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 

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).

  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 

-         Meeting of the African Council, Cairo, July 2004

-         African Social Forum of Zambia, December 2004

-         African participation in the World Social Forum of Porto Alegre, January/February 2005

-         Las Palmas meeting, March 2005

-         Harare meeting, June 2005

ANNEXE 1 : Rapport de la commission Communication et mobilisation

 I. The participants  

1.      Communication and/or Mobilisation: one or two commissions?

2.      Nomination of a representative of the commission to the Steering Committee of the ASF Council

3.      A Plan of Action

The plenary session held on 7.9.05 gave the “Communication and mobilisation” commission the mandate to propose to the Council the organization needed to could carry out the double task of both communication and mobilisation.

At the Cairo meeting (July 2004), two different commissions on communication and on mobilisation of Information had been set up.

However, the two commissions were somehow merged (halfway between Cairo and Perugia…). The deliberations of the C&M commission that met on 7.9.05 were mainly centred on Communication, much more than on mobilisation.

The question raised on 8.9. was:

Whether to maintain a single commission or revert to the organization decided upon at Cairo.  

Mobilisation still constitutes a weak area with the ASF.

-         In fact participation/adherence in/to the ASF movement must on the one hand be intensified (increasing, but still poor African participation in the WSF)

-         And on the other hand, be diversified. Since its inception until now, the ASF has been mobilising essentially NGOs, or a certain category of SCOs (Civil Society Organizations). The ASF must, on the one hand, be extended to other social components, and on the other hand, be balanced in terms of gender, age and types of organizations of the so-called “Civil Society”. It must aspire for added representativeness.

-         The mobilisation should also be better articulated between the various scales: local, national, sub-regional and regional (or continental)

The commission on “communication”, for its part, comprises of several varying components.

-         Internal institutional communication (information circulation is deficient within the ASF Council)

-         External institutional communication (propagate the « Forum » event)

-         Communication as a means of social mobilisation (amplification and diversification of participation both in the movement and in the event.

-         A means of promotion and proliferation of the values that underlie the Social Forums as well as the actions, initiatives and struggles of the social movements.  

b) Tasks varying in nature

Mobilisation and communication are transversal but do not collate: it is difficult to mobilise without communication. One can communicate without necessarily trying to mobilise.

The objectives and “targets” of communication and mobilisation could equally be different. Their “means” are also likely to be different: in any case the media always represent a common means. 

c) Different experiences and competences are needed

This issue gave rise an exchange in which the opinions of the commission members were at variance.

Certain members desired that the commission be divided into two distinct commissions. Whereas, others desired that Mobilisation, be transversal to all the other commissions (mobilisation in favour of a strategy, and with regard to contents; mobilisation of communicators; mobilisation of resources). In this case, the Communication and Mobilisation commission would need to concentrate solely on communication, the strategy and tasks of Mobilisation being incumbent on the Steering Committee, which is now charged with identifying someone for Mobilisation. 

The members of the Communication and Mobilisation commission finally agreed, for the time being, to stick to only one commission.

They however proposed to divide the C&M commission into two sub-commissions. 

1) An effective adherence to the values and the Charter of the WSF (Which goes without saying… albeit…)

2) Possess a certain competence in the area being considered.

3) Have sufficient time availability for an active participation within the Commission.

4) Be in possession of minimal material facilities (if possible, be in a position, provisionally or occasionally, and autonomously, accomplish certain material duties for the Secretariat (telephone, etc.) 

Certain participants hoped to include the linguistic criterion as an additional one: mastery of the two commonly used languages of the ASFC. Finally, this criterion was dropped. On the contrary, members of the C&M commission requested that communication between members of the ASFC be henceforth systematically engaged both in French AND in English.

The participants chose Diana Senghor as the representative of the C&M Commission to the Steering Committee. Nevertheless, having decided to set up two sub-commissions, the participants requested that one of the other two persons also be assigned to function within the sub-commission(s). 

