The 6th World Social Forum opens this afternoon with a massive protest against war and imperialism. Performing artists, writers, intellectuals, musicians, representatives of non-governmental organizations, and activists from all over the planet will participate in the march through the streets of the Venezuelan capital, Caracas.
This is the second time since its inception in 2000 that the forum is being held outside of Porto Alegre, in the south of Brazil. The first time was in Mumbai (formerly Bombay), India, two years ago.
This year’s version is the first divided into regional venues: Bamako, Mali, and Karachi, Pakistan, in addition to Caracas. The forum in Caracas expects to receive around 100 thousand people, most of them from Latin America.
According to the organizers of the event, there are already 50 thousand people enrolled, representing 2,177 social organizations and governments from all around the world.
For six days the Caracas forum, which is organized according to thematic pillars, will discuss the following topics: Power, politics, and social emancipation struggles; Imperial strategies and popular resistance; Resources and the right to life, alternatives to the predatory model of civilization; Diversities, identities, and shifting cosmovisions; Work, exploitation, and the reproduction of life; Communication, culture and education, dynamics and democratizing alternatives.
Brazil will participate in discussions with representatives of governmental and civil society organizations. The minister of Agrarian Development, Miguel Rossetto, is leaving today for Venezuela, where his presence has been confirmed at a conference on agrarian reform on Thursday, January 26, together with government officials from Venezuela, Chile, Nicaragua, and Spain.
The head of the presidential staff office, minister Luiz Dulci, the minister of Environment, Marina Silva, and the head of the special secretariat of human rights, Paulo Vannuchi, will also attend the forum, where they will participate in debates on issues related to development, participatory democracy, and human rights.
The Caracas session of the 6th World Social Forum ends on Sunday, January 29.
ABr
