal critic. She reports being most disheartened about the avalanche of negative writing that has thundered from on high on the WSF and discusses ways in which the 2007 World Social Forum (WSF-Africa)produced failures and achievements. She ends on a high note "From the bottom of my heart to all those people who came to WSF, who organised their workshops, seminars, tribunals and marches, who set up their tents and sat through hours of discussion, who travelled for 3 days on the bus, who got grey hairs being in the organising committees or dealing with the organising committees, whose possessions were stolen or burnt, who lost luggage, who were denied visas, who monopolised communication services, who catered, who invaded the caterers, who brought partners, ex-presidents and Nobel prize winners, who played drums and rapped and sang and danced, who spoke for an hour rather than 10 minutes, who shared their personal experiences, who wrote all manner of nasty articles, who ripped us off in taxis, who cleaned the portable toilets for little thanks, who printed not so practical programmes .... everyone, everyone, everyone, everyone ... till we meet again ... ASANTE SANA! VIVA!"
Hopes, experiences, optimism, evidence, critique, challenge and expectation- we present in this section reports from those at the World Social Forum held in Nairobi in January 2007. We welcome opinion pieces, reports on sessions relating to health issues, position papers or comments on the WSF and would like to hear your experiences and impressions of the sessions that had relevance to health. Please write to us at admin@equinetafrica.org and we will include inputs in our next newsletter.
The World Social Forum first met in 2001 in the city of Porto Alegre, Brazil, as a challenge to the World Economic Forum (WEF) and 'claimed to organize an alternative to capitalist neo-liberal globalisation. The author further describes their experience as they scoured for analysis of the World Social Forum, and came across critiques accusing the WSF of being a glorified discussion group for the emerging class of career activists and NGOs, to an incubator for the domestication of possibly explosive actors.
Women, especially in the developing world, who continue to bear the burden of the negative impact of globalisation, must fight for their rights, a Kenyan civil rights activist said on Monday at the World Social Forum (WSF). Anna Tibaijuka, the executive director of UN Habitat, said globalisation had contributed to the suffering of women as they continued to bear the burden of its negative impact. Participants spoke against violence, saying they wanted the world to continue to hear their voice. A woman from Bangalore, India, who asked to be referred to as Shokun, said violence was a major cause of death for women in India.
Duncan Otieno, 22, lives in Huruma, one of four main slums in Kenya's capital, Nairobi. Otieno has lived there since coming to the city in 2003 after finishing school in Kisumu, in the west of the country. Otieno attended the last day of the World Social Forum. He expressed hope that the gathering will achieve outcomes on issues affecting ordinary people, including access to water, high rentals and insecure jobs. "However, if the forum is just a matter of people talking, just for the sake of gathering, then it will be of no use."
The World Social Forum On Health Policital Agenda was held in Nairobi, Kenya on 21-23 January 2007. The theme for the 7th edition of the World Social Forum is “People’s Struggles, People’s Alternatives”. The 7th edition of the World Social Forum brings the world to Africa as activists, social movements, networks, coalitions and other progressive forces from Asia-Pacific, Latin America, the Caribbean, North America, Europe and all corners of the African continent converge in Nairobi, Kenya.
The first edition of Global Health Watch (GHW) was launched last year, and the Global Health Watch 2007/8 will be published late in 2007 or early 2008. The full edition of GHW and a shorter advocacy document Global Health Action can be downloaded from the GHW website. People's Health Movement (PHM) would like to ensure that indigenous health issues are highlighted in relation to all the areas that will be covered in the second edition of Global Health Watch, and request your assistance and input in this regard. They would like to provide chapter co-ordinating authors with information on indigenous health issues that can be integrated within the various chapters.
The author describes a personal experience in the days of preparation for the World Social Forum 2007. After spending a few days in the company of young people like me from Kenya, Zambia, Zimbabwe and many other African Countries, I discovered that same early spirit of my community. To me the WSF is beginning to be and will be a deeply emotional experience. It’s emotional because we have been working very hard to make this day happen.