The World Social Forum in Nairobi is just a few days away. This years theme is “Peoples’ Struggles, Peoples’ alternatives: Another World is Possible”. This is a slightly nuanced version from previous years, but still just as vague.
A few of other social-forum-keeners got here early. Rest assured there has been planning months in advance, and there are around 500 volunteers to take care of issues of first aid, documentation and memory, translation, media, and last but not least, security, which has been a big concern for many.
The forum will be held at the Moi International Sports complex, the only venue that could possibly fit that many participants. Even then, they are setting up an array of tents and makeshift arrangements to use the space as efficiently as possible.
Chaos will be inevitable, but everyone knows that. The organisers appear on top of their game, and will use vast spaces in order to create varied levels of chaos. From the neatly compartmentalised stadium; to the parking lot transformed into a food court; and the to the youth space, where one organiser commented: “everything will be allowed at the Youth Camp”
But what of the issues? A quick gander at the program - published at the eleventh hour - and it looks like it will weigh more on the NGO side, with Action Aid organising the most activities and workshops. This was to be expected, as Nairobi is one of the Major NGO capitals in the world.
To say the program is eclectic is an understatement. Participating groups range from the Oxfam-types, to the Charleston Rhizome Collective of Alternative Roots – between them putting on an impressive array of activities. A random sample: ‘society strategy session on the extractive sector’; ‘the Iranian nuclear crisis’; ‘decent work and social protection’; and the usual discussions around climate change, fair trade and Third World debt.
This year it seems there is a positive emphasis on gender issues, which thanks to pushes from Onyango Oloo, who presented a paper on “Gendering the WSF process”. The youth presence will also be felt, as well as a focus on the child poverty.
The individual participants will no doubt be just as eclectic. The team of international volunteers, for example, consists of students, artists, video gamers, tree-planting anarchists, political party members and a cadre of interns who managed to swindle some organisation to pay their way.
And what about the big guns, the hotshot activists? Desmond Tutu is due to make an appearance. Despite hopeful rumours, Nelson Mandela will not. As usual, the people have been asking about Noam Chomsky. Vanda Shiva will certainly feature, providing warnings for Africa about the perils of the ‘Green Revolution’.
So with the WSF being the event of the year for the global-left, we can ask: is all this commotion worth it? Think of all the time and energy put in to make the gathering happen. What about the horrific carbon footprints all these eco-conscious activist are wracking up just for a week in of talking, listening, and sometimes fruitful exchange and network building. And what if we bring into question how effective is it in serving those purposes? How much networking can really happen in such a short-lived space? Good connections take time to form, and you need lengthily shared experiences.
There is always the hope that the WSF can help pull off another big demo such as the protests against the immanent Iraq war, 15 February 2003. Without the organising at the Porto Alegre WSF a month earlier, the protests probably only been 50% of the size. But these days it seems difficult to find a rallying point. The US is stuck in the mud with Iraq, and there much people can grab on to in terms of protesting.
What about mobilising around old ghost like the dichotomy between 'good' labour and 'bad' capital? Well, the group modestly named ‘Revolutionary Proletariat’ will have four small sessions to make that case. The new banners are a bit muddled, with some pushing the human rights agenda, others looking to fill the ultimately ambiguous space called ‘global civil society’ with ‘engaged global citizens’. Heck, why not go even bigger, like Ubuntu – World Forum of Civil Society Networks – and start ‘Building an Alliance of Civilisations’?
What will come of a – lets face it – slightly quixotic, program? Some global citizen action here, some autonomist spaces there, and all the complexity within and between; it all depends on who you come with and where you are coming from. The fact that the WSF is the first to be solely based in Africa will give a chance for at least one milieu of African social movements, NGOs, CBOs, GROs to make their voices heard and air their context specific problems with the current state of the world. Maybe some of their analyses will resonate with others’ and they will inspire one another to carry on with their struggles, and exchange a tip or two on how to stick it to ‘the man.’
But in terms of more immediate concerns and needs for many Kenyans, the WSF is a bloody good business opportunity for some, and a possible career booster for others. Very few locals I have spoken to about the forum mention anything to do with its charter of principles which talks of opposing neoliberalism, patriarchy and all forms of oppression. For the taxi drivers, it’s a good thing because they'll make a few extra bucks; and the unemployed Kenyan youth volunteers may improve their prospects.
So behind the chaos just on the horizon, there is a hazy hope for other worlds: some only moderately improved, and others, radically different.
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