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#3

JANUARY 22, 2006

Le quotidien independant du Forum Social Mondial Polycentrique de Bamako, 19-23 janvier 2006 The independent newspaper of the Polycentric World Social Forum Bamako, Jan 19-23, 2006

M

Les femmes à Bamako prônent la solidarité, la formation, et la communication

Women in Bamako Focus on Solidarity, Training and Communication

La spiruline, une alternative à la malnutrition en Afrique SPIRULINE, AN ALTERNATIVE TO MALNUTRITION IN AFRICA

Par Almahady Cissé

Les femmes africaines ont des attentes fortes pour le Forum de Bamako. Elles les ont exprimées lors d’un atelier intitulé “le dialogue féministe’’, vendredi, au palais de la culture. “Je suis venue à Bamako avec plusieurs attentes. La première est en train d’être satisfaite, c’est avoir des femmes de toute l’Afrique se retrouver et échanger sur les difficultés que nous rencontrons’’ s’est réjoui Ivette Ngwevilo Rekangaly, présidente du Mouvement gabonais pour le bien être familial. “C’est pour réfléchir sur les enjeux de l’heure et proposer des solutions aux gouvernants que nous sommes au forum social mondial’’, a souligné Esso Ama du Groupe d’action et de recherche sur l’environnement au Togo. Selon elle, l’enjeu est de taille car les droits de la femme africaine sont toujours bafoués. Les

problèmes sont entre autres, l’accès à la terre et les violences faites aux femmes. La mondialisation constitue l’autre préoccupation fortement exprimée par les femmes. “Au fait, la mondialisation n’est pas une mauvaise chose en soi. Notre problème est que nous ne sommes pas encore prêtes’’, confie Esso. Cette préoccupation, selon Traoré Oumou Touré, secrétaire exécutive de la Coalition des associations et ONG féminines du Mali, se justifie par le fait que les femmes dans tous les pays, sont les plus pauvres. “Le terme est peut être nouveau pour certaines d’entre nous, mais il faut que nous sachions qu’au sein de nos familles, nous sommes les piliers. Au sein de la nation, nous sommes les plus nombreuses. Nous ne devons pas laisser aux hommes toutes les charges’’, estime Ngwevilo Rekangaly. Pour la malienne Nientao Kadiatou Traoré, présidente de l’association Solidarité aide et ac-

tion pour l’enfance au Mali, le défi pour les femmes africaines est de s’impliquer dans les actions de développement et prendre leur part de responsabilité dans les conflits qui surgissent dans leurs pays. “Nous devons prendre cette part de responsabilité dans la résolution des conflits comme dans le développement de nos Etats afin de les renforcer pour rentrer dans la mondialisation’’, ajoute-t-elle. Telle n’est pas la préoccupation des femmes rurales du Mali. “Nous les femmes rurales nous avons besoin des structures de santé, d’éducation pour nos enfants et d’emploi pour nos maris’’, souligne Gonsogo Fatoumata Sanogo, présidente des femmes rurales du cercle de Sikasso, au Sud du Mali. L’alternative pour les femmes, selon Nientao, s’articule autour de trois axes stratégiques: Solidarité, formation pour le leadership et communication.

7 Vous avez votre stade, maintenant allez jouer YOU HAVE YOUR STADIUM, NOW GO AND PLAY

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LETTER TO THE EDITOR

A space for many voices

Small-Scale Solutions to a Thorny Problem

To the editors; While not wishing to respond directly to inaccurate accusations levelled in a January 21 article by Zarina Geloo that misattributed to us the use of camels during the opening ceremony, Oxfam International is concerned by the statements complaining we were “taking advantage” and “abusing” the space created by the World Social Forum. As an organisation that has worked for decades around the globe ensuring that there are free and open spaces for ALL voices to be heard, both within civil society and in government, we take exception to such complaints. Is our voice not worthy of being heard? Should we, working in collaboration with partners in more than 100 countries, not be allowed to join the chorus demanding an end to global poverty and suffering, an end to violence against women and an end to damaging trade subsidies that keep the developing world from competing in international markets? Meetings such as this year’s World Social Forum in Bamako provide an important and sanctified venue for the exchange of ideas, where all people passionate about all causes have the opportunity to share their thoughts, hone their strategies and renew their efforts to show that another world is possible. It would be awful – and would run completely counter to the Forum’s stated goals and principles – if some of its participants sought to limit and silence the voices of those who wished to join. Over the remaining days, Oxfam International and its six affiliates present in Bamako, along with our partners from across the continent, welcome the opportunity to add our voices to the chorus. Working together, we can find lasting solutions to ending poverty and suffering.

Aux rédacteurs en chef; Bien que ne souhaitant pas réagir directement aux accusations erronées portées contre Oxfam dans un article du 21 janvier par Zarina Geloo quant à l’utilisation de chameaux pendant la cérémonie officielle d’ouverture, nous sommes préoccupés par les commentaires selon lesquels Oxfam “profite” et “tire avantage” de l’espace créé par le Forum Social Mondial. Etant une organisation qui soutient globalement depuis des décennies les espaces de liberté afin que TOUTES les voix soient entendues au sein de la société civile et des gouvernements, nous nous objectons à de telles critiques. Serait-ce que la voix d’Oxfam n’est pas digne d’être entendue? Ne sommes-nous pas invités, nous qui collaborons avec des partenaires dans plus de 100 pays, à faire partie de ceux qui exigent une fin à la pauvreté et aux souffrances des peuples, une fin à la violence contre les femmes et une fin aux subventions commerciales qui maintiennent les pays en voie de développement dans la pauvreté ? Des réunions telles que celle du Forum Social Mondial à Bamako offrent un espace important et stratégique pour échanger, où tous les peuples engagés ont l’occasion de partager leurs idées, de réviser leurs stratégies et d’accroître leurs efforts dans le but de démontrer qu’un autre monde est possible. Il serait très dommage si certains participants au Forum cherchaient à limiter et faire taire les voix de ceux qui souhaitent s’y joindre. Pendant les jours qui viennent, Oxfam International, ses six affiliés participant au FSM à Bamako ainsi que ces partenaires à travers le continent africain, sont prêts à joindre leurs voix à celles de tous ceux présents. En travaillant ensemble, nous pourrons ainsi obtenir des solutions durables à la pauvreté, à la souffrance et à l’injustice.

