'Another world is possible'

Over 100,000 people gathered last weekend in Brazil for the fifth World Social Forum, the annual meeting of the "global justice movement". Alistair Alexander reports from Porto Alegre

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Rallying under the banner, "Another world is possible", the World Social Forum (WSF) was established initially as a counterpoint to the exclusive World Economic Forum in Davos, which activists regard as a private club for the rich and powerful. But serious doubts remain, both from within the social movements represented as well as from critics outside, as to whether the WSF really provides an effective platform for change. Many argue that the large scale of the forum and its lack of structure undermines any sense of coherence.

To counter this criticism, a group of left- wing luminaries from the forum's organising committee released a 12-point declaration on the last day of the forum intended to provide a programme for the movement. The group, which includes two Nobel-prize winners, calls itself the "G19" and hopes the declaration will provide a focal point for the movement to unite around.

The points include the cancellation of debt, fair trade, democratisation of international organisations and the right of countries to provide a secure and affordable food supply for its citizens.

But the declaration had little to do with the four days of discussion and debate in Porto Alegre and was not greeted enthusiastically by all parties. "This was one of 352 declarations we had at the forum," WSF co-ordinator Jeferson Miola told Al-Ahram Weekly. "What I don't like is the way they've called themselves the G19. It makes them seem like a dissident group within the forum. However, the members of the group are well known by the left and that gives the programme a lot of weight," conceded Miola.

Over the course of four days, more than 2,000 meetings were held in a temporary complex of tents and re-appropriated warehouses that sprawled for several kilometres along the banks of Porto Alegre's Rio Grande.

In Porto Alegre the WSF has become a significant event. For a city with limited appeal to tourists, the huge numbers of participants -- many of them bristling with hard currency -- provides a substantial, if fleeting, transfer of wealth from the rich world to the not-so rich. Much to the dismay of many visitors, the WSF has inevitably become a highly commercial enterprise, with stalls selling trinkets, burgers and Che Guevara T- shirts lining every road of the complex.

The WSF site was split into 11 zones with lofty themes such as ethics, cosmovisions and spiritualities -- resistance and challenges for a new world.

Much of the forum's attention was focussed on world trade, the international finance institutions, such as the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the Word Bank. In more general terms, the struggle is against neo-liberalism -- the prevailing political agenda of free trade, free markets and liberalisation which, they argue, keeps most of the world poor and is inextricably connected to Western militarism.

But there was also plenty of activity on democracy and human rights, environmental issues and information technology. Over the past two years, the forum was dominated by the war in Iraq and Palestine. This year the Middle East featured less prominently on the forum's agenda, but Arab groups were well represented.

Alaa Shukrallah, from the Egyptian Social Forum, sees a shift in the forum's emphasis. "The main issues that we were interested in were issues of campaigns around development policies in Egypt," Shukrallah told the Weekly. "We wanted to share our experiences and compare notes with other people's experiences. A major focus of ours is the privatisation of medical services and how it affects people's health. We are also extremely concerned about the us of asbestos in factories and its impact on workers."

"However," added Shukrallah, "we can't address issues of development without addressing neo-liberal policies in general, whether these relate to privatisation, deprivation of large sections of the population, or whether it takes the shape of military aggression causing death and injuries to many thousands."

Hassan Barghouti, director of the Democracy and Workers' Rights Centre in Palestine, and a leading campaigner for Mustafa Barghouti in the recent Palestinian elections is enthusiastic about the forum.

It sends "a message to our people that we are not alone", he told the Weekly, "that we have thousands and thousands of friends across the world who support our struggle for justice and to establish a Palestinian state".

Barghouti also sees a strong link between the Palestinian cause and the consequences of globalisation. "I believe that our fight is really a part of the social movement's fight against globalisation and neo-liberal policies the world over," he said. "All of our activities must have a very clear goal and this is what 'another world is possible' means for me: peace, social justice and social equality."

At another meeting, a group of Palestinians were holding a workshop with Israeli peace activists. "We came here to show how we can work with Israelis because Israelis are not used to coming to international social meetings," Rhabib Khairy of the Platform of French NGOs for Palestine told the Weekly. "It's the first time I have taken part in the forum and it has been very inspiring," said Hannan Aruri of the Jerusalem Women Centre. "Here you realise that the people of the world are not in agreement with their governments and there is a chance for alternative moral and ethical policies that can challenge the neo- liberal world order," explained Aruri. "I heard an indigenous woman from Guatemala and I sensed that you could hear the same language from a Palestinian woman, the same story of exploitation and marginalisation. I feel that we share the same struggle."

Lin Chalozin-Dovrat, an Israeli from the Women's Coalition for Peace, attended the same workshop. "What we wanted to do was to look at ways to force Israel to engage with international opinion and international law," Chalozin-Dovrat told the Weekly.

The main topic of discussion of their workshop -- as with virtually all other meetings on Palestine -- was how to apply economic pressure on Israel. A campaign for sanctions and boycotts enjoys strong support from the organisers.

"I think that Palestine is on the verge of representing a crime against humanity," argued Chalozin-Dovrat. "For me it's a continuation of the tradition of non-violent action." Some participants in the workshop were more circumspect, however. Some questioned whether any campaign of economic pressure would be effective, while others raised concerns that it might entrench Israeli opinion rather than transform it.

The World Social Forum was visited by two heroes of the South American left, Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva opened proceedings -- albeit reluctantly -- while Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez addressed the closing ceremony. The two men's receptions exhibited as much contrast as their respective policies.

Ever one to play to the gallery, Hugo Chavez whipped the crowd of thousands into a frenzy with a torrent of anti-United States rhetoric. He then ripped off his shirt to reveal a t-shirt emblazoned with the image of Che Guevara. For many in the movement, Chavez's stand against the US and his ambitious social programmes make him one of the few leaders in the world who is putting the forum's values into practice. But it still remains unclear whether his provocative style will help or hinder lasting change in Venezuela.

For Lula, however, the reception was far more mixed. Lula is something of a folk hero in Brazil, 25 years ago his inspirational leadership of the metalworkers' strikes in Sao Paulo played a crucial role in bringing down Brazil's military junta. These days, however, after two years in office, many former followers complain that he has abandoned his principles and succumbed to the demands of the IMF. Public spending has barely increased, his government's programme to house landless farmers is way behind schedule and recent figures suggest the average Brazilians wage has dropped by 6.1 per cent in real terms over the past year. Lula has also criticised the WSF itself -- despite its links to his own Workers Party, calling it an "unfocussed bazaar of ideas".

Despite his passionate defence of his government's policies, a minority of the crowd persistently heckled Lula throughout his speech. No sooner had Lula finished, however, than he was whisked away to his new -- and hugely controversial -- $56 million Airbus jet to join the WEF at Davos.