America Vera-Zavala's second blog. Apologies for the delayed posting, and thanks again, America !<br>
JS<br><br>---------- Forwarded message ----------<br><span class="gmail_quote">From: <b class="gmail_sendername">America</b> <<a href="mailto:america@americavz.com">america@americavz.com</a>><br>Date: Sep 19, 2008 10:01 AM<br>
Subject: Re: [DEBATE] : Fwd: post it if you want on your websites<br>To: Jai Sen <<a href="mailto:jai.sen@cacim.net">jai.sen@cacim.net</a>><br><br></span>day 2<br>
<a href="http://americavz.com/blogg/?p=232" target="_blank" onclick="return top.js.OpenExtLink(window,event,this)">http://americavz.com/blogg/?p=232</a><br>
<br>
ESF day 2<br>
<br>
A social forum is supposed to be rooted and not only land somewhere. In<br>
places like Porto Alegre where the model of the participatory budget and<br>
a successful PT local government was well known the root were obvious.<br>
Here many people are asking me; Where are we?<br>
<br>
In the centre of the European Social Forum is Folkets Park. It was there<br>
where the inauguration was held and where you pass by several times a<br>
day on your way from or to a seminar or a cultural event. Folkets Park<br>
in Malmö is the oldest Folkets Park in Sweden. The Swedish Labour<br>
movement is built upon the income from those parks. The Labour movement<br>
built it and held social and cultural events there. Working class people<br>
more than hundred years ago paid entrance and were allowed into a social<br>
space where the rules on clothing was less strict and where a working<br>
class culture was emerging. The Labour movement owned it for almost 90<br>
years and sold it to the Malmö municipality in the 80s. In the beginning<br>
of the century people's parliaments were organised at the Folkets Park.<br>
Working class women and men without the right to vote held huge meeting<br>
and showed that democracy was not real without giving them the right to<br>
vote and participate.<br>
<br>
Swedish media are more or less ignoring the ESF. The few articles I have<br>
seen talk about that they were expecting more people, or at least that<br>
is the story they let other people tell. At the same time the prime<br>
minister has been in Rosengård in Mölmö and I don´t know how many<br>
journalist have written ridiculous articles about the prime minister<br>
boxing among kids with immigrant background. The ESF is 100 times more<br>
impressive than that but still either they expect us to be violent or<br>
they think we are not enough.<br>
<br>
But that is not the case. We are everywhere.<br>
<br>
Today I started with a trip to Rosengård. By bus (I am sure the prime<br>
minister went by limo). There I listened to a seminar on urban activism<br>
with people and groups from Berlin, several cities in Russia and<br>
Istanbul. Then I have been walking around enjoying the forum. All the<br>
people, faces, friends, squares, maps, signs. It is wonderful to be here.<br>
<br>
Jai Sen skrev:<br>
<blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="border-left: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); margin: 0pt 0pt 0pt 0.8ex; padding-left: 1ex;">
A blog on the ESF now taking place at the ESF ! Which I hope that the<br>
author <span id="st" name="st" class="st">America</span> Ver-Zaval will be doing each day, as we go along. Thanks,<br>
<span id="st" name="st" class="st">America</span> !<br>
And an invitation to others here at Malmö : Please also send post your<br>
blogs, and send me a copy so that I can post it on the lists I am on.<br>
Thanks.<br>
<br>
JS<br>
<br>
---------- Forwarded message ----------<br>
From: <span id="st" name="st" class="st">America</span> <<a href="mailto:america@americavz.com" target="_blank" onclick="return top.js.OpenExtLink(window,event,this)"><span id="st" name="st" class="st">america</span>@americavz.com</a>><br>
Date: Sep 18, 2008 12:59 AM<br>
Subject: post it if you want on your websites<br>
<br>
<a href="http://americavz.com/blogg/" target="_blank" onclick="return top.js.OpenExtLink(window,event,this)">http://americavz.com/blogg/</a><br>
<br>
ESF day 1<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
I meet my wonderful friend Jai Sen at Nya Tröls <<a href="http://www.nyatrols.se/" target="_blank" onclick="return top.js.OpenExtLink(window,event,this)">http://www.nyatrols.se/</a>>and<br>
he tells me to blog, the first thing he does. We haven´t met for at least a<br>
couple of years since the last social forum in Mumbai or maybe the<br>
globalisation conference in Oslo. Jai Sen is an activist from India, Delhi<br>
and he is the editor, along with Peter Waterman of the book Challenging<br>
