Author: Nicholas Asego
Date: May 27, 2007
Type of article: African Examples
Source: All Africa.com http://www.eastandard.net/archives/index.php?mnu=details&id=1143969167&catid=4

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He describes Africa as a rare gem that needs to free herself from the shackles of the West, misery and poverty. The social activist says this could be achieved through dynamic civil societies and social movements that challenge the neo-liberal political economy of globalisation.

He was probably the busiest man at the Seventh World Social Forum (WSF) held in Nairobi in January.

"Delegates got robbed and attacked every day, I received phone calls almost every 10 minutes and had to rush to different police stations," says Mr Taoufik Ben Abdallah, who was a co-ordinator, of the conference.

Yet he dismisses the idea that Nairobi is an unsafe place. "Wherever a conference is held these are some of the challenges we deal with," he says.

In spite of the logistical nightmares that the Nairobi meeting faced, Taoufik does not regret that the forum was held in Africa. "Africa represents the face of poverty that seems everlasting. The continent reminds us of the need to take charge of our destiny," he says.

He says the forum was an opportunity for the voice of Africa to be heard. "We identified our own tools so as to develop ownership of the forum at the local level," he says.

But how did Taoufik end up in the world of social activism?

"I guess I have always been a left wing kind of person (politically) and very sensitive to what is happening in societies," he says.

Taoufik believes Africa is under siege

Inspired by the words of Indian novelist, writer and activist Arundhati Roy "Another world is not only possible, she is on her way. On a quiet day, I can hear her breathing."

Taoufik started working with different social groups to bring people together and achieve changes for the better.

"We need space to express ourselves and share this with others," he says.

He says lack of participation is responsible for the misery and poverty in Africa.

Africa has some 850 million people. Of that only 50 million people are real citizens. About 800 million Africans do not have a voice on issues that concern them," he says.

Taoufik believes Africa is under siege, chocked with poor internal leadership, civil strife and external policies imposed on it by the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund.

He believes the only way out for the continent is through social movements that will empower the ordinary people. "The challenge is organising social movements to concentrate on development issues," says the social activist who was at the forefront in forging a continental movement, the Africa Social Forum (ASF), an offshoot of the WSF.

Fostering alternative development

Born in Tunisia, Taoufik - the co-ordinator of the WSF secretariat and a member of the organising committee - has lived in Senegal for the last 27 years.

"I moved to Senegal for college education and for very personal reasons. There are many North Africans living in Senegal and so it is not unique that I settled there," he says.

He is the coordinator of the Environment and Development Action- Third World (Enda), which is based in Senegal.

Started in 1972, Enda - which has over 21 branches worldwide, 14 of them in Africa - invests in community-based organisations to foster alternative development.

Alternative development is a subject close to Taoufik's heart. "It is the reason we launched ASF in 2001," he says.

The African wing of the world forum has two main goals: to reinforce unity of social movements in Africa and to become an equal partner with others around the world.

These goals were informed by the realisation that the economy of many African governments had failed to improve the lives of ordinary Africans.

"We needed a dynamic civil society organised into strong and active social movements to challenge the neo-liberal political economy of globalisation," he says.

Social movements in Africa lag behind

He says there is also a need to build new African States where public institution and policies guarantee cultural, economic, political and social rights of all citizens.

Taoufik has seen ASF grow from humble beginnings to a force to be reckoned with in the world.

Africa's weaknesses came to the fore at the WSF in the Port Allegre, Brazil.

"It was very humiliating for us to watch from the sidelines people from other continents actively participating," he says.

In January of 2002, the ASF held its first meeting in Bamako, Mali.

"The goal of the meeting was to improve our participation and to come up with our own policies," he says.

Taoufik says the Mali conference proved that it was possible to hold a forum in Africa despite the financial challenges.

That conference was followed by a series of other successful forums in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia in 2003; Lusaka, Zambia in 2004 and Conakry, Guinea in 2005.

"At the WSF in Mumbai, India, participants from Africa were about 500, ten times more than at the Brazil forum," he says.

Today 40 African countries are part of the ASF. But Taoufik says social movements in Africa lag behind the rest of the world because they have not developed a consensus on issues of globalisation.

Played role in bringing the seventh WSF to Africa

Taoufik, who is a member of the International Council of WSF, played a significant role in bringing the seventh WSF to Africa.

And it was not an easy feat. He describes it as a long and rocky affair.