Oxfam International Oxfam GB Oxfam America Oxfam Quebec Novib (Oxfam the Netherlands) Intermon Oxfam (Oxfam Spain) Oxfam Solidarite (Oxfam Solidarité) (Belgique)

2

Amadou Lah (right) believes that solutions to migration begin at home

Seif Eddine listens while Azzouna Yelloul, also from El Taller, discusses migration

By Jacklynne Hobbs

‘Think global, act local’ is a wellknown slogan in environmental circles. But is it also useful for tackling the problems that stem from illegal immigration – particularly the hardships experienced by migrants who face expulsion, and those sent back to their home countries? Jean Eric Malabre thinks so. Picture a situation where your son tells you of a school friend who is in hiding because his parents are about to be expelled, said Malabre, a French immigration lawyer who is also a member of the Paris-based Immigrant Information and Support Group. Writing to the boy’s teachers, even the Ministry of the Interior, might start a chain of events that could improve matters. “Little things, but very practical things, can be done on an individual basis… People can get together and make networks work between South and North for things like this,” Malabre told TerraViva yesterday. In a case where, say, a Malian immigrant was expelled, “A French NGO… can get in touch through email with a Malian NGO, and there will be someone at the airport (in

Mali, to receive the migrant),” said Malabre. “And in France, there will be someone to bring his luggage and go to the bank to get his money…(also) to send his papers, because when they are expelled they are without papers in Mali or in Senegal, too.” The strength of this approach has already been demonstrated, added Malabre, by a French non-governmental organisation, the Education Without Borders Network, which assists young migrants and their families to legalise their status. But, judging by the debate on immigration that took place Saturday at the Centre International de Conference de Bamako, success stories such as this are still relatively hard to come by. For the most part, migration from Africa to Europe – and from Latin America to the United States – was seen as presenting problems for which there were no easy solutions. The events of September 2005, when 14 people were killed as African migrants tried to enter the Spanish enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla in Morocco, were clearly on the minds of many delegates who attended the discussions. This influx was

prompted by Spain’s announcement that it planned to legalise the status of about 600,000 migrants who were in its territories illegally. There was also widespread criticism of the European Union’s attempt to get surrounding countries to police the flow of migrants into its member states, certain delegates pointing out that this allowed the EU to avoid the blame for abuse of migrants. Europe’s position on migration was especially ironic in light of events in the 19th and 20th centuries, noted Seif Eddine, who belongs to a Tunisian NGO, El Taller International. “Between 1821 and 1924, we saw the migration of 55 million Europeans across the world, 34 million to the United States alone. So, immigration was – initially – a European phenomenon,” he told a session on migration in the Maghreb. But, migration does not only bedevil relations between Africa and Europe. West Africans who established themselves in the Ivory Coast, with its relative economic strength – only to be expelled later – have also had negative experiences in seeking their fortunes abroad. For Amadou Lah of the Malian Association of Migrants Repatriated from Ivory Coast, there is only one solution to the problems of migration: prevent it from happening in the first place, by fighting for improved conditions at home. “We must look at our own strengths, realise what we can do here,” he told TerraViva.

Prouver qu’une autre école est possible

Raffaela Bolini from ARCI says the WSF should denounce the EU for its nefarious agenda

The Self-Serving Paternalism of Those Who Give

Les enfants s’exerçant à la peinture dans un atelier

Par Almahady Cissé

Un atelier d’éducation des enfants est organisé, depuis vendredi, au stade omnisports Modibo Kéita en vue d’initier 160 enfants à une autre école, celle de la vie. “L’objectif de cet atelier est de susciter chez les enfants le goût de l’apprentissage des métiers manuels et leur inculquer des notions de civisme”, témoigne Cheick Oumar Coulibaly, de l’Institut malien pour l’éducation populaire (IEP),

initiateur de cet atelier. Les activités menées par les enfants, âgés de 6 à 13 ans, sont la peinture, le dessin, la teinture… Ils se livrent également à de nombreux jeux d’éveil. “Au lieu de faire des conférences et des discours, nous voulons montrer à travers cet atelier qu’une autre école est possible”, précise Moussa Bagayoko, un des encadreurs. Le regard vif, vêtue d’une jupe multicolore et d’un léger haut le corps, la petite Niagalé Coulibaly,

huit ans, témoigne qu’elle a appris à l’atelier “des notions d’hygiène corporelle” et reçu des cours de peinture. Lassine Konaté, 11 ans, jubile parce que sa participation à l’atelier lui a permis d’apprendre des notions ancestrales de transmission de messages par le son, au travers d’une trompette. “Un autre monde n’est pas possible sans une formation citoyenne des enfants”, a conclu Coulibaly.

