2nd EDITION OF THE SOUTHERN AFRICAN
SOCIAL FORUM
“
People's Resistance to Neo-liberalism”
Harare,
Zimbabwe,
October 2005
Concept Paper
“Another
Southern
Africa is Possible”
1.0
Introduction
The Southern African Social Forum (SASF) is a continuation
of the Africa Social Forum, (ASF) that takes place
annually, since Bamako (2002), as a prelude to the
World Social Forum (WSF) that was initiated in Port
Alegre (Brazil) in 2001. The latter is an
annual event that is deliberately organized to coincide
with the World Economic Forum (Davos). The timing
is meant to signify civil society opposition voices
to the high-level one-sided pro globalization and
neo liberalism deliberations between the world leaders
and international financial institutions.
Following the Bamako Forum and the Addis Ababa Forum,
a process of consultations have taken place around
Africa to find a way of effectively exposing the
current social, political and economic injustices
for better government and state action. A forum
creates a platform for various interest groups of
civil society to discuss issues together pertaining
to social, political and economic justice. In addition,
a forum increases solidarity in the sub-region and
Africa as a whole before going to the global social
forum, in this case in preparation for the next
World Social Forum to be held in Africa in 2007.
The need to host a Southern African Social
Forum (SASF) arose from the second African Social
Forum held in Addis Ababa, 5-9 January 2003. Participants resolved to
establish sub-regional forums as a way of getting
diverse views on Africa’s socio-economic and political issues from
a wider constituency prior to Africa Social Forum
(ASF) and World Social Forum (WSF). Each sub –region
was designated to form its own Steering Committee
of at least five persons. Six persons that represented
mass movements in their constituencies were selected
as members of the Southern Africa Regional Steering
Committee (SARSC).
Thus
individuals and organizations that had previously
attended the Africa and World Social Forums met
in early May 2003 and founded the Zimbabwe
Social Forum which then went on to plan, organize
and mobilize social movements and organizations
culminating in the holding of the first ever ZSF
in Harare gardens from 9-11 October, 2003, under
the theme “A People’s Forum on Peace, Reconstruction
and Prosperity in Zimbabwe” As a result of the
experiences gained during the ZSF, the Forum decided
to take part and be part of the first ever Southern
African Social Forum , held in Lusaka Zambia in
2003.
2.0 Key Components of The Southern African Social
Forum
As
African people with similar problems, the 2nd
edition of the Southern African Social Forum
[SASF] will provide space for advocacy for a better
quality of life and development for all. The Forum
will more specifically:
i)
Provide
the sub-region a platform for social activists to
strengthen popular democracy and mobilization.
ii)
Critically
challenge the status quo of abject poverty, gender
inequality and discrimination, high level corruption,
social insecurity, unconstitutional governance,
HIV & AIDS pandemic, etc.
iii)
Build
a sub regional solidarity network around issues
of social, political and economical justice.
iv)
Create
a loose coalition that will guarantee effective
participation in the future Southern African Social
Forum [SASF], the African Social Forum [ASF] and
the World Social Forum [WSF].
·
The
land issue and the future of agricultural based
communities
·
Emergence
of Labour Solidarity and relationship with Social
Movements
·
Popular
Democracy meeting people’s needs
·
People
to People solidarity in Southern
Africa
3.0
Justification Of SASF 2005
Due
to the modest success of the inaugural ZSF, a second
edition of the ZSF was held in Harare under the banner, “A People’s Forum Against
Poverty, Gender Inequalities and All Forms of Oppression”.
More than 1200 participants drawn from various social
movements, community based organizations, trade
unions, HIV and AIDS activists, gender and women’s
rights organizations and the youths, among others
were at this important gathering. Discussions and
solidarity sharing and exploration of alternatives
to the current pro-globalization Zimbabwean economy
took place under the following thematic clusters:
o
Gender
Women’s Rights and Patriarchy, Youth, Labour, Debt
and Trade,
o
HIV
and AIDS, Peace and Human Rights, Constitutionalism
and Governance,
o
Land and Environment, Food Security and Social
Services Delivery.
