Mumbai's World Social Forum: High on pontification, low on solutions

Bright brigade: Celebrity delegates gather at the forumThe recently concluded World Social Forum (WSF) at Mumbai displayed many sins of virtue. Act 4 of the saga-the first one was staged in Brazil-on an alternative world brought out the worst in the best and the comic in the tragic.US President George W. Bush's head was the most wanted. So were copies of writer-activist Arundhati Roy's speech and exclusive interviews with Nobel laureates Shirin Ebadi and Joseph Stiglitz.Rich delegates who stayed at five-star hotels and flew first-class raised voices against poverty, impoverished children held ornamental flags, Thai sex workers danced to the tunes of Dalit activists, eunuchs said they were women and a new dictionary was born.PROTEST SPEAKMILITARISATION Assembling, putting into readiness troops for war or other emergencies.NEO-IMPERIALISM Exploitation and misuse of resources and knowledge for economic interests that ignore human rights. For example, America's war on Iraq.NEO-LIBERALISM A set of economic policies that have become widespread during the last 25 years, imposed by institutions like the IMF and the World Bank.NEO-COLONIALISM Oppression of poor countries by the superpowers through unfair trade practices, military invasions and cultural domination.CULTURAL RELATIVISM All ethical truth is relative only to a particular culture. For example, there are societies where historical and cultural reasons limit women's freedom and their choices.UNSUSTAINABILITY Use of natural resources in a way that depletes without replacing. Like the hacking of trees without replanting. "Glocal" did not mean the new cola, it meant a global local. The progeny of imperialism multiplied- neo-imperialism, quasi-imperialism and legislative imperialism. Knowledge and ignorance, vehemence and scepticism, rebellion and confusion were all present at the sessions. When actor-activist Shabana Azmi said that spectacular stock market performances hide the fact that 47 per cent of Indian children still suffer from malnutrition, she probably knew what she was talking about. But Shayamu Pandey from Bhopal was totally clueless. "I was told that we had to join a rally and win," he says naively. Who won what is a losing debate.Yet the winners and losers stood out. Ebadi gave some heart-rending speeches. "I hope that one day there will be a world where globalisation will not be synonymous with inequality," she says. She made sense. As did Stiglitz and Amnesty International Secretary General Irene Khan as they focused on unjust policies and workable solutions.South African Judge Sirajuddin Desai emerged the loser No. 1 (see box). With 300 movements from 140 countries, 30,000 foreign delegates, 3,000 media persons, 70,000 Indian participantsand1,200 seminars each tissue of every issue was represented.WSF was born in 2001 as an alternative to the pro-market ideology of the World Economic Forum and to put people over profit. It also protested against the capitalist dominance of institutions like the World Bank, the World Trade Organisation and the International Monetary Fund.Three years later, the NGO bazaar has become bigger and activism is a mainstream profession. But this forum has not incited anything except debates. Khan disagrees, saying it is one of the few global events that allows people to express their simmering resentment."One cannot build an island of prosperity in the middle of despair," she says. Too much dialogue is the Achilles' heel of this forum. Practical alternatives remain elusive as unfocused passions define dreams of an equal world. Right next to an AIDS activist, an incensed middle-aged woman asks, "Kisne kaha India mein AIDS hain (Who says there is AIDS in India)"?Post-it: A sex worker; child rights find words for their woesOn the one hand are Egyptian writer-activist Nawal el Saddawi and Nikhil Wagle, editor ofMahanagar,who express discontent at having to speak in "imperialist" English. On the other is Chico Whitaker, founder of WSF, who asserts, "We must accept and respect one another."The forum achieved increased participation this year with several Indian groups joining in. But what it did not anticipate was misuse by communist parties and motley groups for their own agenda. The irony is that this much needed platform keeps rein-venting contradictions within itself.But how can a new world order be built on the edifice of confusion? Anti-war culture, humanitarian globalisation, Bush-bashing and all the pet peeves of the people's movement may not attain gravitas in a carnival. Small wonder then that even the left of left sounds right.War cries: Bush-bashing (left) and sexual rights topped the chartsGroups like the Mumbai Resistance, New Democratic Labour Front and People's Art and Literary Association mocked the WSF, calling it the World Puppets' Forum. But to its credit, WSF refrained from propagating extremist means. Except when Roy played to the gallery calling for people to destroy two MNCs that profited from the Iraq war.Many believe that this energy will crystallise into action and agitation is, after all, a form of communication. Christian Losson, author of Seattle Generation, who has covered every WSF, says that people are being too harsh. "The forum is a culmination of everyday battles and local movements.It is important to remember that it is only three years old," he says. WSF's ardent followers ambitiously call it the "second super power". If its colossal hope that imperialism will dwindle comes true, it will call for a rave. See you at the activists' party. It is in Brazil next year.Published By: AtMigration Published On: Feb 2, 2004 00:00 IST--- ENDS ---

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Mumbai's World Social Forum: High on pontification, low on solutions

High on pontification and low on solutions, the WSF was a giant melting pot of characters, story lines and subplots. Focus and action could have turned it into a powerful platform.

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