<h1 class="titre"> Why Social Forum?</h1>
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by
<b>Kamal Lahbib</b>
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<i>(22 October 2008)<br><br>@ <a href="http://www.cetri.be/spip.php?article896&lang=en">http://www.cetri.be/spip.php?article896&lang=en</a> <br></i>
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<h3 class="spip">Genesis of Maghreb Social Forum:</h3>
<p class="spip" align="justify"><strong class="spip">From Rabat to Barcelona and From Bamako to Bouznika</strong></p>
<p class="spip" align="justify">The first call for a North African
Social Forum was launched by representatives of civil society Tunisian
and Moroccan at the second edition of the social forum in Morocco in
July 2004.</p>
<p class="spip" align="justify">Since World Social Forum in 2005 at
Porto Alegre, contacts between civil society actors of the three
Maghreb countries and the Maghreb emigration in France have increased.</p>
<p class="spip" align="justify">The initiative of organizing world
Social Forum in 2006 in Morocco have failed (for essentially political
reasons, particularly because of blockage of the Moroccan authorities
with a pretext insufficient time to organize the event), setting up a
preparatory session was endorsed. All those involved felt it was too
early to organize the Maghreb Social Forum itself, partly because of
organizational and political gridlock.</p>
<p class="spip" align="justify">To better prepare for the mobilization
of social movements and networks and adapt to the constraints imposed
by states in the region, the initiators of this process are then made
the choice to proceed in stages, organizing, before the Maghreb Social
Forum, preparatory session, which took place in late January 2006 at
Bouznika in Morocco. Based on the achievements of two editions of the
Moroccan Social Forum, the goal of the Maghreb Social Forum is to live
alongside local social forums, an open space for the confrontation of
ideas and democratic debate to enable the development of concrete
proposals articulated for effective action to bring about a "Maghreb
peoples."</p>
<p class="spip" align="justify">Organized at Bouznika, 27 to 29 January
2006, the Preparatory Assembly Maghreb Social Forum was a major step in
the process of building this momentum. Done unprecedented in the
history of social movements and civil society in the region, more than
600 alterglobalists from Tunisia, Algeria, Mauritania, Morocco, Saharan
civil society and North African associations in Europe and their
international guests were given the opportunity to share in non-formal
space and to reflect together on concrete initiatives to transform
societies deeply in the Maghreb and win the bet of peace and democracy.</p>
<p class="spip" align="justify">To conclude the event, representatives
of all the dynamics present at Bouznika boarded of Rabat on the
Bouregreg River in "pateras" circumstantial, in tribute to the
thousands of young North African and sub-Saharan dead in the Strait,
cut by despair for believing in a better future on the other side of
the Mediterranean. In memory of these victims of liberalism wild, these
beautiful breakaway "pateras the dignity" has paved the way towards the
construction of another Maghreb: that of Peoples.</p>
<h3 class="spip">The players Maghreb Social Forum: united around another Maghreb</h3>
<p class="spip" align="justify"><strong class="spip">Towards a Maghreb of Peoples</strong></p>
<p class="spip" align="justify">The project initiators,the Maghreb
dimension is not a hollow concept or a vision. It is not only a story
broken by the old colonial wars, but it is an economic necessity to
face the offensive European and U.S. attempts to enter into bilateral
agreements with countries in the region. The failure of the states in
the region to achieve unity of the Maghreb regional conflicts and put
us under an obligation to search for alternatives to create a space
Maghreb peace, prosperity and democracy.</p>
<p class="spip" align="justify">The Maghreb has become a gateway to the
illusory and so-called European Eldorado. Aware that the association
agreements and free trade established with the Maghreb countries have
been conditioned to the participation of the latter's policy of
"outsourcing" of controlling migration flows and aware of the risk of
increasing influx of sub-Saharan migrants who will remain for a long
time in transit Maghreb with consequences for development of
intolerance and xenophobia, participants at the Assembly of Bouznika
have focused not only on the participation of migrants in the
construction of A Maghreb peoples, but also on the need to defend the
rights of migrants in host countries</p>
<p class="spip" align="justify">A Maghreb with an international dimension</p>
<p class="spip" align="justify">The approach of Moroccan Social Forum
is an example to follow in expanding the dynamic in North Africa,
Mediterranean, Middle East and the rest of the world. It is for the
success Maghreb Social Forum five challenges:</p>
<ul class="spip"><li class="spip">Linking the local dynamics. The
Maghreb Social Forum must be part of the momentum of Porto Alegre to
establish an international movement of resistance to the global
capitalism </li></ul>
<ul class="spip"><li class="spip">The articulation South / South: open up and integrate the dynamics of the Horn of conflicts (Palestine, Iraq…) </li></ul>
<ul class="spip"><li class="spip">The Maghreb is an integral part of
Africa, is to renew ties broken by colonisation and local despots to
enter the Maghreb in the major challenges of Africa: the struggle for
dignity and equitable sharing of wealth And the fight against famine,
fratricidal wars, mounted ideologies of identity, access to care and
basic services… </li></ul>
<ul class="spip"><li class="spip">Ensuring the presence of women in the
Maghreb construction process. The challenge remains, however, about the
willingness of women's associations to be involved in the movement. </li></ul>
<ul class="spip"><li class="spip">The challenge of social anchor and expanding the various social dynamics of the region </li></ul>
<h3 class="spip">The fragility of the process</h3>
<p class="spip" align="justify">Originally scheduled for May 2007, the
Maghreb Social Forum was postponed to January 2008 at the invitation of
the WSF for a global day of mobilization.</p>
<p class="spip" align="justify">However, the Mauritanian government,
which has resulted in a first time his agreement, he retracted and
requested the postponement to a later date.</p>
<p class="spip" align="justify">Given the arbitrary regimes in place
and the limited spaces of freedom, the path is therefore long, tortuous
and mined to achieve Another Maghreb. But our belief is that it is
possible.
Under this process, the Social Forum hosts in Morocco 25-26 and 27
January 2008 a demonstration Maghreb tour to Africa on the theme "March
of social movements to a Maghreb between peoples and for a Better
World".</p>
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The opinions
expressed and the arguments employed in this document are the
responsibility of the author and do not necessarily express the views
of the CETRI.