Translated by Jack Gilbey
Inspired by the struggles in the North of Africa – mentioned in almost every speech – hundreds of activists filled the hall for the Social Movements Assembly. Organized by the World March of Women, Via Campesina, the CATWD, CERPAC, UNSAS, COMPA, ASC, CUW among others, the assembly – as per the final document – calls upon individuals and popular movements of all countries to act; to mobilize in a co-ordinated manner and on a world scale.
Students from UCAD- Cheikh Anta Diop Unviersity, which hosted this WSF, held a demonstration at the start of the assembly, protesting against the presence during the Forum of brands sacrosanct to capitalism (Nestlé, Coca-cola, etc). For them, the Forum should be about promoting local products first and foremost, and should have involved the Senegalese more, and they believe the massive international event was not well publicized around here, and that foreigners made up most of the numbers.
Who owes whom?
Applause, whooping, and fists punching the air was how the audience, now on its feet, greeted the arrival of the rapper “Matador”, one of the highlights among the many local musicians and poets showing devotion to the cause. He brought fire to the assembly, speaking and singing about an independent Africa, against the president of Senegal, “a hostage of imperialism”, against some of the other dictators of the continent, and also against Sarkozy. The pinnacle was when the singer spoke against the repayment of the external debt, asking if the country has anything to pay back. “Non, no, não”, the audience sang in chorus.
Denouncing capitalism, patriarchy, racism, chauvinism and homophobia was Miriam Nobre, international co-ordinator of the World March of Women. She recalled the beginnings of the formation of the WSF, confrontations with the ICO, the WTO, the campaign denouncing the occupation of Iraq, and increasing resistance. Things have changed, she said, through various organisations convening over the past few years, seeing themselves as having more in common than they thought. She also spoke out against the criminalization of social movements. “We need to take on some of the energy coming from the North of Africa, we need to engage in powerful and shared actions”.
Tunisia was the topic of Fathi Chamki, who spoke out against “the bloody dictatorship which has just been defeated”. Though revolution has begun in the North of Africa, “the weapons of repression endure and we need to dismantle them”. The proposals of the final document were read out by Adele Safic, of the World March of Congo. “Our fight reveals the path to another possible world”, she spoke, citing progress in Latin America protecting Mother Earth, and she called for participatory democracy, for peoples’ right to self-government, for common goods, for another model of production and consumption, for food self-sufficiency; opposition to violence against women and homophobia; campaigning for peace; and opposition to war.
Global actions are needed
The contributions followed with the researcher from the Socio-Economic Rights Institute of South Africa, Blessing J. Karumbidza; then with the Cuban Augusto Guerra, of Movipaz, with Josie Riffaud of Via Campesina, and with Sandra Quintela from Brazil, among others. The Brazilian social movements were well represented, with strong delegations from the WMW and the CUW particularly.
Reaffirming the need to build a common strategy in the fight against capitalism, the document was strongly applauded and approved. “Each one of these struggles demonstrates a clash of beliefs, and we cannot progress on this front without the democratization of communications”. Finally, the social movements assembly calls upon individuals and popular movements of all countries to act: to mobilize in a co-ordinated manner and on a world scale.
20th March: in honour of the struggle of the peoples of Tunisia and Egypt, this day will be named a world day of solidarity, solidarity with the struggle of the Arab and African people, with the resistance of the Palestine and Saharan people, with European, Asian and African movements against division, and in support of the process of change that is being founded in Latin America.
12th October: invoked as a world day against capitalism, in which places across the world will demonstrate in every possible way against this system that destroys everything wherever it goes.