Uddab sir,
give me your a call. I wd like to meet u

Sarojdilu

On Thu, Nov 30, 2017 at 3:10 PM, Uddhab Pyakurel <upyakurel@...>
wrote:

> Dear Comrades
>
> I find a very good write-up to understand what is Social Forum and where
> is it heading today. Please feel free to read and share your thoughts.
>
> Regards
> Uddhab
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> Reinventing the World Social Forum: how powerful an idea can be
> FRANCINE MESTRUM <https://www.opendemocracy.net/author/francine-mestrum> 18
> November 2017
>
> The collective in Salvador has succeeded in bringing together thousands of
> organisations for preparing the Forum: the slogan is ‘to resist is to
> create, to resist is to transform’.
>
> [image: open Movements] <https://opendemocracy.net/openmovements>
> *The openMovements <https://opendemocracy.net/openmovements> series
> invites leading social scientists to share their research results and
> perspectives on contemporary social struggles.*
>
> *
> <https://cdn.opendemocracy.net/files/imagecache/wysiwyg_imageupload_lightbox_preset/wysiwyg_imageupload/500209/corebranco-783x274.png>*It
> was in 2001. Almost a generation ago now! The first World Social Forum
> (WSF) was organised in Porto Alegre, Brazil, the city of the Workers’ Party
> of future president Lula da Silva and the city of the participatory budget.
> There was hope, much hope, and a belief that ‘another world’ was possible
> and that we could shape it. This became the slogan of all future WSFs.
>
> There were not that many people at this first meeting, though the fact
> that almost 15,000 people from all over the world gathered at short notice
> was a real surprise. Those who had taken the initiative included people
> from the Brazilian Workers’ Party (PT), intellectuals from Latin America,
> Africa, Europe and Asia, such as François Houtart, people from the French
> monthly Le Monde Diplomatique… It was a real success and one year later
> there were 50,000 making the trip to Brazil, with more than 1000
> journalists! The World Social Forum was the reply to the World Economic
> Forum in Davos and wanted to propose an alternative to neoliberal
> globalisation.
>
> An ‘International Council’ was created in order to strengthen the process
> and a ‘Charter of Principles’ was written containing the main rules for the
> events.
> Not in the name of the Forum
>
> One of the most important of these principles is that no one can ever
> speak ‘in the name of’ the Forum. Participants can speak for their
> organisations, possibly together with others, but not ‘as Forum’.
> Organisations involved in the armed struggle are not welcome. The Forum
> wants to be an ‘open space’, something that can be interpreted in different
> ways and at the same time needs to be seen as a guarantee for
> ‘horizontality’ – no hierarchies, self-management and the democratic
> participation of all.
>
> [image: lead]
> <https://cdn.opendemocracy.net/files/imagecache/wysiwyg_imageupload_lightbox_preset/wysiwyg_imageupload/500209/773806570_c9d2c0e39d_z.jpg>Opening
> march of the World Social Forum in Caracas, Venezuela in January 2006.
> Flickr/Brooke Anderson. Some rights reserved.Initially, the international
> council was a closed gathering of intellectuals who jealously guarded their
> privilege, tried to control the Forum process and discussed world political
> matters.[i]
> <https://www.opendemocracy.net/francine-mestrum/reinventing-world-social-forum-how-powerful-idea-can-be#_edn1>
>
> *Big crowds*
>
> After three very successful forums in Brazil, the event left for Mumbai,
> India, with as much success. Nevertheless, the first small cracks came to
> light when the anti-capitalists, refusing to envisage even the slightest
> compromise, organised their own anti-imperialist forum, parallel to the
> official WSF.
>
> Afterwards, we had a ‘polycentric’ Forum in Caracas, Venezuela, Bamako,
> Mali and Karachi, Pakistan. One year later we moved to Nairobi, Kenya,
> which was not a success because of failing organisation and a lack of
> resources. We went back to Brazil with a gigantic Forum (150,000 people!)
> in Belem and the focus on the Amazon region and its indigenous people. We
> tried Africa once more but again the organisation was below zero.
>
> The rules which were set up to guarantee democracy and horizontality were
> not as solid as expected. At each meeting of the international council –
> twice a year – a new commission, a new working-party or another liaison
> committee was necessary to mend the cracks.
>
> But the cracks kept emerging and the global left appeared to be as weak as
> its national counterparts: bickering egos, divergent philosophies … the
> European forums did not survive the endless squabbling.
>
> The belief in ‘another world’ came under threat after the events of 11
> September 2001, and almost disappeared with the financial crisis of
> 2007-2008. The WSF continued to gather, but became less dynamic.
>
> The Arab spring gave new hope and we organised an excellent Forum in Tunis
> in 2013 and another one in 2015.
>
> The Canadians proposed a new formula for the WSF and organised one in
> Montreal in the summer of 2016. It was fine, but there were hardly any
> organisations involved. As is the case for many young people today, its
> philosophy was focused on individuals, with little vision of the global
> world.
