The blog ends, the struggle continues

50,000 people, 50,000 voices, 50,000 different perspectives. I tried to reflect some of these in the blog, along with what seemed to be positive about the event in terms of women’s participation – different groups finding a common language, uniting against external factors, developing shared agendas, strengthening their collective voice – both as women and as part of the wider social movement.

I actually found blogging every day a big responsibility. But the hardest part was daring to put into words what I had felt for the first time in several years of working in the continent: that there might, just might, be a different future for Africa.

Of course, no one person could ever pretend to give a full picture. There’s always the possibility of imposing one’s own view of reality on the south, as the WEF, G8 and the EU continue to do. So, many thanks to those who had time to contribute or comment on the blog. We had hoped to have more contributions from women in Africa but now the forum is over, they’re busy with the work of disseminating and moving plans forward in their own sphere of influence.

I’d like to thank openDemocracy for the opportunity to blog the WSF from a women’s perspective, I learned a lot from the experience. Now rejoining the real world, I’m going back to Burkina Faso to work with decentralised government officials on gender equality in community planning and strategies to address HIV/AIDS.

If anyone would like to contact me, you can always do so at P (dot) Daniel (at) wlv (dot) ac (dot) uk or check out my personal blog because, given time, I’ll have a lot more to say.

Fallout from the WSF in Ghana

Rosaline Baatuolkuu sends this message about her activities since returning from Nairobi. It provides an excellent example of how the WSF process continues after the event itself – its real value for women participants and those they represent:

Well, I have a number of reports to present to NETRIGHT the organization that funded me to the WSF.

We have scheduled a series of press conferences, radio/ TV programs to share with the Ghanaian populace some of the women’s rights and advocacy issues that were discussed at the WSF. I have already held a three days workshop with 35 women and male leaders in local government in one of the regions as part of the dissemination process.

Different perspectives on the World Social Forum

Anthony Barnett’s article on the WSF and the role of civil society has stimulated a lively debate on wider issues. Cora Weiss suggests that that addressing marginalisation of people (including women) should be one of the four main themes of the WSF in future.

Community approaches to the HIV epidemic

For information about the chance to be involved in piloting a community approach to HIV/AIDS please contact Healthlink Worldwide.

A CD-ROM has been produced as part of the four year International Memory Project (funded by Comic Relief), through which the National Community of Women living with HIV (NACWOLA) in Uganda and Healthlink Worldwide have been working with a group of partners from Ethiopia, Tanzania, Zimbabwe and Kenya to introduce and strengthen memory work approaches to communities in sub-Saharan Africa affected by the HIV epidemic.

Healthlink Worldwide has also started to work with a partner organisation to pilot memory work in three states in India.

Feminist dialogues

Reports and videos of the feminist dialogues carried out before and during the WSF can be viewed here

Documentation

Thanks for this comment from Esther K Obachi, Secretary of the Kenyan Library Association:

I appreciate the efforts you made in coming up with the content of this Blog. The Kenya Library Association also tried to document the Nairobi WSF. The Association had noted with disappointment that the previous WSFs were not systematically documented. Hence we mobilized a few librarians from East Africa to do so using a media Wiki. You are welcome to the site.

Media coverage of the WSF should also be available soon on the WSF website.

From Nairobi to Davos

Mary Robinson blogs the World Economic Forum on oD Today in the light of her experience at the World Social Forum. In contrast, the gender profile at Davos is terrible, despite the fact that the WEF report on the global gender gap was discussed there.

She feels ‘frustrated at the power of the few to influence agendas, shape language and determine the outcomes of contemporary events.’ And looks forward to how links could be made in the future between the WSF and the WEF especially in relation to justice and human rights.

Mary Robinson is President of Realising Rights The Ethical Globalization Initiative

Women and community radio

Check out AMARC for interviews with women and about women in relation to the World Social Forum in different languages – and particularly the use of community radio for women’s empowerment.

There’s also a piece on Lesbian Gay Bisexual and Transgender rights in Zimbabwe.

But be warned: it takes a while to download the items.

Women’s voice was strong and clear

Terraviva the independent family of publications from Inter Press Service (IPS) covering the WSF has an interview with Fatma Alloo, a member of the organising committee, written up by Zarina Geloo, on women’s voices at the forum.

There is also a column by Patrizia Sentinelli, Vice Minister for Foreign Co-operation, Italy, who was very active in the forum, encouraging dialogue between government and civil society. See her speech A continent of hope and innovation

An end to HIV / AIDS

Ubuntu World Forum of Civil Society Networks covered the WSF. The website has a short video clip on Women Fighting AIDS in Kenya (WOFAK) as well as clips of Wangari Maathai, Sarah Longwe, Fatma Alloo, Virginia Vargas and Danielle Mitterand speaking in different debates.

There are also links to articles published on the WSF. For example, Joyce Mulama’s article for IPS: An end to HIV/AIDS: A tall order in face of violence

Ubuntu means ‘caring, sharing and being in harmony with all of creation’.