The
Forum rejected the unjust neo-liberal globalization
and the integration of the Zimbabwean economy through
NEPAD into a system in a manner that increases the
poverty of the Zimbabwean majority. The HIV and
AIDS thematic groups which had the biggest presence,
recognized that the roots of fighting HIV and AIDS
lay on a lack of social justice, and the acknowledgment
that there was a vicious circle of HIV and AIDS
and poverty, with both mutually reinforcing each
other. The various entities at the ZSF ended up
by concluding, "activists and social movements
demand universal access
to free treatment and the restructuring of
the International Monetary Fund, World Bank and
the World Trade Organization, and the need to develop
friendly policies such as debt cancellation, equal
trade, sober and responsible standards of living
for our people".
Participants from the thematic group also
called on the next ASF in Lusaka
in 2004 to give due prominence to the HIV and AIDS
issue since it is the greatest social phenomenon
in Southern Africa currently”.
The
2004 event remarkably made the ZSF a leading and
formidable bloc in the global justice movement mobilizing under the slogan,
“Another Zimbabwe is possible”. The ZSF is now an
annual event, preceded by a series of mobilization
and build up activities, that it is taking its own
shape in the spirit of the World Social Forum, based
and focused on the need to be organized and be active
with regard to the manifestations of local globalization
in national processes. Of major importance over
the past two years of its existence so far is the
Forum’s ability to let those affected be able to
share platforms in building solidarity based on
real life experiences as told and shared first hand.
Beyond the borders of Zimbabwe, the ZSF has managed
to present itself as a real force to reckon with,
as demonstrated by the heavy presence and effective
participation of ZSF delegates in the Lusaka 2003
Southern Africa Social Forum and the African Social
Forum 2004 at the same venue. For both events, the
ZSF managed to have at least a bus full of participants. For both
events, the ZSF managed to have at least a bus full of participants drawn from
the activists and social movements partaking in
the ZSF processes. The ZSF has been nominated and
will host the Southern African Social Forum (SASF)
2005 in October this year. This in itself is a good
opportunity for Zimbabwe to continue building solidarity beyond our
borders as the struggle against poverty in its entirety
continues.
4.0
The SASF Event 2005
The
event will be modelled along the ASF and WSF approach.
The workshops, seminars and conferences will take
place along autonomous activities.
The
Consultation Theme for SASF 2005 will be: People’s
Resistance to Neoliberalism.
The
collective seminars, workshops will focus on the
following sub themes:
·
Fighting
HIV & AIDS
·
Militarization,
Peace, Conflict and War and Global Solidarity
·
Poverty,
debt and trade
·
Privatization
and cost recovery
·
Nature
and role of the African state
·
Regional
integration
·
The
land question within the region
·
Culture
·
Labour
·
Gender,
sexism, feminism and masculinity
·
Democratization
and elections
·
ZIMBABWE
4.1
Logistics SASF 2005
This
activity will be the focus for the SASF secretariat,
as there will be intense preparations, the venue
for the event will be
Harare Gardens. Affordable accommodations have been secured
for the external delegates. Availability of cheap
food stalls will also be put in place by the host
committee. Indigenous caterers have been engaged
to provide services during the forum. The secretariat will
ensure that spaces for exhibitions and sales (of
organizational material) will be put in place. SASF
will be open to the use of vernacular languages
hence translators will be available during the forum.
Cheap inner-city transport between the forum venue
and the places of accommodation will be available.
4.2 Self –organized or autonomous activities
As
usual, participating entities have the responsibility
of organizing and defining the content of seminars,
workshops and panels that fall under their responsibility.
These activities will provide concerned organizations
and movements with the possibility to express themselves
thoroughly and facilitate a more systematic work
on alternatives.
5.0
Regional Consultative meeting
The
meeting, which was part of, the planning process
for the SASF 2005, was held on 27
August 2005
in Harare Zimbabwe, members of the Regional Co-ordinating Committee,
pledged full support to the organizing host committee
to successfully host SASF 2005.
State of preparedness reported by country representatives inline
with the upcoming SASF event.