L’annulation de la dette des pays pauvres est un piège Par Abdoulaye Barry

L’annulation de la dette des pays pauvres très endettés (PPTE) doitelle susciter de l’euphorie chez ces derniers? “Non”, répond vendredi, Barry Aminata, présidente de la Coalition des alternatives dette et développement – CAD - Mali, au cours d’une conférence. “Le G8 n’est pas sérieux. Les institutions financières internationales mentent et ne respectent pas leurs engagement vis-à-vis des pays pauvres”, précise—t-elle. Elle a invité le G8 et la Banque mondiale à revoir leurs politiques car pour l’instant “rien de concret ne prouve qu’ils veulent réellement

aider l’Afrique”. En situant le contexte de cette déclaration du G8, Marta Ruiz, coordinatrice du Comité national pour la coopération et le développement - CNCD - (Belgique) estime que “cette annonce a été faite avec beaucoup d’effets médiatiques et sans définition des conditionnalités”. Les Nations Unis qui, en 2005, à l’occasion de leur 60ème anniversaire, devraient faire l’état des lieux de la coopération internationale ont, selon elle, “profiter de cette occasion pour crédibiliser les Objectifs du millénaire pour le développement OMD”. Cette annulation, dit-elle, a des effets pervers car les ressources proposées ne sont pas garanties et

portent sur 2% du montant total. “Elle est minimaliste car les 19 autres institutions internationales continuent d’exiger le paiement de leur dette”. Pour Olivier Bonfond du Comité pour l’annulation de la dette des pays du tiers monde (CADTM), la méfiance doit être de rigueur car les objectifs de la Banque mondiale et du FMI ne sont pas ce qu’ils prétendent. Leurs objectifs, dit-il, c’est de “maintenir le transfert des richesses du Sud vers le Nord et dominer l’économie des pays du Sud”. A ces yeux on ne devrait pas parler d’annulation de la dette, mais plutôt de son abolition car il faut s’attaquer aux causes de la dette et non à ses conséquences.

By Zarina Geloo Donor countries and agencies do not always mean well when they give aid to poor countries, often under the misconception that development assistance means “giving to beggars.” That was the general consensus among participants at a WSF panel discussing the issue of paternalism in the context of development cooperation at Bamako yesterday. No easy or ready answers emerged from the discussion but Raffaella Bolini of the Association of Recreation and Culture in Italy (ARCI) gave an example of how donors did not always mean well. She said the European Union (EU) recently gave North African countries money to militarise their borders, which are the gateways to Europe. Ostensibly, this was to help the countries secure their borders. “On the face it, this might be seen as cooperation funds, but the real reason Europe was funding border security was to stop Africans from entering their countries (in Europe).” “The EU is basically implementing its military programme using the North African countries. These governments should not have accepted this kind of aid as it is basically just meant to kill their fellow Africans caught trying to get into Europe.” Bolini, whose organisation works closely with human rights groups in North Africa, said the WSF must denounce this type “poisoned chalice” from the EU and others countries that use poor countries to push their own agendas. Mahmoud Lamant from Western Sahara had a similar tale about the EU. He said the organisation had signed a development cooperation treaty for fishing rights with both the Polisario Front, which is fighting for independence for Western Sahara, and the Moroccan government, which lays claim ti the territory. “The EU is aware of the problems between Western Sahara and Morocco and is playing us against each other. What they cannot get from us, they try to get through other means, in this case going to Morocco to get fishing rights, which it does not have to give in the first place.” Njoki Njoroge Njehu from Africa Jubilee South in Kenya said development aid should be seen in the context of the call for justice. “We should get assistance or cooperation because it is our right, not something given to us through another country’s largesse. It should never be what other people think we deserve. It is not negotiable and it should be without the loss of dignity.” Nhjehu, who is also executive director of Daughter of Mumbi, a network of NGOs, says it is particularly offensive that development aid is sometimes really “second hand aid”. She gives the example of how some of the roads and other infrastructure built by Northern aid agencies or governments are done shabbily. “In the North you will not see substandard roads or buildings. So why when they come to the South do they give us such shoddy work? It’s because we do not question, and accept things like beggars.”

3

Poverty and Development: Sparse Media Coverage may Make them Worse Whenever a group of world leaders and politicians gathers to discuss the need to advance economic development and improve the conditions of the billions of the world’s poor, their conclusion is unanimous: no item on the global agenda is as urgent as poverty and development, along with maintaining international peace and security. However, when we see how meagre the media coverage is of this issue in both rich countries and underdeveloped ones, which feel the bite of poverty, it is hard not to be disturbed. If this issue is indeed so urgent, and if it is possible to bring together the forces needed to resolve or at least address it, why is there so little coverage of it in the media? Let’s take the most recent and most outstanding example. Last September in New York, a UN conference brought together the largest number of world leaders ever convened. Its purpose was to reaffirm the commitment to the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), which were designed to reduce poverty by half by the year 2015. And yet to this unprecedented, record international event the media dedicated almost no coverage whatsoever. And since then? It can be supposed that in the weeks after the conclusion of this super-summit there were numerous occasions to take up the subject, including chances for the media to criticise or evaluate their respective governments’ actions, implementation of the commitments, or other aspects of the issue. However, not only was the coverage extremely scarce; the media in general showed virtually no interest in receiving analysis of the progress of the Millennium Development Goals. Journalists who specialise in development and cooperation face a very difficult reality, and one that is very hard to change: there is very little room for this subject in the media. If this is the case, another question arises: if the media, and the mass media in particular, give it so little room, are we to conclude that, despite their prominence in the

agenda of the international community, that development issues simply aren’t that important? When I speak with colleagues at influential media outlets, I always hear the same response: however great the global importance of these themes may be, the general public just isn’t interested. If journalists reject the thesis that there is little interest in these matters among the public then there is another facet which cannot be avoided: we journalists are also at fault for not having covered this subject better —that is to say, in a more clear and compelling manner. Meanwhile, in civil society and

even in the media, initiatives are underway to awaken the public conscience with regard to poverty and the Millennium Development Goals. The best-known example is the Global Call to Action Against Poverty (GCAP), which is the largest coalition of organisations fighting against poverty, representing more than 150 million people in 75 countries. GCAP’s participation was well known in the last G8 Summit, which ended with a decision to reduce the debt of the world’s poorest countries. It was made up of grass-roots groups, unions, social and religious organisations, and media, including IPS.

