continued . . . World Social Forum, by Victor Penchaszadeh, MD
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Anyone who knows me, knows that I am not much of a writer of tales and impressions. Nevertheless, the experience of participating in the World Social Forum (WSF) has been so powerful that I want to share it. I believe that the WSF is already a "classic," where one can come to join the "beautiful people" of the planet (taking "beautiful" as a moral, not a physical attribute); the fighters for social justice, the right to health, a sustainable economy to the service of the people, the right to work, the rights of the disabled, and the globalization of justice, as well as those who struggle against large corporations, discrimination, poverty, the payment of the immoral and obscene external debt, and the militarization of the world.
The energy at the Forum was sensational. It was in all the people. Not just in the participants of the Forum, but also in the millions of inhabitants of the city of Porto Alegre, which I have baptized "The City of the Beautiful People." The inauguration march for the Forum was stupendous and I am a veteran of many marches. It was an indescribable pleasure to see scores of activists with banners, intoning happy choruses. Happiness was really the common denominator at the march; people with smiling faces and hearts brimming with optimism. Those of us lucky enough to have been in Porto Alegre, Brazil, between January 23rd and 28th, 2003, can have no doubt that "another world is possible" (the theme of this year's conference). Besides, after participating in the discussions and debates at the WSF, it became very clear that "another world" is not just possible, it is absolutely necessary.
Prior to the WSF, I participated in the Forum by the Health of the Towns, organized jointly by the Latin American Association of Social Medicine and several international organizations for the right to health. We debated how to make this right a reality, even though it has been so degraded by the commercialization of health care. I gave a presentation on the risks of genetic research done by bio-tech and pharmaceutical industries, which contribute to expanding the terrible inequities in healthcare, and how to face that risk without adopting anti-scientific positions. I also presided over a panel organized by the geneticists of Porto Alegre on the social aspects of genetics in the context of health, the commercialization of genetics and healthcare, racism and, of course, cloning.
The main task before beginning each day was to analyze conscientiously the program of hundreds of simultaneous activities and to decide how to distribute one's time to take advantage of as much as possible. There were at least three main places in distant points of the city where meetings were held: the Gigantinho (a sports stadium), port warehouses (enormous sheds transformed into conference rooms and round tables) and the Catholic University (with small and large classrooms). In all these centers there were swarms of people of all ages who were transformed instantly from strangers to new friends. I returned with a notebook loaded with names and addresses from around the world.
The theme around which the agenda was organized was the telling of stories of people around the world confronting the effects of corporate globalization. One was the fight against the privatization of water. I must confess I had not realized corporate greed had already gone so far as to threaten the vital liquid produced and recycled by the Earth that should be the patrimony of humanity and an essential public utility.
I dedicated myself to sessions on new social movements and the analysis of the political situation in Latin America. My wife Graciela lent special attention to the movements of women, and those that contribute to the empowerment and autonomy of communities. As a proud father, I cannot help but mention the activities of our daughter Anal’a, who works in the American organization Jobs With Justice, which last year received the Letelier Moffit prize for its work for the rights of workers, and which headed a delegation of 60 people to the WSF. Anal’a marched like an ant attending to its multiple commitments: translating between English, Spanish, French and Portuguese, and representing her organization in a fascinating debate on the interface between social movements and political parties.
Also very important were the activities denouncing militarization and the wars that the US empire and the large multinational corporations are carrying out in our continent, above all in Colombia. Great importance was also given to the movement against war with Iraq. It was exciting to see and to listen to American peace activists promising to fill the streets of New York with a million persons against the war.
There was also no lack of "stars" giving testimonies and presentations at the WSF: Noam Chomsky, Eduardo Galeano, Samuel Ruiz, Adolfo Gilly, Aleida Guevara, Sebastiao Salgado, Samir Amin, Gustavo Gutierrez, Leonardo Boff, Ignacio Ramonet, Olga Marquez, Norita Corti–as, Mar’a Adela Antokoletz, Adolfo Perez Esquivel and many more.
Although there is a great deal more I could recount, I will finish here. But not without emphasizing that what was most gratifying and exciting at the WSF was not to listen to the "stars" of the international social movement. It was the contact with the common people of the entire world who went to share their experiences in the struggle to make "another world" of justice and peace possible. I close these impressions with the conviction that the majority of the people of the planet wants peace and social justice, and that the history of man is a constant struggle for those objectives. And so the struggle continues.
- For more information on the WSF and the hundreds of sessions presented there, visit the web site (www.portoalegre2003.org).
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