 3. Plan of Action of the Commission

 3.1. Retrospect of the previous day’s session (7.9.05)

 1. Principles

-         The communication must accord great priority to the media.

-         Alternative media must be a target, but more priority must now be given to dominant or official media, on the international, as on the national scales. Television, must particularly, equally be targeted.

-         The ASF media communication must use existing African journalists networks. The    role of “Flame of Africa” being central.

-         The ASF media communication must also target international media as well as the media of other continents, alternative and dominant alike.

-         Communication does not only evolve around on the media. It must also take into account other forms of expression (such as music, dance, films). However, these forms of expression must they themselves be given media focus (Concerts, caravans)

-         The national languages commission must be privileged in guaranteeing the “popular” aspect. National languages communication between African speakers must be experimented.  

On what?

• Communication on the Forums both as a “moment” or as an “event”, and as a process.

• Communication on events related to Forums. Ex. : Caravans, concerts, etc… (Promotion)

• Communication on the African social movements (Mobilisation)

How?  

a) Communication on the regional (continental) scale

"     Focal points could be identified and given responsibilities at the sub-regional level

"     It will be the duty of these focal points to identify and manage  media communication between the regions, at the continental level so as to i) facilitate communication between the different regions, weak and surrounded by dominant international media; ii) encourage and stimulate the production of information by Africans on Africa, for the rest of the world.

"     Part of the CC responsibilities fall on the shoulders of National organizing committee (BKO and Nairobi) 

b) Communication on (sub)-regional scale

"     The duties of the sub-regional focal points could be that of mobilising the media and the media networks operating in their sub-regions as well as that of facilitating information circulation within the different countries of the (sub-) region concerned.

"     A certain priority should be given to the local media producing and broadcasting in  national languages, as a means of reaching the public masses.

c) Communication with the rest of the world: the international scale

"     Facilitate the articulation of Africans journalists networks with alternative media networks in other continents.

"     Target international media during coverage of Social Forums taking place in Africa  (Conakry, Bamako in 2006; Nairobi in 2007)

How?

"     Develop increasingly the use of ICTs (Internet, satellite) for regional and international communication.

"     A closer cooperation with the WSF Secretariat, and specifically, by benefiting from the expertise and experience of the Brazilians and Indians, who have organised the previous WSFs.

1.      The Plan of Action should work on the Mobilisation component, which was not elaborated on during plenary or commission sessions. 

2.      A Plan of Action on Communication should develop the extra-media component of communication. 

3.      The Plan of Action should (a) define, in a more specific manner, the objectives (in particular of Mobilisation); (b) the means and actions to be implemented; (c) a timetable; It must also in addition (d) assign responsibilities and (e) assess the different resources (human, technical, financial), necessary for its implementation. 

4.      4°/ The articulation between the role and tasks of the ASFC Commission/those of the Communication Commissions of the Organisation Committees of the WSF 06 (Bamako) and WSF 07 (Nairobi)/those of the ASF Secretariat/those of the International Communication Commission of the ASF, must be specified. 

5.      The members of the commission should participate concretely in the work of the Commission (They were delegated to the two sub-commissions) 

6.      The commission should be extended/expanded/increased and strengthened with new members, whose  contribution would be essential to the finalisation and/or implementation of the Plan of Action.  

4.      Communication and/or Mobilisation: one or two commissions?

5.      Nomination of a representative of the commission to the Steering Committee of the ASF Council

6.      A Plan of Action 

The plenary session held on 7 September 2005 gave the “Communication and Mobilisation” commission the mandate to propose to the Council the organisation needed to carry out the double task of both communication and mobilisation.

At the Cairo meeting (July 2004), two different commissions, one on communication and the other on mobilisation had been set up.

However, the two commissions were somehow merged (halfway between Cairo and Perugia). The deliberations of the C&M commission that met on 7 September 2005 were mainly centred on Communication, much more than on mobilisation.

The question raised on 8 September was:

Whether to maintain a single commission or revert to the organisation decided upon at Cairo.  

Mobilisation still constitutes a weak area with the ASF.

