[fse-esf] Renew ESF

[Tord Bj ö rk]

Renewing the ESF and the Social Forum Process
Tord Björk, friends of the Earth, Sweden


There is a need to renew the social forum process and move beyond the less
productive debate between open forum, or being decision-making body for
promoting common action.

The coming ESF in Malmö, with activities in Copenhagen in September 2008,
will be this opportunity. This ESF will be hosted by a Nordic committee.
Bringing the best international experiences to this ESF and combining it
with Nordic experiences there is a possibility for renewal.

It is necessary to make some controversial decisions to begin redefining
what the social forum process is about as well as opening new understanding
on how practical, cultural and political avenues can be built to support new
kind of participation in the social forum process. One condition for a
renewal of the process exists in the Nordic countries.  There is no one here
to my knowledge that supports the idea of turning social forums into
decision-making bodies; all are for the idea of some type of an open forum.
Thus promoting the idea of social forums as open spaces instead of
decision-making bodies is a totally empty notion in this region. More
future-oriented concepts of identity for the social forums have to be made
clear to avoid repeating the old idea of a battle already won in the North
of Europe. The Nordic countries are also known to be somewhat un-theoretical
and more practical in their way of working, something potentially useful in
renewing some of the needs to make ESF and WSF priorities a reality and not
just rhetoric. But this might be a false self perception and the future will
tell if the Nordic political culture is able to bring some of its practical
and consensus related strengths that once promoted great social changes in
the Nordic societies and support for liberation movements in the third
world.

With that in mind here are seven proposals for renewing ESF and the social
forum process:

1. Make ESF an open Forum built on popular movement discussion, popular
education and campaigning.

2. Invite the Zapatistas as guests of honour

3. Make culture, ecology, religion and other non-left issues central

4. Bring in the Central and Eastern Europeans

5. Make ESF European and not a EU-lobby

6. In memory of Ilya Borodaenkos and Chico Mendes

7. Link ESF to the future in Amazonia

Read more at:
http://www.nigd.org/nan/nan-doc-store/08-2007/renewing-the-esf-and-the-socia
l-forum-process/

Or http://www.nigd.org