The World Social Forum 2011 in Dakar 
Chico Whitaker, Christophe Aguiton, Michel Warscharwski at the WSF 2004 in Mumbai
Caravans West Africa en route to Dakar! mobilization of social movements is vital to the success of the WSF
Several caravans consisting of activists from different movements are parts these days
different countries in West Africa to educate people and convince many people as possible to participate in the WSF process. Several thousand kilometers are driven by bus caravan. CADTM gives a substantial human and financial support to this initiative and creative activism. To monitor the activities of caravans parts of Cotonou 23 January, read the travelogue of Paul Imbach, Zinab Aboudou Rasmane and Samir Abi [2]. Hundreds of caravans join Kaolack (south-east of Dakar) February 4 where participants wait for an international meeting on feminist struggles organized by CADTM. Indeed, the 3 and 4 February, APROFES (Association for the Advancement of Women in Senegal, a member of CADTM) and international network in Kaolack CADTM organize two days of training and debate on feminism. For the closure of this activity, we expect a participation of hundreds of women.
Souce: CADTM
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Chico Whitaker Francisco "Chico" Whitaker Ferreira (born 1931) is a Brazilian architect, political activist and social . Chico Whitaker is a member organization of the WSF since the first edition held in 2001 in Porto Alegre, Brazil.
On 6 February, the opening march of the World Social Forum 2011 will begin to fill the streets of Dakar Senegal. The caravan will cross Africa to achieve this have already left their starting points. The many delegations from other continents - including some involving several hundred people, others are more modest because of the longer way to go - starting to close their bags to catch their flights. Members of African organizations that "facilitate" the realization of this event spend their last nights without sleep to resolve remaining issues before the opening session. We do not expect a huge forum, as the last in 2009 in Belem, Brazil with 150,000 participants. That the simple reason that around 80% of these participants generally come from the country or region where it occurs, and Senegal has 15 times fewer inhabitants than Brazil. But this forum will be successful in many other aspects. Participants from other countries in the world will be very numerous. Lula, a former President of Brazil, there will be a citizen. The fewer of these in Dakar will be offset by a large number of conferences over the Internet with local groups and forums convened around the world (only in France there will be 70 !...) - the "Dakar extent," a new dimension decisive Forums World. Similarly, the African Diaspora will be the subject of several protests as reinforcing the political reality. Forums taking place before the WSF prepared themselves with redoubled energy, such as scientists committed to democracy, the first was made in 2009 in Belem, and like the theologians, who was born with the first WSF in Porto Alegre in 2001. After ten years
articulation of civil society, made possible by "the WSF process, each self-organized activities, which give content to the discussions in the Forum area and proposed that there are in doing, are now the result of the combination of a greater number of organizations and have won density.
accumulation analysis, denunciations and proposals to change the world, made in previous Forums, allowed to see more clearly the great dangers that the world is undergoing, as well as the need to entrench the concept now values of universality in the southern hemisphere, and that all the crises experienced today is a real crisis of civilization. Much see ever more clearly that this requires new paradigms for humanity finds its path towards peace, justice and love, and that the Earth is not destroyed by the irrationality of the struggle for profit and globalization dictated by the interests of money, the expense needs human beings. This is an important step more will be given in February in Dakar to build another possible world, which appears absolutely necessary and that has become extremely urgent.
31012011
From an interview at the WSF in Mumbai from January 16 to 21, 2004 "The social forum is a space to make possible meetings between organizations. If the movement does not take initiatives including using the Social Forum as a place to articulate their actions with them, nothing will happen. For example on Water, associations working in this area should consult with each other to develop proposals and put pressure on governments to change things.
should not everyone participates in all social forums. It should also be organized levels: local associations are organized locally, national associations across the country has ... The social forums are mostly grow locally, it is a process that will certainly go up in coming months. It was also at each forum to organize, choose its themes. We must design forums as networks that must operate in a context of non-directivity. We must also find ways to sustain these workspaces that are important to get out particularities of each organization and associations to work together. "
