Slum dwellers
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Slum dwellers making World Social Forum ideals a reality
By Nicholas Asego
This week, Nairobi streets will be awash with visitors from various parts of the world. The seventh World Social Forum (WSF) that opened on Saturday literally brings the world to the city as activists, social movements, networks, coalitions and other progressive forces from Asia-Pacific, Latin America, the Caribbean, North America, and Europe converge.
The city is hosting humanity in its black, brown, yellow hues. Some have flown in, but many others simply got hold of what they could to get to Nairobi: taxis and buses. Others simply walked.
During the Mumbai conference in India, participants were so many that a good number had to sleep in the streets. Tents have gone up at Kasarani and at the Scouts campsite at Rowallan next to the Jamhuri Show grounds to accommodate the teeming numbers. Hotels, motels, hostels, guesthouses and private homes in Nairobi and its environs are preparing to receive the guests. A report estimates that the visitors will spend at least Sh45 million in accommodation and travel.
But the WSF is much more than a meeting of NGO-type activists enjoying the beauty of an exotic country over lots of talk and coffee.
"Rallying around the clarion call of �Another World is Possible’�the WSF has placed social justice, international solidarity, gender equality, peace and defence of the environment agenda of the world�s people," says Onyango Oloo the national co-ordinator of the Kenya Social Forum, one of key participants in the event.
"The aim is to have a world where the global capital does not hold sway," he adds.
From Porto Alegre and Mumbai to Bamako, Caracas and Karachi and now Nairobi, the contingents of the World Social Forum have collectively expanded the democratic spaces of those seeking concrete, sustainable and progressive alternatives to imperialist globalisation. With the theme of this edition of the World Social Forum being "People�s Struggles, people�s Alternatives" the organizers expect many locals to attend. "We want to move away from the usual suspects, the high heeled NGO fellows in the conferences and we expect to see more people from informal settlements in Kibera, Mathare, Huruma etc attending," says Oloo.
From its modest origins in Porto Alegre in 2001, the WSF has over the years mushroomed into a global counter-force challenging the realms of imperialism, colonialism and its blood sister neo-colonialism. The forum has exerted itself to reduce the exploitation of the poor and to try and turn their life around.
Oloo traces the origin of the forum to the opposition to the World Economic Forum, a gathering held at the same time in the Swiss resort town of Davos that attracts business and political leaders viewed as being at the forefront of globalisation.
Oloo believes that in a world so divided by wars, strife and conflict, the WSF is a uniting factor. "It brings people from different countries, race, cultures who get down and talk of conflict resolution."
Slum dwellers unite to build houses
The conference helps build lasting networks between people and groups of different countries. "Locally it will be a great opportunity for people from rural areas and those from urban to meet," he adds.
On a wider scale, Onyango sees this as an opportunity to showcase Kenya to the world. "People will get to see that Kenya is not only a country of Maasai and lions, but they will have the opportunity to see the diverse cultures we have."
The Kenya Social Forum, modelled on the larger organisation, has made inroads among the locals, especially those living in the informal settings. "A good example is the Huruma slums where Huruma Social Forum has organised its members to built better houses," says Oloo. Through monthly contributions, the members are putting up permanent houses with running water, a rarity in such places. This initiative was as a result of challenges that the members received when they visited the WSF conference in Bamako, Mali.
Ibrahim Hassan, the coordinator of the Huruma Social Forum, says a group of slum dwellers have organised themselves to put up 60 housing units in Nairobi. "We are working on putting 24 more units," says Ibrahim. "We aim at helping the Government to meet the UN�s Millenium Development Goals."
Housing has not been their only success; they provide clean water and sanitation for the residents. "We never had any toilets or bathrooms in the informal settings but we have managed to put up one bathroom and toilet, and we are working towards many more. We are working closely with the Kibera Social Forum to help towards their housing needs," he says.
Like other Nairobi residents, Ibrahim is looking forward to lively debate at the WSF. "We plan to raise the issue of debt and poverty and how our leaders can help us," he says.
Other related issues he expects to be discussed at the conference include unfair trade rules, and unemployment, especially among the youth. "The forum needs to assess the policies in place to enhance gainful employment for the young people and the successes of these policies," he says.
The World Social Forum is geared towards meaningful intervention into the situations deemed �normal’�within the existing social classes. "The idea is to encourage the locals not to accept their lot and also not to wait for their governments to come to their rescue," says Oloo. "Waiting for the government sometimes may take ages."
Nobody understands the problems that the locals go through better than the people themselves, he says. "This is the reason why we are involving local communities in the organisation of the conference," says Oloo. Among the local groups expected to attend the conference include Kibera Social Forum, Mathare, Huruma among others.
"During the conference they will have a chance to interact with other forum groups from other countries." The main idea of the Social Forum is to act as a catalyst for social change. "We challenge the participants to question their state of poverty," says Oloo.
Despite the entrenched roots of capitalism and globalisation, he feels these forces can be tamed. "When people come together, there is nothing that they can�t achieve," he says. Like slavery or feudalism that choked the world for almost 400 years, he says, capitalism and globalisation can be brought down. " At home, Kanu which people thought was unshakable was removed from power," he says.
Inequality unacceptable
One of the themes of the conference is Peace and Conflict Transformation. "We have realised that underdevelopment is one of the major reasons for conflict in Kenya," says Oloo. He says frequent conflict in North Eastern Province, for example, is caused by deprivation and underdevelopment. "Some of those people don�t even believe that they are part of Kenya. They send greetings to Kenya whenever they meet one coming to Nairobi."
The area is mostly inhabited by pastoralists who often clash with their neighbours over pasture. "Like other minorities the pastoralists are citizens of the global society and they will bring their challenges and opportunities to the conference," says Oloo.
"It will also be an occasion for them to share their struggles and successes however modest," he says. They are expected to show how the values embedded in their livelihoods since time immemorial still represent a valid alternative to the dominant world of global forces.
The organisers expect a number of dignitaries to attend the conference, although they are not expected to steal the limelight. "Rather than focus on personalities, we are more interested in social groups that will be here," says Onyango. Among those expected include former president of Zambia Kenneth Kaunda, Desmond Tutu, Winnie Mandela and others. "Many others did not confirm their coming but they might be around," he says.
"Ngugi wa Thiongo who returned to the country recently to launch his novel, was invited but has other commitments during the same period," says Oloo. Despite his absence, some of the themes in the novel, the Wizard of the Crow, will be discussed at the conference. The novel, whose title is translated from Murogi wa Kagogo, describes the effects of dictatorship in a fictional African country.
Despite the �serious global agenda’, the Nairobi conference will be a showcase of Africa and its diverse culture. For Oloo, the conference is an event unlike any other.
"It�s an open invitation to all Kenyans from all walks of life," he says. The conference is more than congregating, conversing, singing, marching, dreaming, dancing, networking and strategising with fellow brothers and sisters, comrades and colleagues. It�s about experiencing the magic that is the World Social Forum." http://www.eastandard.net/archives/
