Reuters reports that the people from the slums invaded the WSF in Kenya whilst refusing to pay the entrance fee. According to Reuters' account the kids then continued to raid the canteen.
pics from Indymedia Belgium
The seventh World Social Forum took place in Nairobi, Kenya, in opposition to the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, and ended yesterday.
In previous years, the WSF has been organised in Porto Alegre (Brasil), in Mumbai (India), in Bamako (Mali), Caracas (Venezuela) and Karachi (Pakistan).
According to a report on Indymedia Germany, the gathering opened on 20th of January with several colourful demonstrations before continuing with workshops and seminars in the Moi International Sports Centre.
Indymedia Belgium published more pictures under:
http://www.indymedia.be/en/node/6806
http://www.indymedia.be/en/node/6807
http://www.indymedia.be/en/node/6808
The gatecrash is also discussed in today's Comment is Free on the Guardian's website:
http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/sasha_simic/2007/01/post_997.html
TAZ reports about 100 000 participants at the WSF with about 1200 workshops and seminars.
http://www.taz.de/pt/2007/01/20/a0191.1/text
Junge Welt reports about an Alternative WSF taking place in the slums, called the "People's Parliament". According to critiques, the WSF has to be an "open space" in future without an exclusive entrance fee. In the interview with Dorothea Härlin from ATTAC, she stated that the most important issue discussed was the free access to potable water, on which the "water forum" in Porto Alegre will focus next year. According to her, the WSF will not be taking place anymore in its current form, but include a week of actions and protests and take place simultaneously in many different cities and will be timed to co-incide with the WEF.
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Poor people gatecrash World Social Forum in Kenya
Thu Jan 25, 2007 4:57 PM GMT146
http://za.today.reuters.com/news/NewsArticle.aspx?type=topNews&storyID=2007-01-25T145750Z_01_BAN553856_RTRIDST_0_OZATP-FORUM-AFRICA-20070125.XML
NAIROBI (Reuters) - Slum dwellers, who could not afford the 500 shilling admission fee, gatecrashed an anti-capitalist festival in Kenya's capital of Nairobi, forcing their way into an event designed to tackle poverty and debt.
Organisers said hundreds of poor from the Nairobi slums on Wednesday thronged the stadium where the seventh annual World Social Forum was taking place and demanded to be let in without paying the entry fee.
"When the people became rowdy ... we opened the gate and many people from neighbouring settlements did come in," Oduor Ong'wen, a member of the organising committee told a news conference on Thursday.
"There has been a very heavy participation for people in the slums."
Local media on Thursday reported that about 40 street children raided the tent of a food caterer, chased away staff and helped themselves to the food there.
More than half the population in Kenya is poor and lives on less than one dollar a day.
Organisers defended themselves against accusations they had locked out the poor and said the fee had been waived for some participants who had requested it.
"This forum is about changing the world, not about assembling the poor or parading the poor for show," Ong'wen said.
At least 49,000 paid the entrance fee for the five-day jamboree, which ends on Thursday, with participants from the developed world paying as much as 80 euros.
The event, organised with the participation of African and international social movements, is intended to be a counter-balance to the World Economic Forum of business and government leaders in Davos, Switzerland.
Coordinators said the social forum, which has been held annually since 2001, would not take place in 2008 but social movements all over the world would arrange campaigns to be carried out simultaneously on a single day."
In previous years, the WSF has been organised in Porto Alegre (Brasil), in Mumbai (India), in Bamako (Mali), Caracas (Venezuela) and Karachi (Pakistan).
According to a report on Indymedia Germany, the gathering opened on 20th of January with several colourful demonstrations before continuing with workshops and seminars in the Moi International Sports Centre.
Indymedia Belgium published more pictures under:
http://www.indymedia.be/en/node/6806 http://www.indymedia.be/en/node/6807 http://www.indymedia.be/en/node/6808 The gatecrash is also discussed in today's Comment is Free on the Guardian's website:
http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/sasha_simic/2007/01/post_997.html TAZ reports about 100 000 participants at the WSF with about 1200 workshops and seminars.
http://www.taz.de/pt/2007/01/20/a0191.1/text Junge Welt reports about an Alternative WSF taking place in the slums, called the "People's Parliament". According to critiques, the WSF has to be an "open space" in future without an exclusive entrance fee. In the interview with Dorothea Härlin from ATTAC, she stated that the most important issue discussed was the free access to potable water, on which the "water forum" in Porto Alegre will focus next year. According to her, the WSF will not be taking place anymore in its current form, but include a week of actions and protests and take place simultaneously in many different cities and will be timed to co-incide with the WEF.
---
Poor people gatecrash World Social Forum in Kenya
Thu Jan 25, 2007 4:57 PM GMT146
http://za.today.reuters.com/news/NewsArticle.aspx?type=topNews&storyID=2007-01-25T145750Z_01_BAN553856_RTRIDST_0_OZATP-FORUM-AFRICA-20070125.XML NAIROBI (Reuters) - Slum dwellers, who could not afford the 500 shilling admission fee, gatecrashed an anti-capitalist festival in Kenya's capital of Nairobi, forcing their way into an event designed to tackle poverty and debt.
Organisers said hundreds of poor from the Nairobi slums on Wednesday thronged the stadium where the seventh annual World Social Forum was taking place and demanded to be let in without paying the entry fee.
"When the people became rowdy ... we opened the gate and many people from neighbouring settlements did come in," Oduor Ong'wen, a member of the organising committee told a news conference on Thursday.
"There has been a very heavy participation for people in the slums."
Local media on Thursday reported that about 40 street children raided the tent of a food caterer, chased away staff and helped themselves to the food there.
More than half the population in Kenya is poor and lives on less than one dollar a day.
Organisers defended themselves against accusations they had locked out the poor and said the fee had been waived for some participants who had requested it.
"This forum is about changing the world, not about assembling the poor or parading the poor for show," Ong'wen said.
At least 49,000 paid the entrance fee for the five-day jamboree, which ends on Thursday, with participants from the developed world paying as much as 80 euros.
The event, organised with the participation of African and international social movements, is intended to be a counter-balance to the World Economic Forum of business and government leaders in Davos, Switzerland.
Coordinators said the social forum, which has been held annually since 2001, would not take place in 2008 but social movements all over the world would arrange campaigns to be carried out simultaneously on a single day."
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