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Power to change policies

02/05/2009

By: Stephen Brown

The World Social Forum offers churches and social movements the opportunity to forge common cause to change global economic and financial policies, say religious representatives attending the gathering in Belem, northeastern Brazil. "I think we need these kind of meetings to know that we are strong, to know that we are not only splinter groups within society, but that we have the power to change policies," said Wilfried Steen of the German (Protestant) Church Development Service (EED).

Steen was speaking to Ecumenical News International on 27 January, the first day of the six-day event that is billed as a counter to the World Economic Forum, a gathering of politicians and business leaders taking place at the same time in the Swiss mountain resort of Davos.

Religious participants gathered at an Anglican church in central Belem for an interfaith event. They then joined an estimated 50 000 others for a noisy but good-natured opening march through the city, undeterred by a downpour, typical for the Amazonian region at this time of year.

"I hope that the World Social Forum can strengthen the ability of the social movements and churches and the grassroots groups of the churches to continue the struggle for more justice and for activities of peace," Steen said as he marched behind a banner protesting against food dumping by wealthy nations in developing countries.

Members of a Belem interfaith group held aloft a banner stating, "Spirituality and dialogue: Build a world without intolerance", while Methodist women, clad in purple, marched in front.

Groups of Amazonian Indians in traditional dress pushed ahead on the march that started in central Belem, while activists from the environmental group Greenpeace, brandished a banner stating, "Save the planet now", in front of a giant inflatable cow. It symbolised the destruction of the Amazon rainforest to create pastures for livestock.
The Geneva-headquartered World Council of Churches and its partners have sent a 15-person strong team to Belem to focus on the consequences of economic globalisation against the backdrop of the global financial crisis.

"We have been given an opportunity to build a new momentum for a new financial architecture," Rogate Mshana, the group’s programme executive for poverty, wealth and ecology, told ENI. "But if we miss this point again, we are going to repeat history with another crisis." The forum also offers an opportunity for the WCC to build networks with churches and movements to support, "a preferential option for the poor", said Mshana, a Lutheran from Tanzânia.

Organizers of the forum say more than 100 000 people from almost 5700 movements, groups of indigenous peoples, trade unions, organisations, non-governmental organizations and churches from 150 countries are meeting in Belem to take part in more than 2400 activities.

"As churches we need the ability to unite with groups in society and therefore the World Social Forum is the best place to meet people from other denominations, but also the trade unions and other groups, like the movement of landless people in Brazil," said the EED’s Steen.

Source: Ecumenical News International (ENI)

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