>
> *Bursting cracks*
>
> The Brazilians were fed up. They were no longer keen to organise
> international council meetings and had doubts on future world social
> forums. A couple of times, there were real clashes at meetings and one had
> to be an expert with lots of empathy to understand what was being said
> during the debates. What was meant was hidden under several layers of
> newspeak and empty concepts.[ii]
> <https://www.opendemocracy.net/francine-mestrum/reinventing-world-social-forum-how-powerful-idea-can-be#_edn2>
>
> It has often been said that the main problem of the WSF is the opposition
> between NGOs and social movements. NGOs are said to be reformist with
> little or no contact with their social base, whereas social movements are
> supposed to be revolutionary and very popular. I do not believe this. Some
> NGOs are very revolutionary and some social movements know perfectly well
> how to keep their members in line.
>
> *So what’s up?*
>
> A first real problem is the failing and vague definition of the ‘open
> space’, including its intrinsic ‘horizontality’. These are attractive
> principles but they do need a concrete meaning. In any place where people
> are gathering, in small or less small groups, power relations will exist
> and these have to be monitored in a democratic way.
>
> If the ‘horizontality’ means that the really existing hierarchy remains
> hidden behind a non-defined principle, problems with accountability and
> transparency will necessarily arise. If structures are so complex that no
> one knows who has to do what, misunderstandings are inevitable. A small
> group within the international council continued to request a light
> structure with clear responsibilities and transparency, to no avail. Those
> who have power, especially if it remains invisible, will not accept any
> changes.In Europe as well as in Latin America, Asia and Africa, democracy
> is threatened. The differences are often smaller than they seem to be at
> first sight.
>
> A second problem is that some of the Brazilian ‘fathers’ of the Forum fear
> political positions.[iii]
> <https://www.opendemocracy.net/francine-mestrum/reinventing-world-social-forum-how-powerful-idea-can-be#_edn3> Even
> if the first Forum was organised just before the elections that made Lula
> president of the country – and promoting his candidacy – today, there is a
> tremendous fear of touching anything political. This obviously is very
> absurd when one wants to shape ‘another world’, but it does lead to a
> permanent struggle between a small club of ‘fathers’ and the many dynamic
> and younger members of the international council. The former do not want to
> organise general forums any more and instead focus on thematic forums, such
> as on water, migration or nuclear matters. They keep focusing on diversity
> and the idea of ‘convergence’ makes them shiver.
>
>
> <https://cdn.opendemocracy.net/files/imagecache/wysiwyg_imageupload_lightbox_preset/wysiwyg_imageupload/500209/Opening_walk_of_2002_World_Social_Forum.jpg>Opening
> walk of the World Social Forum, 2002. Wikicommons/Passeata de Abertura.
> Some rights reserved.The third problem, finally, is purely material: a
> lack of resources. A meeting of the international council will easily cost
> around 100,000 euros, except if all pay their own ticket. The budget for
> the forum in Salvador is around 2.5 million Euro, a very modest amount
> compared to previous forums. The fact that the international council paid
> tickets for many of its members made it very easy to make alliances. Now
> that this has stopped, it is only the more autonomous members who remain
> and can put the ‘old guard’ in a minority position.
>
> Financial constraints, all over the world, make it very difficult for many
> movements to make long trips. It explains why the last forums may have been
> a success but were not really ‘global’ forums any more. The participation
> of Africa has dwindled, Asian participation has almost disappeared.
> A new beginning
>
> The international council meeting in Porto Alegre in January 2017 was a
> real turning point. Two and a half days long, discussions were serious and
> calm, everyone fearing to repeat the clash of Montreal, where even in spite
> of a consensus, it was not possible to condemn the ‘coup’ in Brazil. But
> the last half day, the old guard flatly refused to envisage a next Forum in
> Salvador in spring 2018. They were defeated …
>
> Now, in October 2017, another meeting of the international council took
> place in Salvador in order to concretely prepare the Forum. It was a very
> positive and constructive meeting, without any conflicts. The movements in
> Salvador are very dynamic, all are very optimistic about the chances for
> the next Forum.We have to act as adults, forget all egocentricity and
> learn to search for what we have in common.
>
> A very interesting cooperation with the Federal University of Bahia, a
> public establishment with more than 200,000 students, is very promising.
> After the international council meeting, we had an international conference
> with activists and academics, with very good results. For the rector of the
> University, this is a unique opportunity for reaching out to society. The
> opening ceremony was particularly moving, with, obviously, many discourses,
> but also lots of music, theatre and poetry, and lots, lots of politics.
>
> These are politically difficult times for Brazil, the memory of the
> military dictatorship remains vivid and moreover, in the same way as in
> other parts of the world, a struggle needs to be organised against
> budgetary cuts in education and research.
>
> The collective in Salvador has succeeded in bringing together thousands of
> organisations for preparing the Forum, trade unions will be massively
> participating, the slogan is ‘to resist is to create, to resist is to
> transform’. In the same way as in the past, the Forums offered an
> opportunity to directly listen to Chavez, Lula, Correa and Morales, the
> proposal now is to invite Jeremy Corbyn and Bernie Sanders.
