David Glanz
The unambiguously good news from the January 16-21 World Social Forum in Mumbai, India, is that the global movement against capitalist globalisation is not just alive and well, but extending deeper into civil society.
The immediate result of moving the fourth WSF to India was that Asia embraced the movement and the movement embraced Asia. The forum was not only bigger than those held in Porto Alegre, Brazil, in previous years but much more deeply connected to the movements of the poor and the oppressed.
The active and enthusiastic participation of organisations of women, dalits (untouchables), adivasis (indigenous people), workers, gays and lesbians, peasants and the disabled helped underscore the vitality and potential of the anti-capitalist movement.
In Porto Alegre, the event took place on elite university campuses with modern facilities. Holding the event in Mumbai in a dusty, disused industrial complex surrounded by slums, with many meetings taking place in tent cities, underscored the intimate connection between the movement and the lived experience and self-activity of the world's poor.
Unfortunately, some just didn't get it. Indian author Vandana Shiva argued in the WSF's daily paper that the event should be held just once a decade, as it took up too many resources.
For a movement "name", getting on yet another international flight to yet another international meeting is a chore.
For the tens of thousands of south Asian activists the forum was a revelation and a major boost in a region too long dominated by chauvinist, neoliberal governments.
The success of Mumbai means Shiva will not get her way. Key WSF figures were clearly embarrassed that WSF 2005 will be back in Porto Alegre and were at pains to say that WSF 2006 is likely to be held in a new continent, probably Africa.
The lesson from this year is that when the WSF comes to a region, it unleashes a firestorm of energy and mobilisation.
That said, there are problems with the WSF process that will need to be addressed if it is to continue to serve a useful purpose.
The first — space for meaningful debate — was highlighted by a major session at Mumbai on the future of the WSF. It started an hour late. After nearly two hours of platform speeches, 10 members of the audience were given exactly one minute each to "contribute" to the discussion.
Keynote sessions need to be less top-heavy with speakers and more open to dialogue.
The second problem is connected — whether the WSF should make decisions or be a "space" only. The strength of the movement is diversity. Any group can put on a presentation. The WSF is not focused on voting.
However, there is widespread frustration that the forum cannot decide anything at all, not even on the most widely supported alternatives or initiatives.
On keynote questions, the movement needs to develop careful mechanisms for expressing united positions — the call for global demonstrations against the US occupation of Iraq on March 20 would be an obvious example.
The third problem is the political domination of the WSF by non-government organisations. Some on the Indian left responded by holding a counter-event across the road from the WSF. It was a miserable flop. The left cannot isolate itself from the movement — it needs to be within the forums, arguing the way forward.
While some NGOs are relatively conservative single-issue bodies, others, like the Bangkok-based Focus on the Global South, play an excellent role. Focus was one of the groups instrumental in successfully publicising the March 20 rallies in Mumbai.
While there is an unfortunate formal ban on parties at the WSF, it does not, in practice, stop left groups from playing a major role and helping shape the forum agenda.
The task for the left is not to complain but to mobilise.
In that respect, there is a challenge ahead for anti-capitalists and a big role for Socialist Alliance members to play. Australia's participation at Mumbai was tiny. It was a major missed opportunity to generalise the lessons of a world movement back into the Australian unions, peace movement and student movement.
In the second half of this year, we need to start raising WSF 2005 in our unions, peace groups and community organisations, arguing for delegates to be sent to Brazil. This is our movement, too, and we need to take part in it, locally, regionally and globally.
The WSF provided the opportunity for a meeting of a range of radical left parties from every continent.
Representatives of 48 socialist parties and groups, including from Australia the International Socialist Organisation and the Democratic Socialist Perspective, shared ideas on fighting imperialism today. A further five parties supported the initiative but were unable to attend.
The meeting, which included parties from backgrounds including Trotskyism, Stalinism and Maoism, issued a call for the biggest possible turnout on March 20.
[David Glanz is a national co-convenor of the Australian Socialist Alliance and attended the 2004 WSF.]
From Green Left Weekly, February 25, 2004.
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