[WSF-Discuss] Fwd: post it if you want on your websites

[Jai Sen]

A blog on the ESF now taking place at the ESF !  Which I hope that the
author America Ver-Zaval will be doing each day, as we go along.  Thanks,
America !
And an invitation to others here at Malmö : Please also send post your
blogs, and send me a copy so that I can post it on the lists I am on.
Thanks.

JS

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: America <america at americavz.com>
Date: Sep 18, 2008 12:59 AM
Subject: post it if you want on your websites

http://americavz.com/blogg/

ESF day 1



I meet my wonderful friend Jai Sen at Nya Tröls <http://www.nyatrols.se/>and
he tells me to blog, the first thing he does. We haven´t met for at least a
couple of years since the last social forum in Mumbai or maybe the
globalisation conference in Oslo. Jai Sen is an activist from India, Delhi
and he is the editor, along with Peter Waterman of the book Challenging
Empires <http://www.blackrosebooks.net/wsf.htm>.  A new edition of the book
will be launched tomorrow at one o´clock at Babels, Jerico café, the same
place where the seminar <http://fronesis.nu/seminarium/>will be Friday
morning.

Jai wants to know where he is. He is in Malmö, Sweden, and it is day one of
the European Social Forum, but that is not enough for him and I can see what
he means, what is the political mapping today of Malmö and what is the
history.

I tell him that one thing I know is that at the famous Möllevångstorget,
there was riots during the spring of 1917. That spring was the closest
Sweden ever came to a revolution. There was hunger and protests, riots and
marches all over the country. At Möllevången there was riots, women were
asking for bread.

Same evening, same bar. I am talking to my friend Tan Mogul, from Istanbul,
urban activist. He will be speaking at a seminar tomorrow morning at <
http://www.esf2008.org/program>9.30 <http://www.esf2008.org/program>in
Rosengård. So I ask him, do you know Rosengård, yes yes he tells me and
points it out at the map. No, the history? He has no clue he will be
speaking at the Swedish Saint-Denis. The suburb, centre for problems,
immigrant problems, social problems, unemployment problems, all kind of
problems. The place where Zlatan is from. They all get impressed when I tell
them that. No one from Istanbul asks me if it is dangerous to go.

I have been on stage for hours this evening.

It is the opening evening of the Euro Social Forum and I have been the
facilitator of the inauguration <
http://www.esf2008.org/news/inauguration-of-the-fifth-european-social-forum>
program. I am happy that it has started. Speakers have made their visions
come through. Vandana Shiva gave a fantastic speech about the hope, Enron
gone, Monsanto will go and by saying those words she made anti-capitalist
struggle real.

Folkets Park was filled with people. And when the first part of the
inauguration program was over I ran to inaugurate the Latinamerican park a
few blocks away. Maybe 500 persons listening to me, Ignacio Ramonet and
latinamerican music. Back to Folkets Park and the artists. Friends ask me
who is singing.

Who is Mikael Wiehe, well he is the Swedish Bob Dylan.

I think this is the way to explain things to our activists guest from around
the world.

If you want to make it short.


-- 
______________________________

Jai Sen
jai.sen at cacim.net
www.cacim.net
CACIM, A-3 Defence Colony, New Delhi 110 024, India
Ph : +91-11-4155 1521, 2433 2451

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