Report of the African Social Forum Council meeting

Perugia-Italy, 7-8 September 2005 

As urged by Peace Table organisers, the African Social Forum Council held its meeting last 7-8 September in Perugia, Italy. 

The meeting’s objectives were to: 

1- Share information on the international process of WSF;

2- Exchange views on the build-up to the African Social Forum, the Social Polycentric Forum of Bamako and the World Social Forum of Nairobi 2007;

3- Better draft the themes and methods of these different processes, through the vision;

4- Refine the functioning mode of the Council’s commissions;

5- Finalize the nomination of those expected to join the African Social Forum Council’s Facilitation Group. 

For two days, the Commission on Communication and Mobilization, the Content and Methodology Commission, the Resource Commission and the Youth Commission convened on several occasions. 

1- Information on the preparations for the process of Social Forums in Africa 

Representatives of the committees of the different processes unveiled the state of preparation. In all cases, the structuring of the movement seemed to be heading in the right direction with a strong involvement of the different components of the civil society. 

However, the Council members raised some remarks in a bid to: 

-         Strengthen the inclusive and democratic character of the different spaces put in place;

-         Better articulate the different processes among one another. Thus, the idea of a caravan linking the Guinea Process to the Bamako Process, and Morocco to Mali, was agreed on;

-         Ensure a strong popular participation;

-         Promote women’s participation and boost their involvement in the forums;

-         Prop up youth participation. Participants urged the youths on to take their responsibilities for their mobilization and the construction of their spaces ahead of Conakry, Bamako and Nairobi. 

      2- Elements of the vision developed by the African Social Forum Council ahead of Bamako 2006 and Nairobi 2007: Africa Cradle of Humanity, Grave of Capitalism 

1- The Bamako Forum is a World Forum staged in Africa 

2- The Polycentric Forum is a stage towards Nairobi 2007. It shall focus on the vision, the themes and significant actions 

3- The World Social Forum in Africa is expected to be an instrument of social and political change, but not just a juxtaposition of events. In this respect, there should be a prior- and post-WSF in Africa  

4- The Forum must be popular and highlight the struggles and resistances waged on the continent and worldwide 

5- The Forum must be women-oriented and bolster the promotion of women as an essential component of society, their struggles, resistances and alternatives. 

6- Culture must have a conspicuous place in the life of the Forum, as an instrument of criticism and socio-political reconstruction 

7- The Forum must enable efforts at redefining African unity on popular and diversity bases 

8- The Forum must help decolonize the continent by challenging international institutions, echoing peoples’ voice towards recovering their sovereignty on policies and resources. This will be possible through a massive presence of social and popular movements and a critical mass leading to a real change 

9- The Forum shall enable African movements to work on the political and economic issue, given that the bulk of Africans are not in a position to express their hopes and concerns without risking their life. 

10- The Forum must endeavour to redefine the concept of international solidarity. Solidarity must not be limited to charity, but should seek to establish consultation and exchanges on common preoccupations for a better world. 

11- The Forum must culminate in the definition of popular and democratic alternatives likely to form the bases of a collective commitment to change the world. 

          3- Working Commissions 

The Communication and Mobilization, Content and Methodology, Resources and Youth Commissions convened in two sessions. They drafted a Plan of action expected to guide the process until Nairobi 2007. The Communication and Mobilization Commission also worked on a specific Plan of action (see annex).

 