TerraViva is an independent publication of IPS-Inter Press Service news agency. The opinions expressed in TerraViva do not necessarily reflect the editorial views of IPS or the official position of any of its sponsors. IPS gratefully acknowledges the generous support of Action Aid, Ibase and Novib/ Oxfam for the production of TerraViva. © 2006 IPS-Inter Press Service www.ipsterraviva.net

4

Publisher Mario Lubetkin Managing Editor Paula Fray Editors Jacklynne Hobbs Michée Boko Dipankar de Sankar

Also worth mentioning is the Com+ Alliance, an association of communication professionals and organisations that support a vision of sustainable development. In addition to IPS, BBC World Service Trust, Reuters Foundation, and TVE all are part of this alliance. With these and other new and forceful media, like the Arab language network Al Jazeera, Latin America’s Telesur, Current TV in the US, new satellite channels like Italy’s RAI 24-hour, and certain regional divisions of the MTV global youth network, IPS is part of a broad attempt to identify new approaches to reverse the negative tendencies

Reporters Almahady Cissé Abdoulaye Barry Joyce Mulama Zarina Geloo Photographer Sidibe Abdoul

Illustrations Mico Omar Galindo Pepe Gai Art Cristina Pozzobon Rosana Pozzobon

By Mario Lubetkin

in the media described above. What is at stake? If nothing changes, while information and the debate on economic development and the fight against poverty do not reach the general public, international cooperation will remain the exclusive domain of specialists and functionaries, far from the people. And without the participation and commitment of the people, it is unlikely that governments will do all that they can and should to carry out a programme as ambitious and strewn with obstacles as the MDGs. Mario Lubetkin is the Director General of IPS

Administration José Washington Rodríguez Production Alejandro Kirk François Saint-Pierre Assistants Amadou Traoré Claudia Diez de Medina Ana Libisch

“Poverty is not the responsibility of governments alone” By Joyce Mulama

Donor conditions attached to aid have often raised concern among civil society organisations, including justice activists. Developing countries governments, which are usually the recipients of aid, also seem to be in agreement, as Matilde Ribeiro, the Brazilian minister for the promotion of equality between races, says. TV – What are your feelings about the conditions attached to foreign aid? MR – There is no international cooperation without interests. Even if the agreement is based on democratic principles, there are conservative strategies underneath these funds. Civil society has a role to analyse these interests in relation to justice. These interests have effects on the policies of governments. That is why it is important to talk about these issues in such forums. TV – It is often feared that corruption is the main reason why governments under-allocate aid to important public sectors, including health and education. Do you share this view? MR – I do not think it is a prob-

lem of corruption because before the agreements are reached between the governments receiving funds and the donors, the donors have already stated where they want this money channeled to. They (donors) have already decided how long the money will run and how much time will be needed to achieve results. The problem is that governments do not have enough supplementary money to allocate to every sector; that is why vital sectors like education and health do not get adequate allocations. However, public involvement is very important to ascertain whether truly the funds have been used for the purposes they were given. Again, democratic spaces for negotiations like these are critical. TV – Do you think the fight against poverty in Third World countries is being won, especially through aid? MR – Foreign aid is an important element but not the only one. There have to be government funds to fight poverty. Private companies have also have to be involved. Poverty is the not the responsibility of the government alone, but of everybody.

Public involvement is important ... Matilde Ribeiro talks about international aid

Pauvreté et développement: La couverture médiatique clairsemée peut empirer les choses Par Mario Lubetkin

Chaque fois qu’un groupe de chefs mondiaux et de politiciens se réunit pour discuter de la nécessité de faire avancer le développement économique et d’améliorer les conditions de milliards de pauvres, leur conclusion est unanime: aucun article à l’ordre du jour mondial n’est aussi pressant, tout en maintenant la paix et la sécurité internationales. Cependant, quand nous voyons la pauvreté de la couverture médiatique de cette question tant dans les pays riches que dans les pays sous-développés souffrant de la morsure de la pauvreté, il est difficile de ne pas se sentir concerné. Si cette question est réellement aussi pressante et s’il est possible d’assembler les forces requises pour la résoudre, ou du moins l’adresser, pourquoi les médias la couvrent-ils si peu? Prenons un exemple récent et exceptionnel. En Septembre 2005 à New York, une conférence de

l’ONU a réuni le plus grand nombre de chefs mondiaux jamais assemblés. Son but était de réaffirmer l’engagement aux Objectifs du Millénaires pour le Développement (OMD), conçus pour réduire la pauvreté de moitié en 2015. Cependant, les médias n’ont consacré presque aucune couverture à cet évènement international sans précédent. Et depuis lors, nous pouvons supposer que dans les semaines suivant la conclusion de ce supersommet , il y eut de nombreuses occasions pour reparler du sujet, y compris des opportunités pour les médias de critiquer ou d’évaluer les actions de leurs gouvernements respectifs, l’exécution des engagements, ou d’autres aspects reliés. Cependant, non seulement la couverture médiatique était extrêmement rare, les médias en général n’ont montré pratiquement aucun intérêt à obtenir des analyses sur le progrès des OMD. Les journalistes qui se spécialisent dans le développement et

