People's Democracy

INTERVIEW WITH CHICO WHITAKER

Another World Is Possible

Francisco Whitaker Ferreira, or Chico Whitaker as he is better known both in his home country Brazil and the world over, is a leading social activist and one of the founding figures of the World Social Forum (WSF) --- a movement against capitalist globalisation and neo-liberal economic policies. The first WSF was first organised in 2001 in the city of Porto Alegre in Brazil and, following popular demand, another session was held in 2002. Now the WSF is slated to become an annual event --- a reflection of the growing strength of this movement.

Chico Whitaker was recently in Delhi at the invitation of WSF-India. D Raghunandan of Delhi Science Forum, which is a part of the WSF Secretariat, spent considerable time with him over two days. Highlights of this interaction covering different issues are reported below.

On Background &

Other Activities

WELL, my basic work these days is as executive secretary of the Brazilian Committee of Justice and Peace, which is an organisation working on human rights issues. While these issues have always been important in the Brazilian context, today they are even more so when peoples’ rights, especially those of indigenous peoples, are being trampled upon in the name of neo-liberal economic policies. In earlier days, when Brazil was under military dictatorship and many activists including myself were engaged in opposing the dictatorship, my wife Stella and I were forced to spend 15 years in exile --- 5 years in France and the rest in different parts of Europe. I am associated with the Catholic Church in Brazil and what is popularly known as the "radical theology" movement which holds that true religion, especially Christianity, basically means working for the upliftment of the poor, fighting for their rights and against the exploitation of the have-nots by the haves. I have also been active in the Workers Party (Partido dos Trabalhadores or PT) in Brazil and have even held elected office as Councillor.

On the Birth of the

World Social Forum           

Protest movements the world over, by numerous different sections in both developed and developing countries, have been building in opposition to the process of globalisation dictated by the interests of international capital and against the neo-liberal economic policies which countries are being forced to adopt. The idea grew of organising some event which would bring together all these disparate protest movements in a global conclave for sharing their experiences and to forge a better mutual understanding of an alternative future. It was also noted that a World Economic Forum is organised every year at Davos in Switzerland where political and corporate leaders gather to maintain and increase the domination of capital, which they control, over human beings of the whole world. This gave rise to the idea that a World Social Forum be organised on the same days with the slogan “Another World Is Possible” and to share this vision.

In the first WSF meeting in 2000 in the city of Porto Alegre in Brazil, 4,000 delegates and 20,000 participants from many countries attended ---far more than the organisers had anticipated. Another 35,000 people from Porto Alegre, other places in Brazil and neighbouring countries also came just to see and hear in person the people they admire and to enjoy the energising atmosphere of this huge worldwide meeting. This first WSF was such a great success, and its message was heard so loudly across the world, that a second meeting was held in 2001, attended by 15,000 delegates representing 4,909 entities and movements in 131 countries, with another 50,000 “non-delegate” participants. The idea of World Social Forum had come to stay, and it has now become an annual event.

On What Makes

the WSF Special          

What has attracted so many delegates is the innovative character of the Forum, which is pluralistic and non-directive, unifying while respecting diversity and openness. Subjects for discussion in conferences, seminars and workshops are decided upon by the participating organisations themselves, without any agenda being centrally decided upon in advance. The Forum thus provides a horizontal space in which ideas can be put forward freely --- without considering any of these issues to be more important than others and without anyone imposing their ideas or pace on the others --- to gain experience, deepen analysis and move forward in their respective work of social transformation.

The only exclusion is that the WSF is not open to government representatives, military (i e armed) organisations and political parties. While reasons for keeping the first two out are self-evident, the reasons for keeping political parties away from the WSF are several and have met the test of time. While political party activists, such as myself, are welcome to and do participate, parties as such would tend to impose their platforms on the process, leave little space for small organisations or grassroots movements to be heard and would like to have “final statements” or “action points” agreed upon.

It was felt that the WSF’s learning and sharing process would gain by being more open to many, especially small, voices, by delegates not being pushed into tightly defined positions or having to approve statements or collective motions while retaining their commitment to actions in their own way. Thus, WSF does not take any positions as the Forum itself, no one speaks on behalf of the Forum and its meetings do not discuss and pass any “final documents.”

After the first WSF, these various ideas and organisational principles have been crystallised into a Charter of Principles agreement, which are now the sole criteria for participating in the WSF events.

On Future Plans 

There are hundreds of proposals in the Forum and even some specific regional mobilisations, such as this year against the Free Trade Agreement for the Americas (FTAA), or even new reflections such as one this year on the inner change of those fighting to change the world. But all these are local actions, which are not by the WSF as such. Some people also want the WSF International Council to become a new “world centre” for the fight against globalisation and neo-liberalism, but this would go against the very principles of the WSF which is a process, not an event or organisation directed by a substitute “unique-monolithic thought” which would be fatal to the Forum.

The process now underway is for regional or thematic forums to be organised along the lines of and leading upto the WSF 2003, again in Porto Alegre. In January 2003, a very important event is the Asian Social Forum being organised in Hyderabad, India. Many of us hope that this will catalyse a process which will lead to the holding of the global World Social Forum itself in India in 2004.

We have all till now been working with the slogan “Another World Is Possible.” Perhaps we will now start to envisage and share what this other world will be and how to build it.