27 of January: We are among the ninety thousand people who have registered in this years’ world social forum. Belem is hot and humid. We are getting ready for the opening march – the atmosphere is festive, it is only a few weeks to one of Brazil’s most famous and well attended carnivals.
The make up of the participants totally diverse and representative of the geography of the city – people from all around the world, communities from the most remote places on the planet, thousands of organisations, movements, individuals.
Indians proudly marching at the World Social Forum 2009. ©Amnesty International
It is fascinating to look at the Indians proudly marching down the side of the road: dressed in traditional costume, their faces painted in red, dark blue and orange.
The samba band give a steady tempo – the march is about to begin. Minutes later, it starts pouring down with rain. We walked at least a kilometre under the rain and we made good use of the banners since nobody has thought of bringing an umbrella.
The heavy rain made everyone even more determined to march, the music did not stop, and it was a wonderful unifying experience. The Amnesty banner gave refuge to many who were looking for protection. People responded with great enthusiasm to our presence there.
Amnesty International at the World Social Forum 2009. ©Amnesty International
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