la coopération font face à une difficile réalité; les médias leur accordent très peu d’espace. Ceci étant dit, une autre question se pose: si les médias, les médias de masse en particulier, leur donnent si peu d’espace, devons-nous conclure, en dépit de leur prédominance à l’ordre du jour de la communauté internationale, que ce développement n’est simplement pas important? Quand je parle avec des collègues issus de médias influents, j’entends toujours la même réponse: peu importe l’importance mondiale de ces thèmes, le grand public n’est simplement pas intéressé. Si les journalistes rejettent la thèse du manque d’intérêt du public, il existe donc une autre facette qui ne peut pas être évitée: nous, les journalistes, sommes également fautifs pour ne pas avoir couvert ce sujet plus efficacement, c’est-à-dire, d’une façon plus claire et plus contraignante. Pendant ce temps, dans la société civile et même dans les médias, des initiatives sont en

cours pour éveiller la conscience publique en ce qui concerne la pauvreté et les OMD. L’exemple le plus connu est l’Appel mondial à l’action contre la pauvreté (AMAP), lequel se veut la plus grande coalition d’organismes combattant la pauvreté. Celui-ci représente plus de 150 millions de personnes dans 75 pays. La participation de l’AMAP était bien connue au dernier sommet G8, qui s’est terminé par la décision de réduire la dette des pays les plus pauvres au monde. Elle est composée des groupes de base, syndicats, organismes sociaux et religieux et médias, y compris IPS. Il est aussi intéressant de mentionner l’alliance Com+, une association des professionnels de la communication et d’organismes qui soutiennent une vision de développement soutenable. En plus d’IPS, appartiennent aussi à cette alliance, la fondation BBC World Service, la fondation Reuters et TVE. Avec ces derniers et d’autres nouveaux et puissants médias

comme Al Jazeera du réseau de langue arabe, Telesur d’Amérique Latine, Current TV des Etats-Unis, de nouveaux canaux satellites comme RAI 24h d’Italie et de certaines divisions régionales du réseau jeunesse de MTV, IPS fait partie d’une large tentative pour identifier de nouvelles approches afin de renverser les tendances négatives dans les médias. Quel est l’enjeu? Si rien ne change, alors que l’information et la discussion sur le développement économique et le combat contre la pauvreté n’atteignent pas le grand public, la coopération internationale demeurera le domaine exclusif des spécialistes et des fonctionnaires, loin du peuple. Et sans la participation et l’engagement du public, il est peu probable que les gouvernements feront tout ce qu’ils peuvent pour rendre à terme un programme aussi ambitieux et rempli d’obstacles que les ODM.

Mario Lubetkin est le Directeur Général de IPS.

5

“We Don’t Want to Produce Only for the Rich” Alternatives to Neoliberalism in Southern Africa (ANSA) is an initiative of trade unions from the Southern African Development Community. Coordinating committee member Jos Martens told TerraViva that alternatives can be practical as well as ideological. By Michée Boko

TV -Why is ANSA in Bamako? JM - All the trade unions of the Southern African region have come together and formulated a very intensive programme on the kind of alternatives and policies we want. All the trade unions, social movements, church organisations… have come together for that alternative. We started in South Africa but, of course, we want as many allies as possible. That’s one of the major reasons why we are at the social forum in Mali. TV - What exactly do you mean by “practical alternative”? JM - What we mean, for example, is that policy should not be determined by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) or the World Bank, but by the people themselves. TV - But, you can’t ask the whole population to get together and decide what is good for them… JM - Well, in Southern Africa, we know very well what is bad for us, and also what is better for us. What we are getting from the World Bank, IMF and Europe is not for the benefit of the common people. So we have set out a number of principles; we have set out a general framework, and we have even formulated an alternative policy for all the sectors of macro-

Jos Martens, of Alternatives to Neoliberalism in Southern Africa (ANSA)

economics – for agriculture, trade and manufacturing. A book on this is about to be published in three different languages. From there, we are going to take it further.

Jos Martens, Membre du comité de coordination de l’Alternative pour le néolibéralisme en Afrique australe (ANSA)

TV - Do you think “another world is possible”? JM - It is not only possible, it’s already in the making, because we are working on it as unions. What we are trying to do with ANSA is to... push us all in the same direction. We also have some alliances with unions in Europe. We are trying to spread it further. TV - You don’t want the IMF and the World Bank. What do you propose in their place? JM - When we talk about our own development, we say that there should be development based on what our people need first. That means not to produce for only the rich people in the developed world and a few elites in other countries. So we say, let’s first see what we need for ourselves in food, housing, education. We have been forced to open up our borders, and it’s killing our own local industries. TV - Then, what would you do? JM - When you look at the countries in Southern Africa, there is a very small commercial, highly capital-intensive sector while the majority of the people are working in the informal sector. But all

measures taken by our governments are aimed at promoting that small group of commercial producers who mostly produce for the foreign market. TV - Do you have a better proposal? JM - We want very much to concentrate on the informal sector. If we can get the formal sector... this is how we can create employment and, therefore, income and development. We want to do that in a way so that we do not throw out the commercial sector. We say there must be lot more linking. We don’t want an economic policy which is only for the profit of multinationals, because that’s only what neoliberalism is in the end.