Work-plan / Plan d’action 2005-2007
Activities	Objectives	Events	By Whom ?	Ressource implication	When ?
Steering committee	Facilitate ASF work	-         Conakry -         Bamako -         Nairobi	ASF council	NIL	9/9/05
Establishment of commissions	Facilitate ASF work	-         Conakry -         Bamako -         Nairobi	ASF council	NIL	9/9/05
Establishment of national steering committees	As above	As above	Social movements of the ground	NIL	30/9/05
Budget resource mapping	Ressource modulation	Conakry	Guinea NIL, commission, ASF	Required resources	30/9/05
Budget resource mapping	Ressource modulation	Bamako	Mali national, commission, ASF + WSF + social movements	Required resources	30/9/05
Budget resource mapping	Ressource modulation	Nairobi	Kenya national, commission, ASF + WSF + social movements	As needed	30/11/05
ASF S.C inclusion in WSF future deliberation	Close co-ordination of events	-         Conakry -         Bamako -         Nairobi	WSF + ASF	As needed	30/9/05
IC meeting in Bamako	Prepare for Africa polycentric	Bamako	WSF + ASF + Mali national commission	As needed	30/9/05
IC meeting in Bamako	Prepare for all polycentric	Bamako	WSF + ASF + 3 polycentric committees	As needed	Mid October
Thematic articulation of the branding events	Effective information and mobilization	-         Conakry -         Bamako -         Nairobi	National SF + ASF council + WSF council	As needed	30/9/05 30/9/05 30/11/05
Joint fundraising mission in Europe + Africa + America + Asia + others	Ressource mobilization	All 3 polycentric events	National committees + ASF + WSF	As needed	Mid September
Meeting of steering committee	Follow up of action plan	-         Conakry -         Bamako -         Nairobi	ASF	As needed	???
Sub-regional Social Forum meetings	Mobilization of social movements	-         West Africa -         East Africa -         Maghreb	National committees + ASF + regional committees	As needed	23-29/10/05
ASF	Mobilization of social movements	Conakry	National committee + ASF	As needed	1-5 December 05
Polycentric Forum	Mobilization of social movements	Bamako	National Committee + ASF + WSF	As needed	January 2006
Internet portal	Information exchange and booking	Nairobi	WSF + ASF	As needed	June 2006
IC meeting	To inspect facilities	Nairobi	WSF + ASF	As needed	March/April 2006
EASF Event	Rehearsal of 2007 WSF	Nairobi	Regional Committee ASF	As needed	June 2006
West Africa Social Forum event	Mobilization of social movements	Nigeria	Regional committee	As needed	Oct./Nov. 06
Secondment of personnel to Nairobi	Strengthen the host	Nairobi 2007	EASF + ASF + WSF	As needed	August 06
ASF Commission	Stimulate social movements	Great Lake regions, central Africa, Madagascar	ASFC steering committee	As needed	2006
Pre-meeting of ASF + WSF	Co-ordination of events	Nairobi	ASF + WSF	As needed	Jan. 2007
WSF 2007	World social movement	Nairobi	WSF + ASF	As needed	January 2007

  4- Nomination of Facilitation Group members 

Following the decisions of Harare, the Council has validated the nomination proposals made by the commissions. The composition of the Facilitation Group is as follows:

 

- Polycentric Forum 2006: Aminata Traoré

- World Social Forum 2007: Professor Edward Oygui and Fatma Aloo

- African Social Forum Social 2005: Bakary Fofana

- Content and Methodology Commission: Demba Moussa Dembélé

- Communication and Mobilization Commission: Coordinator Diana Senghor,

- Communication: Thomas Deve, Mobilization: Rabia Abdelkerim Cheikh

- Resources Commission: Mohau Pheko

- Youth Commission: Diakalia Ouattara

- Logistics Commission: Regis Mtutu

- Northern Africa: Mohamed Said Saadi, Abdeljelil Bedoui, alternately

- Ex officio: Taoufik Ben Abdallah, representing the African Social Forum Secretariat 

The established group shall convene rapidly to define its tasks and assume its facilitation role. 

The Council has also reaffirmed the role of the commissions as defined in Harare: ensure the effective execution of the tasks defined by the Council ahead of the three Forums.  

Beside, the Council has recommended that the Youth Commission should be backed by members of the Facilitation Group in a bid to ensure the mobilization of all the African sub-regions and the most dynamic youth organizations.  

            5- Miscellaneous  

5.1- Joint ASF-Afro Brazilian Committee: the Facilitation Grouped has been mandated to name members of this committee. The establishment of this group was decided during the Social Forum of 2005 in Porto Alegre to define a common programme with Afro-Brazilian movements. 

5.2- Information on the Secretariat’s budget year 2004-2005: the Secretariat unveiled the financial results of the process: 

-         Meeting of the African Council, Cairo, July 2004

-         African Social Forum of Zambia, December 2004