"The belief was that social groups in Africa are weak and could not hold a conference of such magnitude," he recalls. Whereas the Porto Allegre conference was hosted by one country, the Nairobi one was organised by all the 53 African countries.

It took the mobilisation of African social movements and co-operations and other world bodies to make the conference possible.

"In 2004 the International Council of the WSF settled for Africa and this was followed by the choice of the host country," he says.

Initially members were divided over whether it should be Kenya or Mali.

"Since Mali had held the ASF, the onus fell on Kenya," Taoufik explains

Dubbed the anti-globalisation forum where civil societies voice their concerns, the WSF is an annual event. It is a social movement geared towards the creation of a fair and just world.

Forum offered a chance to challenge policies

Taoufik during the interview in Nairobi last week. Pictures by Maxwell Agwanda

Holding the conference in Nairobi was not only a victory for Kenya but Africa.

"It was a unique opportunity to highlight the tremendous work that Africa civil society carries out everyday in spite of innumerable difficulties," says Taoufik.

He speaks from a point of knowledge and experience having witnessed people debating, networking, chatting, dancing and staging protests against current social ills in the world.

With globalisation becoming a new form of colonisation, says Taoufik, the forum offered a chance to challenge these policies.

He says it presented a space for Africans to express their views on equal footing with their counterparts in other parts of the world.

At the Nairobi forum, participants discussed HIV/Aids, debt alleviation, trade, labour, food security, gender equality, and environment, access to security, information and indigenous knowledge.

For the first time the youth had their own forum. "The youth camp was integrated with the main WSF rather than being a parallel activity," he says.

Most governments do not support social movements

The women's movement also had a stronger voice than in past forums.

People from the slums, youths, trade unions, and peasants participated.

"The participation of the local communities was fantastic. It was a strong conference in terms of participation," says Taoufik.

The conference also had caravans from Uganda, Tanzania, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, South Africa and Somalia

"Despite the high cost of transport we had a strong cultural presence from Egypt, Morocco, Algeria, Senegal and Cameroon," he says.

Taoufik believes that Africa needs to free herself from the shackles and influence of the West.

He says certain forces in the world are hell-bent on controlling the lives of people even at the social movement level either through interest or ideology. "I came to realise that some of them were not even aware of the interference with our management of our own social affairs," he says.

He says most African governments do not support social movements.

"The truth is many of our governments are not democratic, hence they don't feel that different groups have a role in development.

"They tolerate the social movements more than recognise them," he says.

Herein lies the tragedy of many African nations.

"Majority of the people are under dictatorship and oppression with many more locked up in prisons. Our leaders need to realise that we cannot do anything while in prison," he says.

'The West is using war to manage the world'

Taoufik says 50 per cent of the population in Africa are below 20 years and unless Africa experiences a change in leadership, it will have no future.

Coupled with Africa's internal tragedies are international rules that favour the West.

"We cannot maximise our potential if the international rules do not change. We have issues of debts and trade favours major powers like US and the European Union, who want our local markets opened up even as they close theirs," he says. "Politically the West is using war to manage the world as can be seen in Pakistan, Somalia, Iraq and Afghanistan."

The future of Africa, says Taoufik, lies in national forums reinforcing themselves.

"They must increase their social sensitivities and contribute to understanding of the world," he says. He says national forums should also be part of the reconstruction and bringing together of sub-regions forums.

Taoufik believes Africa is a rare gem.

"It is not all about colour; it's more than that," he says. "People should not only think of Africa in terms of refugees. They should stop associating Africa to its history of slavery and colonialism," he says.

Forum has been active at G8 meetings

With its own complexities and being a cultural melting pot, he says, there should be strong relationships between the myriad cultures that grace the continent.

"These cultures go beyond skin colour. For example West Africa is very close in terms of culture as compared to North Africa," he says.

Rather than be a dividing force, emphasis should be on building common futures and projects.

"African countries need to establish institution that increase the democratic spaces," he says.

Have the objectives of the WSF been achieved so far?

"We destroyed the belief held that there are no alternative to the problems of the world," Taoufik says.

He says the forum has been active at G8 meetings and has contributed in making the African continent more dynamic. "The forum has created space for the people to meet once a year to talk about their problems and to some extent it has strengthened our unity," he says.

He says the forum has created a feeling of renewed solidarity among Africans.

"The more social movements and other activists meet the better it will be our world," he says.

Married with three sons Taoufik says he loves his family and work and would not change his life.