>
> All are very optimistic about the chances of the next Forum. The movements
> are very dynamic and the international council can also take a new start.
> From the one hundred and fifty movements on the list, fifty have confirmed
> they believe in its future.
> A global transversal gathering
>
> The WSF is not the only global Forum. Thanks to the many initiatives that
> were taken from the 1990s onwards, many thematic networks have been created
> and they continue their very useful work. But the WSF is the only global
> transversal gathering where different groups can discuss their objectives,
> their strategies and their campaigns. There is now a general understanding
> that climate justice is not possible without social justice, that peace is
> not possible without climate and social justice and that media play a very
> important role in all these sectors. It therefore is urgent to sit and plan
> together. In Mexico, a major Forum on migration will be organised in
> November 2018 and we all know that labour law, climate change and peace
> will have to be discussed there.In Mexico, a major Forum on migration
> will be organised in November 2018 and we all know that labour law, climate
> change and peace will have to be discussed there.
>
> Too many movements have now withdrawn to the local level and have
> forgotten that local and global levels are not opposed or hierarchical.
> They need to go hand in hand. Moreover, in Europe a new tendency to put up
> more barriers is growing, whereas we need the opposite. The WSF can make an
> important contribution to this.
>
> This Forum can be a new start. The old guard of the opponents has
> certainly not disappeared and one may expect it will make itself heard once
> again after March 2018. That is why major mobilisations in Latin America,
> Europe, Africa and Asia are very important, because yes, another world is
> possible. Does anyone believe the world today is in a better shape than
> fifteen years ago? That the demands of the alter-globalist movement are now
> irrelevant? We should not be afraid of politics, on the contrary. But we
> have to act as adults, forget all egocentricity and learn to search for
> what we have in common.
>
> Today, some global initiatives are worth defending, such as the social
> protection ‘floors’ of the ILO, or the Sustainable Development Goals of the
> United Nations. But these certainly deserve a boost from social movements
> in order to make them really transformative. We have to act as adults,
> forget all egocentricity and learn to search for what we have in common.
>
> Hopefully, many movements and people will participate in the Forum,
> directly, in Salvador, or at a distance, thanks to the new technologies.
> The very interesting local initiatives, in Europe, Africa or Asia can learn
> from what is happening in Latin America, and vice versa. Working together,
> movements are strengthened and better able to tackle the dominant system.
> If the World Social Forum succeeds in giving a voice to many different
> voices, in helping movements search for their commonalities, respecting
> their diversity, this Forum can play a major role.
>
> In Europe as well as in Latin America, Asia and Africa, democracy is
> threatened. The differences are often smaller than they seem to be at first
> sight. By working together, we are stronger and have more chances to win.
> We do not need new borders but have to build new bridges.
>
> The fathers of the World Social Forum have created a very powerful idea
> <http://fsm2018.org/en/>!
>
>
>
> [i]
> <https://www.opendemocracy.net/francine-mestrum/reinventing-world-social-forum-how-powerful-idea-can-be#_ednref1> An
> extensive literature now exists on the World Social Forum. Here are
> mentioned some of the first and most important books : Fisher, W.F. &
> Poniah, T., *Another World is Possible, *London, Zed Books, 2003; Polet,
> F. (ed.), *Globalizing Resistance, *London, Pluto Press, 2004; Pleyers,
> G., *Alter-Globalization. Becoming Actors in the Global Age, *Cambridge,
> Polity Press, 2010.
>
> [ii]
> <https://www.opendemocracy.net/francine-mestrum/reinventing-world-social-forum-how-powerful-idea-can-be#_ednref2> For
> a kind of overview, see Boaventura de Sousa Santos, ‘Indispensável
> Reinvençao’ in *Carta Capital, *18 Outubro de 2017, p. 40.
>
> [iii]
> <https://www.opendemocracy.net/francine-mestrum/reinventing-world-social-forum-how-powerful-idea-can-be#_ednref3> To
> better understand the origins of the WSF, read Milcíades Pena, A. & Davies,
> T.R., ‘Globalisation from Above? Corporate Social Responsibility, the
> Workers’ Party and the Origins of the World Social Forum’ in *New
> Political Economy, *2013.
>
> On Mon, Nov 27, 2017 at 8:07 PM, Uddhab Pyakurel <upyakurel@...>
> wrote:
>
>> Dear WSF comrades
>>
>> I wish to inform you about the bi-lateral/multi-lateral consultation to
>> revive Nepal WSF process. Some of our friends are for the national level
>> Social Forum to be organised in Kathmandu in the first week of March 2018.
>> If we feel like we can do it, we need to sit together and finalise the
>> themes, registration process and deadline, etc.
>>
>> We expect your constructive suggestions shortly so that we can move
>> ahead....
>>
>> regards
>> Uddhab
>>
>>
>
>
> --
> Uddhab Pyakurel, PhD
> School of Arts, KATHMANDU UNIVERSITY, NEPAL.
> +977-9841566932 <+977%20984-1566932> (Nepal)/+977-15535628
> <+977%201-5535628>
> Skype: uddhab.pyakurel1
>
>
>
>
> --
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