Mobilising for access to land and water “A peasant without land is an organism without life” By Abdoulaye Barry

Accountability for Africa’s problems should rest with the governing African leaders, said various organisations gathered at a session at the Bibliothèque Nationale on Friday. The organisations, mainly from countries like Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Mozambique, Gambia and Madagascar where agriculture constitutes the a pillar of the economy, came to discuss access to water and land in Africa. Cyprien Essong Ze, a member of a farmers’ association in Cameroon, said that the first challenge to be tackled by African peasants was to

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regroup because “our enemies are not far from us, they are our governing people that monopolise our lands claiming that they belong to the state”. Ze said that good food production required access to water and land. According to him, all food crises experienced in Africa are due to the lack of access to water and land. “A peasant without land is an organism without life,” said Lucien Damiba, a member of the Catholic Organisation for Development and Solidarity of Burkina Faso. According to him, it is necessary to have access to water and land to reach food sustainability. He recommended that all NGOs,

producers and agricultural stakeholders should mobilise to raise awareness of the impact of neoliberal policies: “It is necessary to examine ourselves and never be ashamed to consume what we produce.” Most participants recognised that neoliberal policies harmed the production of Third World countries. At the end of the meeting, the participants agreed to form a communication network in order to pressure people in charge of sub-regional organisations – such as the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) - so that the policies which they developed took into account the aspirations of the people.

‘Nous ne voulons pas produire uniquement pour les riches’ L’Alternative pour le néo-libéralisme en Afrique du Sud (ANSA) est une initiative de la Fédération des syndicats de la Communauté de développement de l’Afrique du Sud (SADC). Membre du comité de coordination, Jos Martens a dit à TerraViva que ANSA est à Bamako pour fournir, non seulement, une alternative idéologique, mais également une alternative très pratique. Par Michée Boko TV - Pourquoi ANSA est-elle à Bamako? Jos Martens: Tous les syndicats de l’Afrique australe se sont réunis pour formuler un programme très approfondi sur les types d’alternatives et de politiques que nous voulons. Tous les syndicats, mouvements sociaux, organisations religieuses… se sont mis ensemble pour cette alternative. Nous avons commencé en Afrique du Sud, mais bien sûr, nous voulons autant d’alliés que possible. C’est l’une des principales raisons pour lesquelles nous sommes venus au Forum social du Mali. TV - Que voulez-vous dire exactement par ‘alternative pratique’? JM – Nous voulons dire, par exemple, que les politiques ne doivent pas être définies par le Fonds monétaire international ou la Banque mondiale, mais par les peuples euxmêmes. TV - Mais, vous ne pouvez pas demander à toute la population de se réunir et décider ce qui est bon pour eux… JM - Bien, en Afrique du Sud, nous savons très bien ce qui est mauvais pour nous, et aussi ce qui est bon pour nous. Ce que nous obtenons de la Banque mondiale du FMI et de l’Europe n’est pas à l’avantage de la population. Nous avons donc établi un certain nombre de règles, nous avons adopté une ligne de conduite générale, et nous avons même élaboré une politique alternative dans tous les secteurs macro-économiques, l’agriculture, le commerce et l’industrie. Un livre, en trois langues différentes, sera

bientôt publié. A partir de là, nous irons plus loin. TV - Que voulez-vous dire par “un autre monde est possible”? JM - C’est non seulement possible, mais c’est déjà en cours de réalisation parce que nous y travaillons ensemble. Ce que nous essayons de faire avec ANSA, c’est d’indiquer la direction à suivre. C’est pousser tout le monde dans la même direction. Nous avons aussi des alliances avec des syndicats en Europe. Nous essayons d’aller plus loin. TV – Vous ne voulez pas du FMI et de la Banque mondiale, que proposez-vous pour les remplacer? JM - Quand nous parlons de notre propre développement, nous disons qu’il devrait y avoir développement basé d’abord sur les besoins de nos populations. Cela veut qu’il ne faut pas seulement produire pour les gens riches dans le monde développé et pour l’élite dans les autres pays. Nous disons alors, voyons d’abord ce dont nous avons besoin pour nous-mêmes en termes de nourriture, de logement, d’éducation, car nous produisons de la nourriture ou d’autres biens seulement pour les pays occidentaux à notre propre détriment. Nous avons été contraints d’ouvrir nos frontières, et cela tue nos propres industries locales. TV - Que ferez-vous maintenant? JM - Quand vous observez les pays d’Afrique australe, la majorité des gens travaille dans le secteur non officiel. Mais toutes les mesures prises par nos gouvernements visent à encourager un petit groupe de producteurs qui produisent principalement pour le marché extérieur.

La spiruline, une alternative à la malnutrition en Afrique Par Michée Boko

Au moment où tout le monde cherche des alternatives de développement à Bamako, certaines ONG ont déjà trouvé une alternative à la malnutrition à travers un produit qu’elles qualifient de révolutionnaire: la spiruline. “La Spiruline, une alternative pour lutter contre la malnutrition en milieu rural paysan”, lit-on lire sur une banderole dressée dans l’une des cours intérieures du mémorial Modibo Kéïta de Bamako où une ONG malienne (CAB Déméso) et des ONG françaises (Antenna Technologie France et Codegaz), associées à des communes maliennes, ont décidé de faire connaître ce produit qu’ils qualifient euxmêmes d’humanitaire. “La spiruline améliore la santé et contribue à la lutte contre la malnutrition”, a expliqué Moussa Diabaté, directeur exécutif de l’ONG malienne CAB Déméso. Les promoteurs ont décidé de venir faire connaître la spiruline au Forum social mondial de Bamako parce qu’ils ont trouvé en ce produit une alternative parfaite à la malnutrition en Afrique.