-         In fact participation/adherence in/to the ASF movement must on the one hand be intensified (increasing, but still poor African participation in the WSF), and on the other hand, be diversified.

-         Since its inception until now, the ASF has been mobilising essentially NGOs, or a certain category of CSOs (Civil Society Organizations). The ASF must, on the one hand, be extended to other social components, and on the other hand, be balanced in terms of gender, age and types of organisations of the so-called “Civil Society”. It must aspire for added representativeness.

-         The mobilisation should also be better articulated between the various scales: local, national, sub-regional and regional (or continental)

The commission on “communication”, for its part, comprises of several varying components. 

-         Internal institutional communication ( dissemination of information is deficient within the ASF Council)

-         External institutional communication (propagate the « Forum » event)

-         Communication as a means of social mobilisation (amplification and diversification of participation both in the movement and in the event.

-         A means of promotion and proliferation of the values that underlie the Social Forums as well as the actions, initiatives and struggles of the social movements.  

b) Different Tasks

Mobilisation and communication are transversal but do not collate: it is difficult to mobilise without communication. One can communicate without necessarily trying to mobilise.

The objectives and “targets” of communication and mobilisation could equally be different. Their “means” are also likely to be different: in any case the media always represent a common means. 

c) Different experiences and competences are needed

This issue gave rise to an exchange in which opinions of commission members were at variance.

Certain members desired that the commission should be divided into two distinct commissions. Whereas, others desired that Mobilisation, be transversal to all the other commissions (mobilisation in favour of a strategy, and with regard to contents; mobilisation of communicators; mobilisation of resources). In this case, the Communication and Mobilisation commission would need to concentrate solely on communication, the strategy and tasks of Mobilisation being incumbent on the Steering Committee, which is now charged with identifying someone for Mobilisation. 

Members of the Communication and Mobilisation commission finally agreed, for the time being, to stick to only one commission.

They however proposed to divide the C&M commission into two sub-commissions.

1) An effective adherence to the values and the Charter of the WSF (Which goes without saying… albeit…)

2) Possess a certain competence in the area being considered.

3) Have sufficient time availability for an active participation within the Commission.

4) Be in possession of minimal material facilities (if possible, be in a position, provisionally or occasionally, and autonomously, accomplish certain material duties for the Secretariat (telephone, etc.) 

Certain participants hoped to include the linguistic criterion as an additional one: mastery of the two commonly used languages of the ASFC. Finally, this criterion was dropped. On the contrary, members of the C&M commission requested that communication between members of the ASFC be henceforth systematically engaged both in French AND in English.

The participants chose Diana Senghor as the representative of the C&M Commission to the Steering Committee. Nevertheless, having decided to set up two sub-commissions, the participants requested that one of the other two persons also be assigned to function within the sub-commission(s). 

1. Principles

-         The communication must accord great priority to the media.

-         Alternative media must be a target, but more priority must now be given to dominant or official media, on the international, as on the national levels. Television must equally be targeted.

-         The ASF media communication must use existing African journalists’ networks. The    role of “Flame of Africa” being central.

-         The ASF media communication must also target international media as well as the media of other continents, alternative and dominant alike.

-         Communication does not only evolve around on the media. It must also take into account other forms of expression (such as music, dance, and films). However, these forms of expression must be given media focus (Concerts, caravans)

-         The national languages commission must be privileged in guaranteeing the “popular” aspect. National languages communication between African speakers must be experimented.

 2. Plan of Action (The factors) 

On what?

• Communication on the Forums both as a “moment” or as an “event”, and as a process.

• Communication on events related to Forums. Ex.: Caravans, concerts, etc… (Promotion)

• Communication on African social movements (Mobilisation)

How?  

a) Communication at the regional (continental) level

"     Focal points could be identified and given responsibilities at the sub-regional level

"     It will be the duty of these focal points to identify and manage  media communication between the regions, at the continental level so as to i) facilitate communication between the different regions, weak and surrounded by dominant international media; ii) encourage and stimulate the production of information by Africans on Africa, for the rest of the world.

