[Scpg] Brazil : World Social Forum 2005- Another World is Possible January 21, 2005 - February 01, 2005

[Wesley Roe and Marjorie Lakin Erickson]

Brazil : World Social Forum 2005- Another World is Possible
http://www.forumsocialmundial.org.br/
January 21, 2005 - February 01, 2005

What is the World Social Forum?

The World Social Forum is an open meeting place where groups and movements 
of civil society opposed to neo-liberalism and a world dominated by capital 
or by any form of imperialism, but engaged in building a planetary society 
centred on the human person, come together to pursue their thinking, to 
debate ideas democratically, for formulate proposals, share their 
experiences freely and network for effective action . The WSF proposed to 
debate alternative means to building a globalization in solidarity, which 
respects universal human rights and those of all men and women of all 
nations and the environment, and is grounded in democratic international 
systems and institutions at the service of social justice, equality and the 
sovereignty of peoples.

The two first editions of the World Social Forum were held in Porto Alegre, 
Brazil, on the same dates as the World Economic Forum was meeting in Davos 
. By proposing to strengthen an international coalition of the widest range 
of social movements and organizations, on the principle of respect for 
differences, autonomy of ideas and forms of endeavour, the WSF ceased to be 
a single locus of convergence for the struggle against neo-liberal 
globalization and sought to become a world process. The WSF takes place 
from January 26-31, 2005

For more information about the World Social Forum see 
www.forumsocialmundial.org.br.

World Social Forum 2005 will take place in Porto Alegre

The World Social Forum (WSF) International Council Secretariat and the 
Organizing Committee for the fifth Forum have confirmed that the next 
meeting of the World Social Forum will take place in Porto Alegre, Brazil, 
from January 26 to 31 2005.

Independent, radical and highly successful in keeping important issues on 
the world's political agenda - issues which many powerful people would 
prefer to see either forgotten about or, at best, addressed by technocrats 
and tame NGOs - the WSF has now flourished for four years. Not only that, 
but the local, regional and national Social Forums - such as the European 
version that took place recently in London - have spread to most parts of 
the globe. As a spokesperson for the WSF 2005 Organising Committee 
explained, "Multiple campaigns, struggles, projects and dreams of a new 
possible society are shared at theses events ­ and none of them is more 
important than the other. This new horizon to political action is in 
contrast with the weariness of the traditional institutions, which are seen 
more and more as not very democratic, submissive to the financial markets 
and impervious to citizens’ opinions."

The choice of Porto Alegre for the third time in five WSF gatherings is 
significant, for Porto Alegre, with its (until recently) radical left local 
administration and innovative approach to democracy has become a point of 
reference for the type of movement and activist who tend to be involved. 
Also, however, with the left having lost local power in the recent round of 
elections, insisting on continuing to meet in Porto Alegre is an important 
act of solidarity and the exercise of democratic rights. Decades of 
struggle in the region have, according to organisers led to "a society that 
is critical, organised, aware of its rights and willing to fight for them." 
On each occasion the WSF has been warmly welcomed by the broad population 
and has enjoyed the enthusiastic support of the town’s City Hall and the 
regional State Government.

Despite the decision to return once again to Porto Alegre, the WSF 
Secretariat has said that it is determined to turn the Forum into a 
genuinely worldwide event. "It has already been decided that the meeting in 
2007 will take place in an African country."


www.globalexchange.org/tours/594.html
  GLOBAL EXCHANGE TOUR TO WORLD SOCIAL FORUM
Why a Reality Tour to Brazil?

