------------------------- Via Workers World News Service Reprinted from the Feb. 13, 2003 issue of Workers World newspaper -------------------------
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 Inacio Lula da Silva, along with President Hugo ChAvez 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 Chomsky 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 Palestinian 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 Inacio 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 Chavez to the WSF. People lined up for hours to hear the Venezuelan leader speak. Chavez 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.] - END - (Copyright Workers World Service: Everyone is permitted to copy and distribute verbatim copies of this document, but changing it is not allowed. For more information contact Workers World, 55 W. 17 St., NY, NY 10011; via e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe wwnews- [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe [EMAIL PROTECTED] Support the voice of resistance http://www.workers.org/orders/donate.php) ------------------ This message is sent to you by Workers World News Service. To subscribe, E-mail to: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To unsubscribe, E-mail to: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To switch to the DIGEST mode, E-mail to <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Send administrative queries to <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