South Africa
§
Encouraging
young people to take interest in the Social Forum
process and link them with other young people in
the region so that they could share their own experiences
§
Keen
to bring popular communities particularly women’s
group – a women’s social forum will be held in the
next 12 months to consolidate this process and build
towards SASF
§
To
run workshops on Free Trade Agreements and the role
of women on the issues relating to trade
§
Unite
all the movements into one forum if possible
§
Work
with COSATU which is a member of United Democratic
Front
§
Organizing
a bus or several buses for the participants – funding
proposals have been sent out for 60 activists to
come to the SASF participants will be drawn from
23 different organizations
§
Commitment
to autonomous events has been agreed in principle
§
Some
of the entities would like to set up a media center
at the forum to enable other activists to report
on their experiences of the forum and upload media
(stories, audio and pictures) to the Indy Media
website
§
Upload
daily reports on the SASF to the Indy Media SA website
§
Video
Screenings of progressive stories and people’s daily
struggles
Swaziland
§
Present
a paper on the effects of neo-liberalism and the
role of the monarch – as we still have a feudal
system of government in place
§
SCAPEI
– is working with young people in the rural areas
on livelihoods issues as well as democracy and would
like to have them participate
Malawi
§
Commitment
to organize autonomous activities during the Forum
§
Will
network with regional bodies working trade justice
issues so as not to duplicate our efforts in having
autonomous activities
§
MEJN
the secretariat for Malawi Social Forum is committing
itself to organize a bus of at least 30 participants
to participate in the forum and frantic efforts
are being done to raise the funds for the bus
Angola
§
Collected
experiences from other forums
§
Few
organizations in Angola understand about the Social Forum
§
Jubilee
2000 Angola planning
To hold the Angolan Social Forum in 2006
Mauritius
§
No
unity in the social movements
§
Trying
to work with people who do not usually attend meetings
such as the forum for instance fishermen communities
and rural farmers.
Zambia
§
Mobilize
the grassroots by holding the Zambian Social Forum
prior to SASF as grassroots participation in the
past two social forum processes has been very weak
§
Commitment
to autonomous activities (by Kamoto Community Cultural
Arts)
§
Currently
holding countrywide workshops focusing on trade
and economic justice issues
Zimbabwe
§
Functional
national council and organizing committee are in
place
§
Approximately
18 movements will participating ranging from HIV
and AIDS organizations, women, youth, cross border
traders, informal sectors, residents associations,
faith based organization, labour and those working
on the land question
§
Still
working on Police Permission to hold the forum
§
Expecting
more support for regional solidarity funding from
OSISA, Action Aid and MS country offices in Zambia and Mozambique
§
Most
of the Zimbabwean entities have already committed
themselves to hosting autonomous activities
§
Solidarity
accommodation
§
The
Youth Council of ZSF will host a youth camp during
the forum
§
Setting up a youth list-serve to inform and attract
other youth groups in the region and we are willing
to reach out to all youth movements in the region
§
Zimbabwe
Social Forum to hold People’s Summit on the 24th of September
2005
which will focus on three main issues
1.
Impact of Restore Order on people living with HIV
and AIDS
2.
Gender
3.
People’s
Trade
SAPSN
§
To
hold a workshop during the SASF event on the impact
of privatization in the region
§
Information
sharing strategy meeting – Road to Hong Kong
§
Launch
SAPSN occasional papers, 10 of them will be launched
during the forum.
§
Joint
initiative with ZIMCODD, ZSF and SAPSN to fund raise
for the forum to ensure that social movements will
come en-mass
§
Will
ensure that at least 4-5 buses will come to the
forum from members of the network within the region
5.1 Information, Education and Communication Materials
For
the SASF event to be a success there is need to
make the concept known by both the local people
and SADC citizens, hence the need to place adverts
in both electronic and print media. This entails
the publication of SASF daily newsletter that will
be run during the event .The concept paper will
be published in three languages i.e. English, French
and Portuguese.. Daily reports will be uploaded
to the Indy media SA website.
5.2
Solidarity funding for SASF Participants
This
activity will entail fund raising for participants
who will not be able to source funds to attend the
SASF, but will need financial assistance in the
form of traveling allowances, daily allowances and
accommodation needs. This will ensure that delegates
from, the 13 SADC countries will be able to take
part in the upcoming SASF event. SAPSN (Southern
African People's Solidarity Network) will ensure
that social movements will come en-mass, 4-5 buses
will come to the forum from members of the network
within the region.
6.0 Expected Outcomes
The
Southern African Social Forum [SASF] would be creative
in order to achieve the envisaged progressive outcomes,
such as:
i)
A
functional and operational long term Regional Steering
Committee;
ii)
Functional
and operational Social Forums within Southern Africa;
iii)
Collective
and enhanced political pressure on politicians and
all decision makers on behalf of the citizenry with
regard to people centered policies on social and
economic justice policies;
iv)
A
framework of alternative political positions emerging
from the deliberations and discussions during the
SASF for the various participating entities and
social movements;
v)
A
permanent presence of a living “free” networking
space to strengthen solidarity among the peoples
of Southern
Africa
(at sub-regional and national level)
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