Moussa Diabaté expliquant les avantages de la spiruline

La spiruline contient les vitamines A, B, K, et des oligoéléments comme le calcium, le phosphore, le magnésium, le fer, le zinc. La culture de la spiruline donne environ 14.000 kg de protéines par hectare contre 2.500 kg pour le soja et 200 kg pour le riz. “Elle est bonne pour toute personne malade ou bien portante. Elle est particulièrement recommandée pour les personnes anémiées, affaiblies ou convalescentes”, confie JeanFrançois Jérôme, du groupe français Communication & développement. Elle est également indiquée aux personnes vivant avec le VIH/SIDA, assure Diabaté. La spiruline est déjà connue au Bénin, au Tchad, où la plante a été découverte, et au Mali où elle est en expérimentation. Le seul hic avec ce produit, déplore Jérôme, est qu’il est vendu à un prix prohibitif pour les Africains. Il est vendu à 500 FCFA (environ un dollar américain) le sachet de 25 grammes, ce qui, pour un paysan africain, représente déjà plus que l’ensemble des dépenses de toute une journée.

Earthquake Causes Shaky Start to Asian Meet Zofeen Ebrahim

Pakistan is gearing up to host the third chapter of the polycentric World Social Forum after the session was postponed to March following the devastating earthquake in the region that killed 87,000 people and left 3.5 million homeless. The sixth WSF moves from Bamako, Mali to the Venezuelan capital of Caracas from January 24 – 29, 2006. The Karachi WSF is now tentatively set for Mar 24-29, 2006. Karamat Ali, head of the Pakistan Institute of Labour Education and Research and member of the Pakistan Organising Committee (POC) of the WSF, is relieved at the postponement. “The attention of the whole nation, including that of civil society, was diverted to handling the (earthquake) situation and it just didn’t seem appropriate to think about this event.”

Ali foresees a larger participation with more people being able to join after attending the forum at the other two venues. “We can get some of the heavyweights who had earlier committed to either Bamako or Caracas to attend. Their participation will lend the Asian WSF a stamp of credence.” People like the Dalai Lama, the spiritual head of Tibetan Buddhists, and Tariq Ali, the UK-based radical writer, have already agreed to come and ‘’when distinguished people participate there is bound to be a following,’’ says Ali. There is also hope that there will be a good number of delegates from Africa since the Bamako event would be well over too. “This would be refreshing for us as we have very little exposure to African issues here in Asia,” he adds. Mohammad Ali Shah of the Fisherfolk Forum who is also acting as convenor for the fisherfolk and

peasants group hopes to get some 5,000 fishermen to the event. “It should be open for everyone, the voiceless as well as the ones who are known and heard often. It should be an equal platform for everyone.” Shah sees the WSF as an opportunity to air grievances on an international platform. “We hope to organise a huge rally and talk about issues like the injustice regarding allocation of water resources and the contract system in fishing.” The POC initially expected 50,000 people to attend but, after the postponement, now expects between 20,000-30,000. WSF supporters say that while there are people’s movements in Pakistan, they are not as strong as in the neighbouring countries. “For this very reason it is important to hold such an event in Pakistan,” says Imran Shirvanee who heads the media committee. “It’s bound to breathe life into

political movements since the forum is about acting together. It’s not just another gathering where people network alone,” says Ali. “We started holding meetings, some 15 to 20 of them over the last two months with various labour federations and made them aware of the WSF, the struggles going on in other parts of the world, how the WTO regime and the international financial institutions are affecting us and why poverty is on the increase,” said Farid Awan who is organising participation by labour groups. Organisers are already having sleepless nights setting up this mega event and the least of their troubles is getting visas for nine members of the Indian organising committee who can help with expertise gained at the Mumbai WSF in 2004. The largest delegation at the WSF in March will be from India — 5,000 participants, followed by some 500-600 Bangladeshis. The

organisers wish the visa process was less cumbersome, especially for Indians. “There should be a policy decision that anyone coming for the WSF should get a visa on arrival like they do in Bamako and Caracas,” says Ali. Meanwhile, it has been decided to hold a one-day Pakistan Social Forum in Lahore on January 24, to show solidarity with the WSF events taking place all over the world. “We hope we can get visas for our Indian guests by then so that they not only get to attend the Lahore event but can also stay on and help with organising the Karachi WSF.” Themes to be debated at Lahore are already interesting and contentious — natural disasters and the role of the state, debt and global forces, trade, unjust distribution of water resources, military operations in Balochistan and the North Western Frontier Province (NWFP) among others.

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By Zarina Geloo

Idealistic young people wanting to build another world no longer have to hold furtive meetings in the corridors and hallways of the World Social Forum. They now have their own site and space but the gain seems to have come with a price tag: the youths now fear they are being ghettoised. As brightly coloured tents go up at the Modiba Keita stadium, the designated youth camp site at the Bamako WSF, a youth leader complained: “We fought hard to get our space at the WSF. But it’s like now that we have been given this space, people have put us in one corner and forgotten about us.” Kiss Abrahams, the only youth on the Africa Social Forum Council, said young men and women attending the WSF are of the view that situating the camp at the stadium, which is about five km from the main Forum, has put up a distance between youths and where “it’s all happening.” And, he added, the media generally gives them very little coverage, writing condescendingly when it does. “We join the main marches, we attend sessions in the main conferences and we speak. At the youth camp we also discuss the same issues as the main conference, but the media and the WSF ignore us. The message is, ‘you have your space – now go play’,” said Abrahams, who wrote the concept paper proposing the establishment of a youth camp. Separate youth camps at WSF started only in 2004, with the regional Africa Social Forum (ASF) in Lusaka, Zambia. “It worked out very well,” said Michel Samdy from Cameroon, although there was resistance to the idea from the old guard, who assumed

