[WSF-Discuss] WSF India Proposes Two day Strategy Seminar in November 2008

[Madhuresh]

September 25 2008

Friends,

WSF India process since India Social Forum 2006 has seen a decline in 
the participation by various actors who helped it take root within the 
realities of the Indian politics, more especially the social movements 
in the country. Today it remains a concern of very few organisations and 
individuals. CACIM has been represented by me at the WSF India Working 
Committee since 2005 onwards where we have played a role of critical 
observer and supporter with participation in committees from time to 
time as and when required. One of our prime concerns has been promotion 
of the ideals of the open space character of the Forum and potentials it 
has for strengthening the struggles for social justice in the country. 
Our belief is that WSF can be an important vehicle for the same in 
Indian context too.

In the last India Working Committee in Delhi due to efforts of the 
concerned members a process has been initiated to start a process of 
dialogue and reflection with the various sections of the social and 
political community which participated in the Forum at any point with a 
view towards rejuvenating the Forum process in India. Even though there 
is a dominant feeling within the Committee that its only when an event 
is planned there is some enthusiasm and we see an increase in 
participation but otherwise there is very little in sense of process 
which could engage various constituents. However, in my own opinion this 
is not true because this lack of interest in the participation was also 
visible during the India Social Forum in November 2006.

For the information of the members of this list I am producing below the 
concept note which has been circulated for comments within the IWC 
members. Comments on this are welcome !

Madhuresh, CACIM

*********

Concept Note for 2 day seminar on

*“Relevance and our Experience of the World Social Forum”*

-India Working Committee, WSF-

/November 2008./

The social forum process is over 6 years old in India starting with the 
WSF 2002 in Brazil where the proposal for India’s hosting of a Forum was 
first discussed with the Indian groups. The meeting of WSF India in 
Bhopal in April 2002 endorsed the proposal and came up with its own 
Policy Statement reflecting the realities of India. The formation of the 
WSF in India in 2002 was followed by the organisation of the Asian 
Social Forum in Hyderabad in January 2003, and then the World Social 
Forum in Mumbai in January 2004 – which has widely been described as 
having “changed the WSF”, as setting the benchmark of what a world 
meeting of the WSF should be. The WSF 2004 saw a huge participation of 
Indian groups and a great deal of inspiration and enthusiasm were 
generated. It has subsequently influenced many struggles, campaigns, 
alliances and networks in a positive way.

India has since then also played a role in the South Asian process 
(especially the polycentric event in Karachi in 2005) and in the Asia 
wide process (the formation of an Asia Council in Colombo and other 
international meetings in Bangkok, Hong Kong, Bali, etc). In addition 
Indian organisations continue to play a role at the WSF International 
Council in shaping the expansion and strategy of the Forum worldwide.

Today however we see a degree of exhaustion among the groups which have 
been engaged in organising process of the Forum. The experience of the 
India Social Forum in 2006 in Delhi, though a major success in terms of 
participation, also reflected a certain waning of interest in the Social 
Forum process, especially on the part of movements. The reality is that 
relatively few organisations, as compared to the large interest at the 
time of the WSF in 2004, continue their active engagement with the 
process. With limited participation in the WSF process, there is also 
the perception that the process is controlled by a few organisations. 
While there has been no systematic evaluation of the reasons behind the 
drop in interest, several reasons suggest themselves. They include, 
immediate preoccupations of groups with their regular activities; 
differences and disappointments with the social forum process either 
generally or in India in particular. In this there are some who have 
come to believe that the WSF is fundamentally flawed and see it as 
little more than a talk shop and others, perhaps many, and even if they 
once took part, have come to believe that the WSF has now outlived its 
purpose of promoting struggles for social justice and against 
globalisation, in the country. There is also the view that the WSF is an 
“event led” process and interest and engagement picks up when events are 
being organised, but groups revert back to their own activities when 
such events are not being organised. An evaluation process that was 
initiated by the India Working Committee a couple of years ago has not 
proceeded optimally due to lack of interest and other engagements.

The slump in engagement with the social forum process is not restricted 
to India alone; it is a global phenomenon. While the ground level 
participation in the forum events has not decreased, and the process has 
been enthusiastically taken up in newer regions, there is a certain 
falling off among the older participants and countries.

On the other hand, the WSF 2009 that will be held from January 27 to 
February 2 in Belem, Brazil, in the Amazon region has all indications of 
being a very successful forum with new themes and increased 
participation. Also the new political developments and alternatives seen 
in the countries of the Amazon have inspired and intrigued people’s 
struggles/ movements in different parts of the world. There is an 
expectation that there will be considerable participation from 
Venezuela, Bolivia, Equador, and other Amazonian and Latin American 
countries in the 2009 event and process.

In this background, members of the India Working Committee felt that 
this is a good time to initiate a broad based discourse on the recent 
debates around the social forum process, bring all the divergent views 
together, initiate a process of dialogue, make sense of the journey of 
WSF process in India and seek new formulations for recasting the Forum 
process in India in its current political context. It is an opportunity 
to explore the potential of the format, the trajectory, and role of WSF 
space and synergy for strengthening and organizing a stronger challenge 
to neoliberal forces.

To achieve this it is proposed to organise a 2 day strategy seminar in 
Mumbai (or Delhi or Hyderabad) in the first half of November 2008.

The *objectives* of the seminar are, in brief:

1. To bring together all the diverse streams that have been earlier and 
currently involved in the social forum process in India, again, to have 
as representative a gathering as possible

2. To discuss the various experiences and opinions regarding the Indian 
process and their own participation

3. To evaluate the value of the Social Forum process in contributing to 
strengthening alternatives to neoliberal globalisation, war, patriarchy, 
casteism, and communalism in India and globally

4. To seek newer formulations, for reenergising the process, discuss 
strategies to broaden the participation and ownership; and a strategic 
role for the Forum in bringing together progressive forces to strengthen 
struggles towards achieving social justice in the country.

5. To present the major debates that are ongoing in the global process, 
in the various country processes and the International Council, some of 
which are represented in the IC’s Strategy Commission’s questionnaire 
and the discussions on the responses

6. To present reports and issues discussed in the various Commissions of 
the International Council

7. To invite not only the different streams in the country, but also 
from other countries, to present their opinions so that there can be the 
most wide ranging and open discussions.

The *venue* for the seminar has to be discussed. However the suggestions 
are: a) Mumbai or b) Hyderbad, or c) Delhi (in order of preference)

*Format for Sessions:*

1. Open experience sharing Sessions / Presentations by various 
organisations and groups: How WSF has been/has not been the space for 
convergences, alliance-building of different groups, sectors, movements 
to come together; campaigns that emerged out of the WSF, and what has 
been the problems (effort will be made to identify diverse groups in the 
country)

2. Detailed presentations on the IC Commissions

3. Thematic Sessions I (presentations on WSF process social-political 
context, and other debates)

4. Thematic Sessions II Outlining thematic proposals from our experience 
(on moving ahead)

5. Open Strategy Session [Seeking way forward on WSF process, recasting 
the WSF India process]

6. Open Public Sessions by the members invited from abroad

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madhuresh at cacim.net / kmadhuresh at gmail.com 
www.cacim.net
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