THE six-day World Social Forum in Karachi came to an end after a flurry of activity comprising hundreds of workshops, conferences, rallies and cultural activities. The several thousand foreign delegates from 58 countries of the world have returned home quite pleased with the event, feeling glad that they had come all the way to the country that has been often branded as one of the most dangerous regions in the world, and satisfied with the turnout and response that they received.

The largest civil society meeting in the world might be written off by many as all talk and no action, but its primary purpose has been largely attained once again. It has managed to bring together people from the most diverse, distanced cultures of the world together, acquaint them with and appreciate each other’s problems, and bring some of the least heeded socio-political causes in the limelight. Most importantly, it has brought some, if not large-scale, social mobilization of sorts in the city of Karachi. The impressive turnout of youth, and especially hundreds of student volunteers at the venue throughout the five days bears testimony to that. And all that, according to WSF organizers, is why forums like WSF can never go wrong.

Of course, the critics disagree. Many intellectuals, among them some notable activists, have called the WSF an “NGO-ized space” for generating “vague, foggy solutions” that never get implemented. The participants at the WSF Karachi seemed to have strong responses to this accusation.

Jeremy Corbyn was one of the most notable international left-wing celebrities at the WSF. The rebellious British member of parliament from the Labour Party and long time supporter of nuclear disarmament is fiercely opposed to the war in Iraq and has spoken at many anti-war rallies in the UK and abroad, plus at the past three World Social Forums. Interacting with Jeremy is unlike any interaction you may have with a local elected member. That observation this member of the House of Commons simply dismisses with, “Every people’s representative should remember who brought him in.” Jeremy, who gets in line to get his own registration done, says on the significance of the WSF: “This is the third WSF I’ve been to, and I think the value of political and social groups coming together is highly important, particularly in a country such as Pakistan. The WSF is a unique phenomenon in the world, and I think it has full potential to develop into something that can promote polices curbing war and globalization of capital, both of which are so damaging to the people of developing nations in the world. It is a highly exciting event and its critics should recognize that developing coherent alternatives takes time, but the WSF is the perfect beginning for that.”

Responding to a question about the lack of sufficient excitement about the WSF in international media, Jeremy said: “I admit that there is a lack of awareness in developed nations about the problems in poor countries. But I also believe that there is a growing understanding in Europe and North America about the dangers of the policies taken up by their governments, especially those regarding globalization and war.”

Jeremy was invited to speak on war and nuclear disarmament. Like many other foreign counterparts, he found the plenary on Kashmir “fascinating”, especially the fact that “this is the first time that both sides of the disputed territory have appeared together on that issue on a global forum and shared their stances with the world”.

A four-member Cuban delegation also attended the event, led by Jose Miguel Hernandez of the Workers Trade Union of Cuba. While talking about the WSF and its significance for Cubans, Hernandez asserted vehemently: “Cuban organizations are also part and parcel of the global struggle against the neo-colonial politics and the anti-war struggle that mainly mark World Social Forum themes. Cuba is a member of the International Council for the WSF and we’re here to spread awareness about the Cuban struggle against the criminal and unjust economic blockade by the US for the past 45 years. Also, we have come here to offer Cuban cooperation and solidarity with all the organizations working for another world. One of the main characters of the Cuban revolutions being its struggle against American imperialism, it isn’t easy for anyone to support Cuba. But the support we have received at the WSFs has always fired our spirit of revolution.”

When asked what he thought of the WSF being termed by many as a platform for vague and impractical solutions, Miguel responded immediately: “We strongly disagree. The WSF is the only space that brings various social movements together and articulates their points of view. These struggles are not in the name of the WSF but have their own unique agendas. Many of the large anti-war protests held all over the world in 2003 were part of the WSF accord. Also, the WSF is not a festival; it is a political space and the places that host it gain that political atmosphere that remains for a long time to come. And the main protagonist of this impact is not the WSF itself but the organizations and movements that it hosts.”

As Miguel rightly pointed out, the WSF is certainly not a festival, as the organizers often had to clarify for many visitors. It is easy to mistakenly consider it to be one, given its grand scale and the local media attraction that it invites. However, anyone making that mistake would soon have corrected it after coming across the multitude of rallies, impassioned speeches and protests organized daily throughout the days at the venue by a variety of activist organizations belonging to the local community as well as countries across the world. Most visible, however, among the foreign delegates were Indians, Bangladeshis, Nepalis and Sri Lankans. The Nepalis in their traditional caps, Indians in their saris and a large number of lost-looking Koreans filled the venue. Among the local activists, the Pakistan Fisher Folk Forum put up an impressive display smack in the middle of the venue where no one could miss it.