"     Part of the CC responsibilities fall on the shoulders of National organizing committee (Bamako and Nairobi) 

b) Communication at the (sub)-regional level

"     The duties of the sub-regional focal points could be that of mobilising the media and media networks operating in their sub-regions as well as that of facilitating the dissemination of information within the different countries of the (sub-) region concerned.

"     A certain priority should be given to the local media producing and broadcasting in national languages, as a means of reaching the public masses. 

c) Communication with the rest of the world: the international level

"     Facilitate the articulation of Africans journalists’ networks with alternative media networks in other continents.

"     Target international media during coverage of Social Forums taking place in Africa  (Conakry, Bamako in 2006; Nairobi in 2007) 

How?

"     Develop increasingly the use of ICTs (Internet, satellite) for regional and international communication.

"     A closer cooperation with the WSF Secretariat, and specifically, by building on the expertise and experience of the Brazilians and Indians, who organised the previous WSFs. 

7.      The Plan of Action should work on the Mobilisation component, which was not elaborated on during plenary or commission sessions. 

8.      A Plan of Action on Communication should develop the extra-media component of communication.  

9.      The Plan of Action should (a) define, in a more specific manner, the objectives (in particular of Mobilisation); (b) the means and actions to be implemented; (c) a timetable; It must in addition (d) assign responsibilities and (e) assess the different resources (human, technical, financial), necessary for its implementation.  

10.   The articulation between the role and tasks of the ASFC Commission/those of the Communication Commissions of the Organisation Committees of the WSF 06 (Bamako) and WSF 07 (Nairobi)/those of the ASF Secretariat/those of the International Communication Commission of the ASF, must be specified.  

11.  Members of the commission should participate concretely in the work of the Commission (They were delegated to the two sub-commissions) 

12.  The commission should be extended/expanded/increased and strengthened with new members, whose contribution would be essential to the finalisation and/or implementation of the Plan of Action.

Teamwork on migrations

Conference of 10 September in Perugia, Italy

Bolini.Raphaëlla Bolni (Italy)

Solange  Koné             (Cote d'Ivoire)

Mohamed Saad Saadi  (Morocco)

Abdeljelil Bédoui         (Tunisia)

Buuba Diop                 (Senegal)

Fofana Bakary             (Guinea)

Aïssatou Foné              (Mali )

M. Mamadou GOITA (Mali)

Demba Moussa Dembélé(Senegal)

Ousmane Abdourrahmane (Niger)

-         WSF and ASF

-         Forums and other associations of migrants and refugees

-         African Union

-         European Union

-         ECOWAS

-         SADC

-         HCR

-         National Parliaments

-         Local Authorities  

- Progressiveness (Conakry; Bamako; Nairobi)

- Articulation among the local, national, sub-regional, regional and international levels

- Articulation between the past, the present and the future

- Ensuring articulation between diagnosis, resistance and alternative

- Long-term work  

APPICATION

Thus, Cotonou (West African Forum) will be a platform conducive for the continuation of the debates started during the first West African Forum in Conakry, Guinea on this theme.  

- Conakry (4^th African Social Forum 1-5 December 2005) will focus to African migrations

- Bamako (World Polycentric Social Forum) will touch on migrations to Europe. This will be a more comprehensive stage of information and construction (WSF of 2007)

- Nairobi will be devoted to international migrations, with an emphasis on alternatives  

CONTENTS

- Develop reflection on migrations and enrich our forums

- Integrate identities, conflicts in the search for peace and solidarity

- Denounce corruptions and mafias

- Combat reductionist security visions and the logics of “subcontracting” by countries of the South for those of the North

- Identify the new forms of dehumanisation

- Devise plans of action and projects on this issue to step up solidarity; forge and/or strengthen new civil consciences. 

ACCOUNTABILITY 

- Bakary and Solange have been assigned responsibility for Cotonou

- Bakary, Buuba and Bédoui for Conakry

- M Saadi and Aïssatou Samaké for Bamako

- Raphaëlla and Dembélé for Nairob