WSF: Tower of Babel or Meeting of the Minds?

 
As the World Social Forum prepares to get underway, a local reporter has called the scene in Porto Alegre a globalized Tower of Babel. Even the flight from São Paulo to Porto Alegre was a microcosm of the diversity that characterizes this event. High-level representatives from all over the globe rubbed shoulders with young Brazilian students hoping to share the experiences of their communities. At first glance, this seems to be the primary impact of the forum: encouraging the exchange of information in a spirit of hopefulness for real development opportunities.

The amount of activity is huge - one thousand events, mostly workshops. It doesn't seem possible to accommodate them all. However, the forum actually stretches over eight days if you include all the events previous to the official starting date of February 1. Most people have come with commitments that will help them narrow down their choices. This might be the only way to get some focus instead of engaging in intellectual tourism (a tempting prospect, due to the wonderful range of topics). But even for those of us with more focused interests, such as the social dimension of trade and integration in our hemisphere, the choices are vast. In some cases, the same participants seem scheduled to appear in two different places at the same time. The forum is actually a series of many types of events, conferences, seminars and workshops, as well as individual presentations. The full agenda is detailed in a huge newspaper-type program presenting all the activities in four languages. Participants can mark it up like a baseball program!

It has already been announced that the third WSF in 2003 will also be held in Porto Alegre. This shouldn't be surprising; the World Economic Forum has been held in Davos year after year and only this year, its 32nd, will it be held in New York City due to the September 11 tragedy. Despite the political wrangling, almost everyone admits that the WSF has been great for the economy and the image of the State of Rio Grande do Sul (which just has been announced as the site of an important high-tech investment by Dell Computer). The thousands flocking to the forum are sure to feel welcome, although a bit crowded. The local government estimates attendance at more than 60,000. At least there will be an audience for the long list of events!