Empires <<a href="http://www.blackrosebooks.net/wsf.htm" target="_blank" onclick="return top.js.OpenExtLink(window,event,this)">http://www.blackrosebooks.net/wsf.htm</a>>. A new edition of the book<br>
will be launched tomorrow at one o´clock at Babels, Jerico café, the same<br>
place where the seminar <<a href="http://fronesis.nu/seminarium/" target="_blank" onclick="return top.js.OpenExtLink(window,event,this)">http://fronesis.nu/seminarium/</a>>will be Friday<br>
morning.<br>
<br>
Jai wants to know where he is. He is in Malmö, Sweden, and it is day one of<br>
the European Social Forum, but that is not enough for him and I can see what<br>
he means, what is the political mapping today of Malmö and what is the<br>
history.<br>
<br>
I tell him that one thing I know is that at the famous Möllevångstorget,<br>
there was riots during the spring of 1917. That spring was the closest<br>
Sweden ever came to a revolution. There was hunger and protests, riots and<br>
marches all over the country. At Möllevången there was riots, women were<br>
asking for bread.<br>
<br>
Same evening, same bar. I am talking to my friend Tan Mogul, from Istanbul,<br>
urban activist. He will be speaking at a seminar tomorrow morning at <<br>
<a href="http://www.esf2008.org/program" target="_blank" onclick="return top.js.OpenExtLink(window,event,this)">http://www.esf2008.org/program</a>>9.30 <<a href="http://www.esf2008.org/program" target="_blank" onclick="return top.js.OpenExtLink(window,event,this)">http://www.esf2008.org/program</a>>in<br>
Rosengård. So I ask him, do you know Rosengård, yes yes he tells me and<br>
points it out at the map. No, the history? He has no clue he will be<br>
speaking at the Swedish Saint-Denis. The suburb, centre for problems,<br>
immigrant problems, social problems, unemployment problems, all kind of<br>
problems. The place where Zlatan is from. They all get impressed when I tell<br>
them that. No one from Istanbul asks me if it is dangerous to go.<br>
<br>
I have been on stage for hours this evening.<br>
<br>
It is the opening evening of the Euro Social Forum and I have been the<br>
facilitator of the inauguration <<br>
<a href="http://www.esf2008.org/news/inauguration-of-the-fifth-european-social-forum" target="_blank" onclick="return top.js.OpenExtLink(window,event,this)">http://www.esf2008.org/news/inauguration-of-the-fifth-european-social-forum</a>><br>
program. I am happy that it has started. Speakers have made their visions<br>
come through. Vandana Shiva gave a fantastic speech about the hope, Enron<br>
gone, Monsanto will go and by saying those words she made anti-capitalist<br>
struggle real.<br>
<br>
Folkets Park was filled with people. And when the first part of the<br>
inauguration program was over I ran to inaugurate the Latinamerican park a<br>
few blocks away. Maybe 500 persons listening to me, Ignacio Ramonet and<br>
latinamerican music. Back to Folkets Park and the artists. Friends ask me<br>
who is singing.<br>
<br>
Who is Mikael Wiehe, well he is the Swedish Bob Dylan.<br>
<br>
I think this is the way to explain things to our activists guest from around<br>
the world.<br>
<br>
If you want to make it short.<br>
<br>
<br>
------------------------------------------------------------------------<br>
<br>
<br>
No virus found in this incoming message.<br>
Checked by AVG - <a href="http://www.avg.com" target="_blank" onclick="return top.js.OpenExtLink(window,event,this)">http://www.avg.com</a> Version: 8.0.169 / Virus Database: 270.6.21/1674 - Release Date: 2008-09-16 08:15<br>
<br>
<br>
</blockquote>
<br>
<br>
<br clear="all"><br>-- <br>______________________________<br><br>Jai Sen<br><a href="mailto:jai.sen@cacim.net">jai.sen@cacim.net</a><br><a href="http://www.cacim.net">www.cacim.net</a><br>CACIM, A-3 Defence Colony, New Delhi 110 024, India<br>
Ph : +91-11-4155 1521, 2433 2451<br> <br>Check out the OpenSpaceForum @ <a href="http://www.openspaceforum.net">www.openspaceforum.net</a><br> <br>Subscribe
to WSFDiscuss, an open and unmoderated forum on the World Social Forum
and on related social and political movements and issues. Simply send
an empty email to <a href="mailto:worldsocialforum-discuss-subscribe@openspaceforum.net">worldsocialforum-discuss-subscribe@openspaceforum.net</a><br> <br>And,
NEW ! : Join <a href="mailto:CEOS@openspaceforum.net">CEOS@openspaceforum.net</a>, the CEOS (Critical Engagement
with Open Space) listserve for exchange and coordination on open space
theory and practice and to facilitate a critical discussion of the idea
of 'open space'. Just send an empty mail to
<a href="mailto:CEOS-subscribe@openspaceforum.net">CEOS-subscribe@openspaceforum.net</a>