Women's Voices from Porto Alegre
No. 1 — January 25, 2003
1. World Social Forum Opens with massive march
and Lula
2. WSF Moves to India in 2004
3. Women's Strategy Meeting brings new level of coordination
4. What is WICEJ?
1. World Social Forum Opens with Massive March and Lula!
Summary: Over 70,000 women, men, youth and children marched through the streets of Porto Alegre on Thursday for peace and to oppose war and neo-liberal economic policies. Women's contingents challenged fundamentalisms, including the dogma of the free market and religious or ethnic fundamentalisms, saying “people are fundamental.” Luis Inacio “Lula” da Silva, newly inagurated president of Brasil, addressed thousands on the evening of Friday 24 of January, saying he would fufill commitments made in the presidential campaign, would challenge Davos to listen to the voices of the WSF, and would not let the people down in his presidency.
The Third World Social Forum officially opened yesterday with a march of some 70,000 people through the streets of Porto Alegre, Brasil. Marching under the slogan, “Building the 'other world that is possible': against militarism and war”, the march lasted some 4 hours, filling dozens of blocks of central Porto Alegre with dancers, afro-brazilian capoeira drummers, carnival dancers, and large Latin American contingents. These included Venezuelans calling for solidarity with the Chavez government, hundreds of banners against the Free Trade in the Americas Agreement, Argentine youth, Colombians calling for peace in their country, and thousands of Brazilians celebrating the election of Lula and the PT in this country. The main theme was a call for peace, particularly against intervention in Iraq, but also for Palestine, Colombia, and many other regions in conflict. Most protest targeted US policies, both military and economic. A giant Uncle Sam dragon, like a Chinese dragon with some 6 people inside, snaked among the crowd. In reference to inspection teams in Iraq, one sign asked, “and who will disarm the US?” Marchers protested neo-liberal globalization, US imperialism, and war.
A lively women´s contingent of several hundred women continued last year´s WSF campaign, “Against fundamentalisms, people are fundamental.” Their campaign, organized by Articulacion Feminista Marcosur is co-sponsored by 28 of September, Campaign for the Convention, Catholics for the Right to Choose, CFCH, Center for Women's Global Leadership, CLADEM, WICEJ, DAWN, International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission, Latin American and Caribbean Women's Health Network, REPEM, Women and Habitat, and Women Living Under Muslim Law. The campaign challenges both the dogma of the free market and religious or ethnic fundamentalisms, and draws links between them. Women took to the streets with a carnival float, drummers and dancers, large balloons and t-shirts, all with giant lips, calling on people to speak out. Thousands of paper lips were worn by men and women alike, covering their mouths, as a symbol of those who are silenced, those who can speak and but do not, and those who have chosen to speak out. Women´s contingents included the World March for Women, las Dignas from El Salvador, Articulacion Marcosur, WEDO, WICEJ, the International Gender & Trade Network, Afro-Brazilian women, and a lively rainbow, made up of women draped with cloth and boas, led by AWID and Mama Cash, together with many other groups.
An opening ceremony at the Catholic University, one of the four sites of the WSF, noted that there will be some 1700 activities, including panels, seminars and participant-sponsored workshops. Today, seminars and workshops begin throughout the city, despite the fact that the official program listing events has still not circulated. As presenters and organizers scramble to find where and when their events will be held, there are still some logistical kinks to be worked out.
Tonight, President Luis “Lula” Ignacio da Silva addressed WSF participants and residents of Porto Alegre, before traveling to the Davos forum in Switzerland, where he promises to carry the WSF message challenging neo-liberalism and militarism. With less than one month in power, this was a significant address to Brazilians and world opinion. In one PT home housing international WSF guests, a retired couple wept with joy as they watched the president´s speech. Ubiquitous t-shirts say: Hope has overcome fear! There is a mood of celebration and expectation, and for international guests, a sense that perhaps “another world is possible,” is now more than just a slogan. Later this week, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez will address the WSF, seeking support for his embattled presidency. —Carol Barton, WICEJ
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2. WSF moves to India in 2004
The International Coordinating Committee announced yesterday that the Fourth WSF will take place in India next year. This decision followed intense debates about the nature of the World Social Forum space, and the role of political parties in a “civil society” space. Some Latin American feminists have argued that political parties cannot be part of a planning committee, as this would violate the WSF principles. Many exited left parties in years past due to its centralism and machismo, and are not eager to see such groups in WSF leadership. However, several Asian feminists suggested that the level of political crisis in countries such as India, led by a Hindu nationalist party, has made it necessary for women and NGOs to build alliances with mass social movements, including unions and political parties, to begin to amass the necessary power to stop state-sponsored pogroms and ethnic violence in India. They noted that this is, in fact, part of the recipe for Lula´s political success in Brazil—through the Worker´s Party, a broad tent including the traditional left parties, Labor, sectors of the church, and NGOs. The Forum will return to PA in 2005. An Americas Social Forum will take place in Quito, Ecuador in 2004, involving Latin American, the Caribbean, Canada and the US. There will be other regional, issue and national forums in 2004 as well. —Carol Barton, WICEJ
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3. Women´s Strategy Meeting brings New Level of Coordination
Summary: 120 women from a dozen women´s networks, primarily from Latin America, met prior to the WSF to coordinate efforts. They reviewed the history of women´s presence at the Forum, the role of feminist networks on the coordinating committee of the Forum, and planes for better international communication. They underscored the importance of the intersection of issues and identities as priorities for feminist work.
