NextGENDERation@WSF2003  

Verslag van Porto Alegre, by Dieuwertje Huijg  

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I gave myself the goal to at least try to inform you on a regular (daily) basis, about the World Social Forum in Porto Alegre, Brazil, where I am now. It seems an impossible task. The WSF2003 is huge. No-one seems to know what is happening where, the program for the workshops arrives the day itself, because the WSF grew so much, everything is happening everywhere. "

"  It is incredible how much energy people have. At night the youth camp was the place to be. The youth camp is big, it is full, and now with the sun shining, it is drying (before I arrived in Porto Alegre it has been raining for 12 hours). The subject of discussion was the construction of an inter/transnational youth network. One should think about an open, horizontally structured network, in which the network decides by consensus. They are against the war in Iraq, they are against neoliberal globalization, and against capitalism. And of course, one should think global, but please act local!"

"Some of the women told that last year two women were raped in the youth camp. I did not know this, and was a bit shocked. Somewhere I always hope to find some enlightened sort of human species, like an anti-neoliberal globalization movement, who inherently already  expulsed these kind of things. But real life is different, and also this year women were sexually and/or violently harrassed. Even worse was that the `offenders' were said to be the `punks'. I would not dare to say here that there are no punks who harrass women or others. But for me, it seemed an easy piece of non-reflection, and put the non-ideal actions ('we' are not violent) on 'the others'.

It does not matter so much who did what, or not. What matters is that the youth camp appeared to be again a non-safe place, where it should have been a fruitful (peaceful) environment of non- and anti-discrimination. The women (me included) were totally pissed of, and ready for action. That is why we come together in the first place. You cannot march with 10.000s against a war or for peace, and not protect the ones who are marching with you."

foto's en tekst © Dieuwertje Huijg