6 Questions on WSF

Taoufik Ben Abdallah, Member, Organising Committee, African Social Forum speaks with Africa Flame's Lyndon Ponnie

On the significance of Africa hosting the World Social Forum for the first time
Africa as a member of the World Social Forum will seize the opportunity to reflect on the idea of African unity. The Forum will also reinforce the struggle and rights of the African people. As a matter of fact, it will create a space where all Africans will come together to discuss their common social and political problems and find solutions. The Forum will also strengthen the voice of Africans who are against the marginalization of the continent in a globalised world.

On the expectations of Africans at this 7th Forum
Africa is a continent on which policies that do not favour the people are imposed.Globalisation is a new form of colonization of the African people and we will take this opportunity to challenge those policies that have been imposed on us. We will use the Forum to concretise our unity and take a direction that lifts our people out of abject poverty and the new form of slavery. As you see Africa has a population of 850 million people.

A good number of these people are very poor and voiceless. At this forum, we would look around us, at the continent and see what we can do to stop all these miseries. We would have to discuss with all categories of people and the state and formulate actions that will compel governments to make us part of decision-making. We are Africans but we are also part of the world.

This is why we have to emphasise that the forum is not for charity. We must have to start to contribute to our own citizenship on the continent. We expect that others will come to help us. This is a forum of brotherhood, sisterhood, to discuss issues that will be important for all of us but this time on African soil.

On the amount of money spent on hosting the forum
You know the forum is not expensive. The whole budget is less than US7M. What we got is about $5M. This amount was contributed by our different partners, social movements and governments including France and Italy.

On the role of the Africa flame
The newspaper is intended to highlight the voices of Africans at the WSF. It emerged in 2003. The result was good in Mumbai. Slowly it has acquired some identity. Today we have about 30 journalists here to cover this forum. It is a good example and means such a venture can be possible in Africa to enable the people to be heard.

On the extent to which the objectives of the WSF have been achieved
The forum has debunked the myth that there are no alternatives to the problems of the world apart from neo-liberalism. Unlike before we are now active in major negotiations. We were very active at the last G8 meeting. We have contributed to making the African continent more dynamic. We cannot talk about a new world without linking the people to the world. The forum has created space for the movements to be part of the construction of the continent. It has created a space where the people meet once a year to talk about their problems and to some extent it has strengthened our unity. Overall, the world social forum has created a feeling of renewed solidarity among Africans.

On the future of WSF
The future is bright. The more social movements and activists meet, the better for our world.