Apart from the rich intellectual engagement of issues, the on-going World Social Forum in Dakar, Senegal has also scored a point as a platform to promote goods and services. But the emphasis is also on the overall theme of the forum: Another World is Possible’. This message is etched boldly in some of the products ranging from cloth materials, decoration, gift items, home appliances, medicines and agricultural materials that complement issues of food security and the need to counter Land Grabs phenomenon, which is become rampant in some of the developing worlds.
In fact, virtually all the social networks and civil society organisations participating in the forum have something to contribute to the overall success of the gathering. Their offering comes in different hues and shapes. There are some that are marketing ideas and innovations especially in the area of technology and discovery. There are those who focus on knowledge and expertise; while majority puts artistic ingenuity of Africa in perspective. For instance, the display of Canacla, a hand washing technology is drawing attention of participants to the fact that science and technology is not a preserve of a particular race… human being generally have been endowed and with enabling environment and political will on the part of the leadership, sky is the limit. Another lesson that can be drawn from this is the accessibility and affordability.
South-south co-operation
Though South-South co-operation continues to enjoy support from different quarters, demands are being made that such co-operation must meet basic requirements in promotion of human rights, solidarity and equity of the partners and environmental sustainability. Speakers during a workshop on south-south co-operation stressed the need for the partneship to promote the development of global economic structures and policies that put people’s rights first, that respect and promote human rights, gender equality as well as social and environmetal justice.
Vitalice Meja from Reality of Aid said this would ensure that policies that ensure decent work based on employment opportunities, respect for labour rights, provision of essential services such as health, education, housing water and clean enerygy.
Today massive investments are taking place in Africa under south-south co-operation. From South Africa to Kenya to Sudan to Congo and to Ghana, you name it, China, one of the main partners in the South-South co-operation is involved in several projects.
Meja said civil society can play an important role ion furthering the objectives of the south.
‘Government’s should encourage and financially support civil society engagement and recognise the key they play in implementing and monitoring programmes and policies,’ he said.
Enough is enough
For years on end, Third world countries have been pushing for the cancellation of debt by Western governments and International organizations such as the International Monetary Fund IMF and the World Bank, and instead use the money they spend in paying off their debt to these institutions in eradicating poverty.
Different organizations that advocate for the total cancellation of debt in third world countries are converging at the World Social Forum, under the theme ” Don’t Owe. Wont Pay”. Niger is one of the world’s poorest countries, yet it owes the IMF and the World Dank billions of dollars in debt. Issa Aboubacar of the National Network Debt and Development RNDD- Niger says that it is time to compel these financial institutions to cancel the debt of such countries that are so impoverished yet continue to pay their debts at the expense of their national development. Issa says there are two startling facts about Niger : One is that it is the world’s poorest country, and that on the other hand,it is the world’s second largest producer of Uranium.
“You would think that with my country’s production and exportation of Uranium, we would live better. But the truth is that our children do not go to school because there are no professionally trained teachers, our health sector is almost non existent because we do not have doctors,our roads are pathetic and most of our population is unemployed. But how can we develop when everything we get out of the exportation of Uranium goes to paying off these debts?”
However, he does not absolve African governments of blame, saying that they also bear some responsibility in the matter.
Protest In Dakar Stops Force Eviction In Accra
A manifestation of Land Grabs phenomenon that is ravaging the world which the on-going World Social Forum is exposing is Force Eviction. And the social ill is also attracting attention of civil society organisations including Amnesty International, which actually facilitates the participation of some victims of Force Eviction in Nigeria at the global gathering of networks and movements “to tell the world our story”, Prince Peter told Flamme D’ Afrique yesterday. But while the social forum was getting its rhythm on Monday, Amnesty International was mobilising for a protest to counter force eviction placed on Railway community in Accra Ghana. “Yesterday (Monday), we got the news that people of Railway community in Ghana were about to be evicted, so, a protest to the embassy of Ghana in Senegal was organised to campaign against this force eviction,” Peter said. Although, the protesters did not meet the ambassador, an official in the embassy attended to them with a pledge that something urgent would be done.
And the exercise did not only halt the order in Accra, a meeting with the Ambassador had been scheduled for today in Dakar “to see how government can respond to Ghanaian demand of stopping the force eviction completely and start the negotiation with the community,” revealed Hana Salam, communication official of Amnesty International. She lauded the concept of Social Forum as it has afforded Amnesty International to interact with “like-minded participants and colleagues that are working on force eviction, maternal health, public accountability and several other issues slated for debate in Dakar