The 2011 edition of the World Social Forum was held at the Cheik Anta Diop University in Dakar, the capital of Senegal from February 6th -11th. In the ten-year history of the WSF, it was the third time the Forum came back to Africa, following the polycentric WSF in Bamako in 2006, and that of Nairobi in 2007. Most people living outside Africa are not aware of the depth and vibrant nature of the social forum process and growing strength social movements throughout the continent, with the many national, regional and thematic forum that have also taken place there in recent years.
Africa is the continent that is probably suffering most severely from the combined effects of the neo-liberal crisis of our civilisation. The impacts of migration, climate change, land- and common goods-grabbing are widely felt by a broad cross-section of the communities. There has long been a chronic lack of adequate investment in infrastructure and basic public services in all African countries, although there are considerable variations from one country to another. The traditional informal economic model does not generate tax, and the imposed neo-colonialist exploitation of resources by multinationals pays little into the coffers of the States. These combined factors have resulted in the destruction of the traditional solidarity-based society, massive threats to peasant agriculture and commonage, insufficient education and healthcare systems and megalopoles that are lacking in basic services… In Senegal alone, the State can only cover 70% of the needs in electrical power at any one moment, so power cuts are a daily occurrence, frequently lasting for as much as 48 hours. Basic food costs are also rising at an alarming rate, as a result of Economic Partnership Agreements that favour the importing of cheap surplus production rather than encouraging food sovereignty and local production and processing. Remittances from migrants living abroad, a mainstay of many African families, and a key source of income throughout African society, have fallen sharply as those living abroad suffer increasingly from unemployment. It is therefore not surprising that there is increasing unrest and riots and that civil society is organised in strong local networks.
Strong grassroots mobilisation
It is against this background that caravans from all over North, West and Central Africa converged for the Forum. At the opening march, there were an estimated 70,000 participants. The Forum itself probably brought together over twice that number (an estimated 75,000 people participated). No exact figure is possible, as it was a truly open space, with no gate controls and a far greater grass-roots participation than any previous edition. This mobilisation in a country like Senegal (total population 13 million, 3 million living in Dakar), is in itself a significant dimension. There were 10,000 registered participants from countries of the North. Students, local inhabitants groups, small-scale farmers, migrants’ associations, trade unionists and members of other social movements made up the vast majority of participants, all mingling in the chaos of the Forum. Fewer intellectuals, far more local mobilisation than ever before. A significant sign of the times.
The Forum was held at the same time as historic events were sweeping through countries a little further north: the fall of dictatorships and revolutions, first in Tunisia, then in Egypt provided a meaningful background to the meetings. Mubarak’s decision to stand down coincided with the closing ceremony of the Forum, providing a very special kind of energy. The fact that these uprisings were the result of civil society’s expression of discontent rather than organised by political party based movements, is a key factor of change, and one that resonates with the Social Forum approach to organised civil society.
Unfortunate and unnecessary chaos to the Forum was caused by the newly nominated Rector of the University’s decision not to make the promised rooms available for meetings. This was compounded by the knock-on effect of breakdown of other related logistics (failure to allocate rooms impacts printing a programme, doing effective booth planning for interpretation etc…). Although it was a nightmare for the Local Organising Committee, the participants took it all surprisingly in stride, and made do with much good humour. A crisis management unit worked day and night to solve the most pressing issues (renting tents, allocating existing space…) Nothing was going to stop the mobilisation… Was it prompted by fear of the strength of what organised civil society can represent, or political sabotage? At the end of the day, the result is the same.
Local languages
Language is political. West Africa is probably the region where local languages have best survived colonialism, and in Senegal most people actually speak a local language rather than French. Women, who left school early, often have minimal French. It was very important therefore for Babels to be able to train locals in basic interpretation techniques and to help facilitate interpretation for the three main local languages: Wolof, Bambara, and Poular. The logistical chaos greatly reduced the potential of this contribution, but it was nevertheless important, particularly for the meetings in the women’s tent and for the Via Campesina. Sign language was also used throughout the Forum.
Effective solidarity economy in action
The week prior to the Forum has always provided an opportunity for various groups to meet. Until now, these meetings have always used private sector services for the provision of interpretation and equipment. We successfully used ALIS equipment during this week, (Alternative Interpretation Systems), and Babels provided the interpreting for these prefora as well as for the WSF. The funding (where available) was paid into the WSF account, thereby mutualising the available human, technical and financial means. The events covered were organised by the Science and Democracy Forum, Trade Union’s Forum, Habitat International Coalition, International Alliance of Inhabitants, The Forum on Health and Social Security, a seminar on Fair Trade, the Fishing Forum, as well as the Migrants Forum that was held on the island of Gorée (an island off Dakar, historically associated with slave trafficking).
The official restaurant tent catering was well organised by small local women’s groups. This catering used only local products, and directly benefited small-scale farmers and women’s groups.
There was also a convergence Assembly on Solidarity Economy and Fair Trade (the latter was particularly aimed at developing South-South relations). This brought some 100 people together, who came up with a good final declaration. (http://openfsm.net/projects/ecosol/summary)
Conclusion.
African civil society is moving towards a more joined-up movement. The World Social Forum continues to provide a space for developing connections and dialogue across borders and differences. It may not be a space for action per se, but it does provide the basis for developing actions that reach beyond the few days of the Forum. This particular Forum took place at a historic moment for Tunisia and Egypt, and will certainly leave its mark on Africa and indeed global civil society.
Judith A. Hitchman