How African was the WSF in Nairobi? Was it only the usual mix of academics, non-governmental organizations, political foundations, some trade unionists, church representatives and well-off critics of globalisation jetting off to Africa to continue discussions they had started in, for many of the left, more attractive Latin America?

Yes and no. Yes, they were there, these jet-setting critics of neo-liberal globalisation. And they were often angry over the organisational mishaps. As if the programme had ever been available on time before the meeting and as if pickpockets and street crime only existed in Africa. They mainly discussed with each other, as was apparent by their skin colour, while some of the completely 'black' events were clearly in the hands of traditional church people and even missionary fanatics, far from the views of a forum of social movements.

But that was not the whole forum, as there has never been ONE forum, but many forums in one. Be careful of anyone who gives a generalized conclusion about the forum from their own personal experience - from one of 100 parallel events. And I can only present some pieces of the puzzle.

But during the course of the five days these pieces came together to form the following picture: from day to day the forum became more African! Not only on the last day because of the marathon and demonstration through a Nairobi slum area and the big closing festival in Uhuru (Freedom) Park. It started earlier, with many smaller demonstrations on the grounds of the forum and downtown, and then especially because of the fourth day, which was different than planned.

For at that point the "assembly of social movements," previously more of a playground for party-like organizations with their usual programmatic "must and should declarations," was dominated this time by African men and women reporting the results of their common work. This included, for example, the founding of an African Water Forum, or the fact that the voices of the Saharouis were clearly heard, from the largely forgotten last colony (of Morocco) in the Western Sahara. There was also a lot of interest in bringing issues into the framework of the G8 protests or the "Stop EPA Campaign" ( http://www.stopepa.org/), especially important for Europeans, with its clear call on Europeans to stop this brutal free trade agreement.

And then there was also Wangui, a woman from the People's Parliament. I spent one morning there and immediately felt very comfortable. (It was also the only event I attended with consistent translation into English and Kiswahili.) It was a kind of alternative WSF in a city park in downtown Nairobi, where each day people could come and meet and discuss, those not able to pay either the 5 Euro WSF entrance fee (for Kenyans) or the bus fare (about 1 Euro) to reach its stadium location. In a country where the lucky ones live on about 1 Euro a day. And whoever was able to make it to the forum was thirsty if they didn't have money left for bottled water.

And thus I come to one criticism voiced from many sides. The local population, especially those who were being talked about a lot - the poorest of the poor - were largely excluded from the event, and almost no one spoke with them.

But that is no African novelty. When I visited the slums of Caracas after the WSF in 2006 I generally met activists there who had had no contact with the WSF at all, and there were similar reports from Porto Alegre. And thus I see it as progress that in Nairobi for the first time a demonstration in front of the WSF gates, protected by police, succeeded in opening the doors, at least for that day. Street children stormed the only centrally-located restaurant on the forum site, which was criticised especially not only for high prices but because it was owned by the country's Minister of the Interior. Finally on the second day the children could eat their fill there, and temporarily close down the annoying restaurant. I also saw the fact that the children were allowed to take home the little radios used for translation as a good step in the right direction.

Thus the principal contradiction of all previous WSFs between what can be described as the rather academic world of the forum and the far removed social reality here in Africa at least became more visible than previously and was emphasized in the evaluation of the IC (International Council, the WSF planning team).

A negative image of this continent is spread by those outside and through the media to a wide public: it has no money, no food, no water, no health care, no infrastructure, no democracy, no peace… It is nothing in the eyes of many, also many on the left. And yet Africans lead their lives, like all of us. With worries, sure, but they laugh at least as much as we do, actually more. They have a tradition of living together in solidarity - often based on need, but with a warm social foundation that is frequently missing here. And they have a tradition of resistance to 500 years of slavery, colonialism and post-colonialism in neo-liberal capitalism. A strength, a diversity and cohesion that is especially noticeable among many African women. I saw and learned to love this during my second journey, when I visited various rural women’s meetings and youth groups in slum areas.

At this point I want to thank Erastus, Alex, his brothers and sisters and mother, Sammy, Wangui and many others, who allowed me to experience this African reality. Without the WSF I would never have met them. Without the week after the forum my view of Africa would have been academic and hollow.

"Africa's hope lies in African women," I had often heard this before. Now I could experience this myself. I learned to love them and hope that some can come to the G8 alternative summit (in northern Germany in June 2007) for exchanges with women here, perhaps getting some practical help, but also to get to know people from Latin America who because of similar circumstances are already creating a collective life with dignity, as for example in the slums of Buenos Aires, in Bolivia, in Venezuela and last but not least in Chiapas.

The presence of normal people, those who are already trying together, with their own energy, to lead another life in dignity despite-against-and above capitalism, that is my wish for the future WSFs. The WSF 2008, planned as a week of actions in which we can make this other already existing life worldwide visible, could be an important step in this direction. If we all make it happen.

Dorothea Haerlin, February 14, 2007