The Hindu : Asia Social Forum begins today

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Jan 02, 2003

Southern States

Southern States - Andhra Pradesh-Hyderabad

Asia Social Forum begins today

By Our Special Correspondent

HYDERABAD Jan. 1. The Asia Social Forum, the six-day open rendezvous for people's movements to come together to challenge imperialist globalisation, communalism and war and come up with a diverse, genuinely democratic and socially just alternatives, will begin here tomorrow with the theme, "Another Asia is Possible.''

Modelled after the World Social Forum held annually at Porto Allegre in Brazil, described as "an open meeting place for reflective thinking, democratic debate of ideas, free exchange of experiences and inter-linking for effective action by groups and movement of civil society,'' about 10,000 delegates, including 1,000 from 40 countries mostly in Asia, are participating in the Forum here.

Prabir Purkayastha of the WSF-India told presspersons on Wednesday that the global neo-liberal agenda of globalisation, privatisation and liberalisation, had become increasingly exposed as an imperial project.

In country after country prescriptions of the IMF and the World Bank, policed by the World Trade Organisation, have brought economic disaster.

Instead of the rosy spectacle of globalising standards of living of the rich countries, globalisation has become a strategy of passing on the burden of the capitalist crisis on to the poorer countries.

The ASF event here includes eight major conferences at the Nizam College Grounds and over 200 seminars and workshops at different venues in the vicinity. Numerous dignitaries and well-known personalities, academics and socials activists would attend.

They include Nora de Cortinas who co-founded an organisation by women to protest the disappearance of opponents of the military dictatorship in Argentina, Oscar Oliveira, activist who is spearheading a struggle against the privatisation of water supply in Bolivia, Kjeid Jakobsen of the largest trade union in Brazil and Brid Brennan, feminist and anti-racist activist.

Speakers such as Samir Amin, one of the best-known political economists from Egypt, Asma Jehangir, women's and human rights activist from Pakistan, Sahar Saba, spokesperson for the Revolutionary Association of the Women of Afghanistan and Abdel Jawad Saleh, a member of the Palestinian Legislative Council, would address the Forum.

Mr. Purkayastha, however, said the visa of Asma Jehangir had not yet been cleared by India.

A highlight of the ASF would be "People's Voices,'' where the delegates would get an opportunity to hear the testimonies of project oustees, victims of communal violence and caste discrimination, child trafficking and power sector reforms.

Paul Divakar of the National Campaign for Dalit Human Rights said there would be six presentations from India, two from Cambodia and one each from Pakistan, the Philippines, Palestine, Afghanistan, Japan, Nepal and Sri Lanka.

Alongside there would be cultural performances by more than 100 troupes and a film festival where 100 films across Asia including 50 documentaries would be screened. Filmmakers such as Anand Patwardhan (India), Yasmine Kabir (Bangladesh) and Riyaz Sakarov (Norway) would personally present their films at the festival. Theatre personality Habib Tanvir would present two of his popular plays.

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