On August 27th and 28th, in the “Casa de Cultura Mário Quintana”, a cozy place in the heart of the city of Porto Alegre, which was once home to the local poet after whom it is named, the III Free Media Forum takes place, gathering together journalists, bloggers, developers and users of open source software, and communication activists.
The environment will be particularly favourable during these days, since the forum will share the space with “Conexões Globais” (Global Connections), an event dedicated to workshops on communication through the Internet, displayed on panels and web conferences with indignados from all over the world, who use the Internet to change regimes, contest authoritarian policies and stand up for rights and direct democracy.
The Free Media Forum shall introduce in this environment the conceptual and political debate, s well s proposals for a radically democratic communication. This is the third edition organized by the Brazilian communication community, and this time it puts forward an agenda that goes beyond a simple debate among small media – it is strategic. It beckons the right to communication as structuring the debates. Public policies as conditioning regulation, access and democratization of the media. Technological appropriation as one of the immediate horizon for this movement as well as a tool for the mobilization.
Many key organizations of the Brazilian communication movement will participate in the event, such as Intervozes, Centro de Estudos da Midia Alternativa Barão de Itararé and FNDC – National Forum for the Democratization of the Media, Blog Prog (progressive blogosphere), in addition to publications, such as Revista Fórum and Viração, developers of free software platforms (see article), Pontos de Cultura, such as Pontão Ganesha de Cultura Digital and Pontão Eco, and shared communication initiatives, such as Rede Viração, Imersão Latina, Coletivo Soylocoporti, além da própria Ciranda e do site WSFTV. among others.
Though Brazilian, the forum clearly shows how international its dialogues have become. It will have visitors from the Arab Spring, to builda bridge with the I Free Media Forum in the afro-Arab world, scheduled for the first semester of this year, which shall be presented by Mohamed Legthas, from the portal Ejoussour (Morocco), along with media acting in or for Occupied Palestine, a state under Apartheid in the 21st century.
The debates will include the contributions of speakers from Latin America, which moves towards democratic policies in this field and faces a heavy attack from the big communication media. This will also be the first step in 2012 towards the II World Free Media Forum, which is going to take place in June 2012, as part of the agenda of the People’s Summit, at the Rio + 20.
The entire program of the III Free Media Forum is available on the website of FML.