Washing Away Dirty Debts

Coming to the World Social Forum has been like being part of a brook, joining a stream, flowing into a river and finally helping to form the ocean. We gradually joined up with groups of people from all over the world: coming into Nairobi, registering at the Kenyatta International Conference Centre, joining the march to the rally in the Uhuru Park (culminating in our forming a colourful and deep pool of people at the feet of one of Africa’s great visionaries and founding fathers, Zambian ex-president, Dr Kenneth Kaunda) and then, today, in hundreds of buses coming to the Moi International Sports Centre, Kasarani, where section of seats have been tented off and other tents erected to form hundreds of separate display, conference and seminar rooms.

Like many different types of water, the people have tremendous diversity (of nationality, affluence, age, perspectives, preoccupations), but, again like flowing water, there is amazing strength and energy, bubbling into debates, drama, declamations, demonstrations, all backed by continuous drumming and dancing. Surely we should – together – be able to tackle the obstacles in our path – from the boulders of power cuts, printing failures, and internet disconnections that make local progress difficult here to the mountains of greed, vested interests, lack of political will that dominate the global landscape.

Building on the Forum’s slogan, “Another World is Possible”, Kenneth Kaunda reminded us, this “summit of the people of the world” must denounce all exploitation of people by people. He asserted that one of the major consequences and causes of poverty is debt; although several battles have been won, the debt war is not over. Through civil society and social movements across the world working together, we have made tremendous progress, but we must do more.

Today we have had discussions with partners in many countries – of debtors and creditors – on illegitimate debt, responsible financing, conditions attached to debt relief and the special needs of post-conflict countries such as Sierra Leone (which has been given substantial debt cancellation) and Liberia (which, so far, has not). This is helping to clarify the next steps and how we can best work together. Each of us is a drop, but our united torrent can totally wash dirty debts away and transform the landscape.