People's Democracy

WSF 2004: A Festival of Movements in Mumbai

From N S Arjun At WSF, Mumbai

THE WSF-2004 began in Mumbai with a historically large attendance – 1,20,000 delegates belonging to various countries, including India, on January 16. This biggest attendance in all the World Social Forums held so far indicated a growing global movement against corporate globalisation and US imperialism.

The sprawling NESCO grounds in the northern suburb of Mumbai, Goregaon, was the venue for these meetings. The atmosphere at the opening plenary was terrific. There was music in the air even before the proceedings began. There were tribals from Narmada valley giving performances; there were dalits from Andhra Pradesh singing; there were drumbeats from Kerala. And there was more music as the proceedings began. The Pakistani music group Junoon gave a wonderful performance while a Brazilian troupe Siwela Sonke captivated with their energetic performance.

Former prime minister V P Singh, who was to attend this inaugural plenary could not turn up due to ill health and instead sent a message saying that he adds his voice to that of the Forum that Another World Is Possible. He expressed happiness that the Forum has crossed two continents to be in India. He was confident that Indians will learn from the struggles being carried out in various parts of the world.

Chico Witaker, on of the founding members of the WSF, in his speech said the main challenge before the WSF was to continue and deepen the common struggle. “We are so many now, we need to tissue, to cooperate. New initiatives, new proposals and new mobilisations were emerging. This huge attendance today gives us the confidence that the WSF can be expanded through out the entire world”, said Witaker.

Veteran freedom fighter, Captain Lakshmi Sahgal, called for a third independence struggle against the neo imperialism of today. Saying that women suffer the most in the imperialist-globalisation process, she expressed confidence that women will be in the forefront of the fight against this process. She finished saying “We are not alone in this fight. The entire world today is with us as seen here.” The audience cheered when Captain Sahgal signed off with the slogan “Inquilab Zindabad”.

Nobel laureate Shirin Ebadi of Iran in her speech said that women and children were the first victims of today's wars, with 90 per cent of  those who die in wars being civilians. She felt globalisation needed to be democratised and there should be greater respect for human rights. She also said that the right to Palestinians self determination must be seriously asserted by democratic people through out the world. Ebadi also wanted the WSF to take up the issue of growing number of terror attacks on its agenda.  

Author and activist, Arundhati Roy, said that there is not a single country in the world that can escape the US imperialism's weapons – either cruise missiles (as was seen in Iraq) or IMF cheque books (as was seen in Argentina). She said now India was being targeted in myriad other forms – Gujarat genocide, the violence and role of US in J&K. She felt that the WSF cannot keep on talking and needed to decide. She advocated that two US companies which were profiting the most from reconstruction contracts in Iraq should be identified and shut down through global action by activists. “We should not only oppose but become the resistance in Iraq. We must consider ourselves at war”, said Arundhati Roy.

Amir Rikabi, an activist from Iraq while detailing the situation in Iraq said that time was running out and the people of Iraq needed to be shown that entire world is with them in their resistance. He said if the US wins in Iraq, it would replicate the same in other parts of the world. He welcomed the decision taken in a Jakarta conference to hold a meeting in Baghdad in near future with the theme “No To Occupation – Yes To Iraqi People”. He ended his speech with the call “Let's go to Basra, Nassiriya, Fallujah and through to Baghdad”.

The British Labour Party MP, Jeremy Cobin, said the anti-war movement mobilised young people in a way like never before and cited the February 15 rally in London as the turning point in the movement. He also felt the success in Cancun was a result of world public opinion being mobilised against globalisation.

Mustafa Bargoita of Palestine asserted that his people will emerge victorious like the Indians, Algerians, and Vietnamese in their struggles against occupiers. He said Israel was shutting down every part of Palestine with the construction of the “apartheid wall”.

Noted film actress and activist Shabana Azmi also spoke.