WILLEMJAN VANDENPLAS
  • HOME
  • PHOTOGRAPHER
    • EVENTS
    • TRAVEL
    • Party
    • ASSIGNMENTS
    • PUBLICATIONS
    • EXPOSITIONS
  • Blogger
    • Writer >
      • Dagboek van een Wereldburger
    • REVIEWER
    • LATIN AMERICA
    • CENTRAL AFRICA
    • MENA
    • EUROPE
    • ASIA
    • CARIBBEAN
    • REPUBLISHED
    • TRANSLATED
  • CONTACT

John Hilary: “World Social Forum has to become a global movement with political aspirations”

3/31/2013

0 Comments

 
Foto
John Hilary is the executive director of the British NGO War on Want. They have partnerships with different social movements and trade unions. His organization promotes Global Justice. He was at the World Social Forum (WSF) to get in touch with progressive forces and social movements. 

Around which themes does War on Want work?

There are two themes. First of all is economic justice, fights against the capitalistic system, trade justice, unequal exchange and the role of multinationals. Secondly to fight colonialism and imperialism.

Why was the WSF so important for your organization?

Because we are active around colonialism and the struggle for Palestine, the Sahraoui and the Nato thread in the Middle East and North Africa. Also because of the new free trade agreement of the EU with the Agadir countries ( Morocco, Tunisia, Jordan and Egypt) we consider it as a new tentative of imperialism of the EU. Here we were able to talk to a lot of comrades about these issues and make new partners and political links.

What was your impression of the WSF 2013 in Tunis?

The fact that the PA (Palestinian Authority) was represented was really bad, because social movements and organizations from Palestine were afraid to come. USAID had a stand and people were asking what they did here. There were actually two forums, one for the international community on the top of the hill around economic justice and environment below the hill there was the Arab mobilization. There were few interactions between the two places. You could see that at the talks around Palestine and Iraq there were mostly Arab people.

What brings the future?

That's a big question, were do we go next. It was an open space, but more people are thinking that we should create a global movement for political change. It's nice to talk in a sunny place, but we need to act. Also one of the Founding Fathers, Chico Whitaker, claimed for years it should be an open space, but now he declared before the WSF 2013 that it should become a global political movement.

We can say that capitalism is in crisis and we see the worst form of capitalism reviving with austerity measures. I think social movements have failed in this struggle to give other models a chance in the Western World. In the Western World political change is less possible because the state is to anchored in society and is too strong. In Bolivia this was possible because the state was weak.
0 Comments

    Archives

    January 2015
    November 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    August 2011

    Categories

    All
    Al Assad
    Al-assad
    Ali Ferzat
    Arab Spring
    Aristide
    Arms Policy
    Asylum
    Baboesjkas
    Belgian Foreign Policy
    Brain Business
    Brazil
    Brazilian Foreign Policy
    Breakdance
    Brussels
    Castellano
    Chavez
    Chokri Belaid
    Diversity
    English
    European Parliament
    Feminism
    Filipijnen
    Fos
    Fotorepo
    Guatemala
    Haiti
    Householdworkers
    Immigration
    Inequality
    Informaleconomy
    Internship
    Israel
    Labor Rights
    Latin America
    Lavalas
    Lebanon
    Local Rural Project
    Medecine
    Mena
    Migration
    Neoliberalism
    Ngo
    Oeganda
    Okwagaanana
    Oorlog Gaza
    Oxfam
    Palestina
    Parlementaire Vraag
    Plo
    Putin
    Redistribution Of Wealth
    Refugees
    Resettlement
    Socialism
    South South Cooperation
    South-South Cooperation
    Speech
    Stateless
    Syntra Oefeningen
    Syrian Conflict
    Tamazight
    Tunisia
    Ucraine
    Unhcr
    Uruguay
    Viva Rio Haiti
    Vivir En Amor
    War On Want
    Women
    World Citizenship
    World Social Forum '13
    Youth

    RSS Feed

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.
  • HOME
  • PHOTOGRAPHER
    • EVENTS
    • TRAVEL
    • Party
    • ASSIGNMENTS
    • PUBLICATIONS
    • EXPOSITIONS
  • Blogger
    • Writer >
      • Dagboek van een Wereldburger
    • REVIEWER
    • LATIN AMERICA
    • CENTRAL AFRICA
    • MENA
    • EUROPE
    • ASIA
    • CARIBBEAN
    • REPUBLISHED
    • TRANSLATED
  • CONTACT