You Have Your Stadium, Now Go and Play

Welcome… the Youth camp is home to young activists from around the world

nothing serious could come out of it because youths would squander the opportunity and just fool around. “Lusaka was really the beginning because there was always the excuse that there was inadequate funding. When the ASF understood the value of a youth camp they accepted that it was necessary and amidst great resistance from some in the ASF, gave us a permanent space,” said Samdy. But he echoed Abraham’s suspicions, saying the WSF has treated the

camp as a place where the youth could be put away while it (the Forum) got on with the ‘serious business”. “Yes it is true: in ghettos you put poor people you do not want to deal with in one place and forget about them. That is what the WSF has done with the camp.” Sarah Misseret from Guinea Conakry said the challenges of setting an agenda in the youth camp were no different from those women faced generally in all organisations:

“you have to push the female agenda just like in any other organisation. You have to make sure that your (women’s) issues are not sidelined or forgotten and that they have the prominence you want.” She, however, added that because male youths were generally more

gender sensitive than the older men, it was not such an uphill battle. “You have to be on your guard making sure that your foot is always in the door – and when you see it shutting or closing slowly you must be ready to push back.” Cameroonian Patrick Sianne put the ball in the other court, saying youths at the camp needed to learn how to use the space provided by the forum. Sianne explained the dynamics of the composition of the camps. “In Porto Alegre [the Brazilian city that traditionally hosts the WSF] you get a mix of Portuguese-, Spanish- and French-speaking youths. Here in West Africa, as you can see, it is predominantly French-speaking. So it would appear that the participation and inclusion of the youth camp is based not on the WSF membership, but on the place the meeting is being held. It becomes exclusive.” He said there should be a greater effort to try and sponsor diverse groups of youths to every forum so there is equal representation. In the meantime, he is looking forward to attending concerts and other entertainment at the camp. “That is the highlight of the camp, we let it all hang out and enjoy ourselves before we begin the serious business.”

Vous avez votre, allez maintenant jouer Par Zarina Geloo

Le camp des jeunes du Forum Social Mondial (FSM), habitué à tenir ses réunions sournoisement dans des couloirs et des vestibules, possède maintenant ses propres locaux. Mais ceci comporte un prix: les jeunes craignent maintenant la ghettoïsation. À un endroit précis du camp des jeunes du FSM de Bamako, les tentes hautement colorées sont montées au stade Modiba Keita. Sur place, un jeune chef se plaint: “Nous avons combattu durement pour obtenir notre place au FSM. On nous a donné cet espace dans un coin oublié.” Le seul jeune siégeant au Conseil Social Africain, Kiss Abrahams, mentionne que les jeunes hommes et femmes participant au FSM ont le sentiment que le camp jeunesse

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est situé trop loin des conférences principales ou “l’action se produit» et que les médias leur donnent généralement peu de couverture ou écrivent avec condescendance, quand ils le font. “Nous participons aux principales marches, assistons à des sessions, des conférences importantes et prenons le micro. Toutefois, les médias et le FSM tendent à nous ignorer. Le message reçu est: Vous avez votre espace maintenant, alors allez jouer” a indiqué Abrahams, auteur du document de conception du camp des jeunes. Le camp des jeunes est un phénomène relativement nouveau aux sommets des FSM. Le premier a eu lieu au Forum Social de l’Afrique tenu en Zambie en 2004. “En 2004, cela a très bien fonctionné» mentionne le Camerounais

Michel Samdy, renchérant qu’il y avait des résistances au début de la part de la vieille garde, laquelle supposait que rien de sérieux n’émanerait de ce camp. “Lusaka était vraiment le début parce qu’il y avait toujours l’excuse qu’il n’y avait pas de fonds. Quand le FSA a compris la valeur ajoutée d’un camp de jeunes, ils ont accepté qu’il était nécessaire de nous donner un espace permanent au forum, “a dit Samdy. Il est d’accord avec les soupçons d’Abrahams, en poursuivant que le FSM traite le camp comme d’un espace à part, alors qu’ailleurs on s’occupe “de choses serieuses” “Oui, c’est vrai: dans les ghettos vous mettez les pauvres dont vous ne voulez pas vous occupez et vous les oublier. C’est ce que que le FSM a fait avec le camp.”

Kiss Abrahams: “We are ghettoised.”

Patrick Sianne du Cameroun, adopte une approche différente en mentionnant que les jeunes ont un défi important, à savoir, comment utiliser l’espace fourni par le forum. Sianne explique la dynamique de la composition des camps. “À Porto Alegre [la ville brésilienne qui accueille traditionnellement le FSM] vous avez un mélange de jeunes gens parlant Portugais, Espagnol et Français. Ici, en Afrique Occidentale, comme vous le constatez, c’est principalement le français qui prime. Ainsi, il s’avérerait que la participation et l’inclusion du camp

de jeunes soit basée non pas sur l’adhésion au FSM, mais sur l’endroit où la réunion est tenue. Il devient exclusif.” Sianne ajoute qu’on devrait apporter un plus grand effort afin d’aider les divers groupes qui participent au FSM de manière à obtenir une représentation égale. En attendant, il attend avec intérêt le concert et tous les autres divertissements qui seront offerts. “Ceci est le point culminant du camp, nous relaxons et nous nous amusons avant que commencent les affaires sérieuses.”

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