In 2003, an unprecedented event took place in Brazil. Ignacio Lula da 
Silva, a metalworker and union leader, became the first working class 
President to be elected in Brazilian history. The victory of this left wing 
candidate was not only a victory for his party the PT (Workers Party) but 
also for the millions of Brazilians who cast their vote in hope for a 
brighter future. Many also consider Brazil's historic election also a 
popular judgment against the neoliberal economic project in Brazil that has 
caused the increased impoverishment of millions of Brazilians. The 
neoliberal agenda, pursued in the last two decades and backed and promoted 
by such supra-national global institutions as the World Bank, IMF and WTO, 
has pushed forward the mass privatization of state-owned industries, the 
explosion of low-wage factory zones, the wide-scale pillaging of Brazil's 
natural resources and the tripling of Brazil's international debt. Despite 
holding the tenth largest economy in the world, Brazilians have seen the 
rich get richer and the poor get poorer, with Brazil containing the widest 
disparity of wealth in the western hemisphere.

Yet Brazilian social movements are among the strongest and most organized 
in Latin America in challenging the social, racial, and economic injustices 
of the neoliberal system. Brazilians have led and organized the 
internationally known World Social Forum in Porto Alegre where hundreds of 
thousands of participants have shared the Forum's motto of "Another World 
is Possible".

You will visit the MST (Landless Workers Movement), the largest social 
movement in Latin America, who has succeeded in organizing hundreds of land 
recoveries throughout Brazil, pressuring for land reform and providing land 
titles to more than 250,000 families. You will also learn about the 
struggle to preserve Brazil's environment and natural resources and how 
Brazil's thousands of indigenous peoples have been threatened and excluded 
from having a voice in Brazilian society. Learn about all this while 
enjoying the beauty of Brazilian music, dance, and breathtaking landscape.

Program Highlights:
Meet with grassroots activists for over 100 countries by attending and 
participating in the internationally known World Social Forum in Porto Alegre.
Meet with representatives from strategic governmental agencies, political 
parties, and NGOs to examine the social, economic and political framework 
of contemporary Brazil.
Learn about Brazil's tragic history of military rule that resulted in the 
torture and disappearance of thousands of activists.
Meet with members of the Movimiento dos Trabalhadores Rurais Sem Terra, 
Brazil's Landless Workers Movement, the largest social movement in the 
Americas and learn about their experiences in their struggle for land 
reform and a more just society.

Cost: $1350 (partial scholarships are available)

Price Includes:
Double-room hotel ($200 extra for single room), guest house, or dormitory 
accommodations; two meals per day; transportation to and from all 
programmed activities; guides and translators; a qualified trip leader; all 
program activities; and reading materials.

How to Register:
We must receive your application and a non-refundable deposit of $200 two 
months before departure. A late fee of $50 will be applied to late 
applications. Payments by Mastercard or Visa are welcome.

This trip will be as diverse as possible in terms of race, age and life 
experiences. We strongly urge people of color to apply. In some cases, a 
limited number of partial scholarships are available for low-income 
applicants.

Contact Florencia with any questions about this trip, or call toll-free 
1-800-497-1994 ext. 226.

Trips on related issues:
Civil Rights
Environment and Sustainability
Fair Trade
Labor and Economy
	
This tour starts and ends in Porto Alegre, Brazil and will spend five days 
prior to the Forum to explore the beautiful Brazilian southern state of Rio 
Grande do Sur filled with settlements and encampments of the Brazil's 
powerful and impressive Landless Workers Movement. The tour will visit and 
meet with the MST, speak with leaders of Lula da Silva's Workers Party, 
learn about the participatory budget program of Porto Alegre and much more.

			
	
	
	The World Social Forum for 2005 will be held in Porto Alegre, Brazil between
January 26 -31. The World Social Forum has emerged as an important space for
dialogue between civil society actors dedicated to alternative globalisation
and the idea that "another world is possible". The last Forum in Mumbai,
India in January this year was attended by 80,000 people from over 130
countries and 2,660 organisations. Further information on the initial
preparatory process for the 2005 event is on the website
http://www.forumsocialmundial.org.br/home.asp  . The website is in English,
Spanish, Portugese and French. As you may know there are also a number of
regional forums and links to regional websites are available via this link
http://www.forumsocialmundial.org.br/main.asp?id_menu=11_1&cd_language=2