how to articulate

                      the Social Forum process and the development of  local social alternative  practices

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Starting from the double assessment that today’s world led by neo-liberalism produces ( or perpetuates) links of domination, and holds ambiguous dynamics as regards environment and culture, the organizations and networks taking part in the WSF have the common objective of a “potential new world”.

Yet, and as it has always been the case through history, such a “new world” will only be possible if , reaching beyond the existing world , new territories of new kinds of growth develop, more generally new types of links between citizens, new alternatives of social life. If criticizing the current system and suggesting alternative practices are necessary at a global level, implementing local field-experiences, here and now, is essential.

Local fair trade activities -for society and solidarity-, as well as those vitally approaching environmentalist concerns, have been achieved to meet the former requirement. The new “commons”, and all the activities linked to them, such as local bartering systems, free softwares, democratic medias for citizens, short-distance food supply circuits, etc, are also part of this movement.

On the other way round the triple objective of the WSF - learning and finding new ways of being politically involved, developing a new political culture, creating synergies in the progressive civil society, generating actions and alternatives - can only find its true meaning and go ahead if it is brought to the peoples, which therefore means the creation of Local Social Forums.

The objectives of the WSF are definitely in harmony with the development of local alternative practices.

As for the first objective, the activities that the Social Forum and local groups try to develop create a common ground for building a new culture in which intersubjectivity- in other words links between individual people- is not based on links of domination but on an exchange freely agreed between one another and part of a non-restrictive and non-alienating collective structure.

As for the 2^nd objective, a local space for presenting and exchanging various alternative field-activities- a forum of local alternatives for each one to know the others’ objectives, achievements and projects - would be an important boost for all, both in terms of links between various initiatives and of combinations of the forces involved.

As concerns the 3^rd objective, the visibility that such a common space would give would be a strong incentive and a source of commitment drawing new forces in the civil society and among the citizens. Finally, reaching thus a vital step would be very important for the progressive civil society: its awareness of being a society-transforming and environmentalist force, vehicle for the emancipation of mankind in the 21^st century, for a “ potential new world”.

The goals of Dakar’s WSF meeting for actions, open to organizations and networks of any scale, and whose initiatives will trigger the event will be as follows:

 

-          Supporting the local creation of those links and spaces ( more powerful networks can be a great help for this )

-          Considering all the possible actions or initiatives to this end

-          Planning all the possible actions or initiatives that would develop those links and/or local spaces as well as their own suggestions

-          Considering the draft of an agenda

( Translated from French to English by Joan Cabri. Original texts by Jean Michel Coulomb and Josette Combes )