On January 22, 2003, prior to the initiation of the third World Social Forum, in Porto Alegre (which takes place from 23-28 January in Brazil), more than 120 women representing regional and international women´s and feminist networks gathered for a strategy meeting. The largest numbers were from Latin America. The meeting was convened by Articulacion Feminista Marcosur, hosted by the Brazilian Women´s Coordination, and co-sponsored by CLADEM (Latin American and Caribbean Committee for the Defense of Women´s Rights), REPEM (Women´s Popular Education Network), Latin American and Caribbean Health Network; Network Women and Habitat, September 28th Campaign, Campaign for the Convention on Sexual and Reproductive Rights,
Radio FIRE/ Feminist International Radio Endeavor, WICEJ, Women´s International Coalition for Economic Justice, IGTN/LA, International Gender & Trade Network/ Latin American Chapter to discuss strategies, build new relationships and information networks vis a vis the WSF.
More than 20 national, regional and international networks presented concrete proposals to advance the agenda of women during and after the Forum. The participants discussed tensions and advances within the International Coordinating Committee of the Forum, shared challenges and efforts to gain more visibility for women´s issues at the World Social Forum, and raised the need to work with an integrated analysis addresses intersections of class, race, ethnicity, religion and other forms of discrimination and exclusion.
The Articulacion Feminist Marcosur presented a brief history of the presence of feminists and women´s groups in the World Social Forum. In the first year of the Forum in 2001, there was vlittle representation of women on panels or in the leadership of the process. This led to a spontaneous street protest during that Forum. In 2002, women gained greater presence on key panels, but in general, a gender analysis was still absent from debates on neo-liberal globalisation and its alternatives. In this third Forum there real advances to be celebrated. The International Committee organized the forum around five issue areas, under which panels and seminars are organized. This year Articulacion Feminista Marcosur and the World March of Women coordinated two of the five themes, making selections of panel speakers. There was recognition of the intense role that these and other networks have assumed inside the Coordinating Committee on behalf of many women. There was a commitment to increase communication internationally around WSF Coordinating Committee debates.
Other women´s organizations participating on the Coordinating Committee include: REPEM/ DAWN (Uruguay), DAWN, Black Women´s Network (Brazil), Network of Women Transforming the Economia REMTE, Network Woman and Habitat, and the International Gender & Trade Network. Women discussed the need for greater coordination of networks of women, with broader participation of those not present at this meeting, in the lead up to future forums.
At the women´s strategy day women made a statement against the threatened US war against Iraq; discussed final plans for the campaign against “fundamentalisms” with the slogan, “your mouth fundamental against fundamentalisms,” now in its second year at the WSF, and the need to build short and long term strategies that begin to articulate alternatives, increased communication among women´s networks, that express and assure diversity and transparency in the Forum in coming years. —Martha Salazar, WICEJ
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4. What is WICEJ?
The Women's International Coalition for Economic Justice is an international
coalition representing 40 organizations from all regions of the globe that
works to link gender with macro-economic policy in inter-governmental policy-making
arenas. WICEJ utilizes an integrated feminist analysis which links the multiplicity
of systems that oppress women and recognizes the diversity of women's experience
by race, ethnicity, caste, class, national origin, citizenship status and
other factors. WICEJ works to further develop this integrated analysis across
regions and experiences, and to bring these perspectives to bear through policy
advocacy, educational activities and popular education. The WICEJ Secretariat
is housed at Alternative-Women in Development/NY, in the USA. Visit our website
for WICEJ documents and a list of Coalition members.
Contact: www.wicej.org;
info@wicej.org.