One could also see and hear local activists chanting pro-socialism, anti-Kala Bagh Dam, anti-World Bank and anti-American imperialism slogans in the rallies every now and then in the melting heat, often led by folk dancers and musicians in their traditional garb. Another interesting sight was the enthusiastic Sind Disability Forum rally during which the disabled members determinedly went around talking to people and creating awareness among the visitors about their issues in the main area. Mobinuddin, one of the members, stopped passersby from his wheel chair, joined by his disabled counterparts and held groups in conversation about the rights of special people, especially the lack of appropriate jobs for them.

Jamal Jumaa, Director of the Stop the Wall coalition and the leader of the 15-member Palestinian and Jordanian delegation that reached Pakistan after a long-winded visa problems, refusal from authorities to let them cross the Jordanian border, attempted arrest, and sleepless nights at the WSF Karachi’s secretariat to bring them through to WSF Karachi, was another popular figure. The campaign Stop the Wall is an anti-apartheid-Israel movement that aims at creating global awareness about the “apartheid wall”, its impact on Palestinian civil society and its reshaping of the entire West Bank. Undoubtedly, Stop the Wall managed to create quite a few believers, foreign and local, for its cause at the WSF ... precisely what it had aimed for.

The most prominent attraction of the event, however, was perhaps Yasin Malik, the Kasmiri Liberation Front leader, enjoying popularity among a certain portion of the local female intelligentsia. As Malik went around the venue checking out various stalls and events in a red T-shirt, he managed to strike quite a bit of flurry amongst some of the younger organizers who were worried about his security. He, however, was quite unconcerned and was rather tight-lipped as various newsmen tried to get a few words out of him. He spoke at a number of sessions organized by the Kashmiri troupe and was in regular attendance on all the days.

The North American representation at the WSF Karachi was quite tiny; a few scattered delegates and observers here and there. This of course owes largely to the fact that for Americans, WSFs held at Caracus and earlier in Brazil have been in closer vicinity and easier to reach.

Camille Russel of Peace Fresno, a community based resistance group from a California made an appearance and she wasn’t disappointed: “It is the first time at the WSF for me and I’m greatly impressed with the turnout at Karachi and the efforts and optimism I’ve seen here. Thinking about alternatives to monopolistic capitalism and war is a time consuming process, and discussions and generating ideas takes time. The WSF lends a lot of optimism and the perfect base for that.”

Responding to a question about the significance of American representation at such events Camille became impassioned: “We came here because we wanted to show people that there is indeed opposition to the war in America and not everybody in the US supports the Bush administration. Americans have a responsibility to be informed about their government’s policy and react to it accordingly. We attended a seminar here on strategy formulation for peace in South Asia and there, where Indians, Pakistanis, Bangladeshis and Sri Lankans presented their viewpoints. But I also saw an Israeli activist who brought in his own perspective as to creating peace in South Asia. That wasn’t all talk; these people were planning for action. By bringing different viewpoints together from all around the world can only be problems like war and peace solved.”

Among the visiting delegates, many of them used the event as a multicultural, global learning experience that helped them understand regional issues which they don’t have easy access to in their local media. For instance, Chansa Kabwela, a young Zambian journalist came to Pakistan after facing many visa difficulties because of the absence of a Pakistani embassy in Zambia. She believed that the forum may not be an implementation of policies or always offer solutions, but it’s yet a global platform for sharing awareness among people like her who, in their own countries, have a narrow perception of issues around the world. Chansa was glad she came because she had had the opportunity to learn a lot about “different countries like Afghanistan, Iraq and Palestine and their problems.

When asked if it was a success, a very tired looking WSF secretariat coordinator Tazeen Javed smiled and said: “Of course it has been a success. Despite the logistical hiccups, the sight of Moldovan delegation taking part in Bangladeshi garment workers rally, an American dancing to the tunes of Meekal Hasan Band at a WSF concert and Taiwanese girls trying to understand the politics of dams in Pakistan are fascinating. Apart from that, I feel that the biggest political gain that we, as citizens of Karachi, have achieved is the involvement of the younger people and their exposure to different political opinions, which will help in developing their political ideologies.”

For most of the participants, the WSF Karachi was a success. Karachi hasn’t disappointed its visitors, and it surely couldn’t have disappointed the International Council of WSF that decided to designate it as one of the three venues for 2006 in a surprising decision. It’s primary goal, to provide an open space for socio-political movements and activism has been achieved. The secondary goal that it has earlier achieved in all of its previous venues, that of leaving indelible and long-remaining impact on societies hosting it, is yet to be seen. Here’s hoping Karachi doesn’t disappoint there either.