We have come to the end of the World Social Forum. It has been a very interesting journey for all members of the Amnesty delegation. We have gained a lot of inspiration from the sheer amount of people present in the Forum and the true diversity of its participants.
We have met with individuals and organisations and identified points of convergence in our thinking as well as discussed possibilities of future collaboration. Through our stand, we have amplified Amnesty International’s voice; we reached out to hundreds of people.
Above all, we have worked together, eighteen Amnesty International delegates and friends, as one Amnesty.
Below, some of the reactions of two representatives of the Indigenous Community of Yakye Axa and Sawhoyamaxa. They participated in a workshop organized by Amnesty International and Civicus and told their story to participants.
Albino Gomez, Yakye Axa:
“What I liked most today was the participation of many people in the workshops and I am really happy with their interest in our case. They have also signed a petition to the Government of Paraguay requesting our ancestral lands back.
Continuar leyendo ‘WSF2009: “The solidarity will help us a lot”’ »
29 January 2009: Amnesty’s delegation participated in several workshops at the UFPA (Federal University of Pará) and UFRA (Federal Rural University of the Amazonia). The UFRA holds most of the thematic tents including the Human Rights tent and the Indigenous Peoples’ tent.
The representatives of the two indigenous communities of Yaky Axa and Sawhoyamaxa from Paraguay joined a workshop/forum organised by FIAN and HIC, two organisations working on the right to food and right to housing, called human rights and struggles over land, habitat and the environment.
Continuar leyendo ‘WSF2009: Participating and accomplishing something’ »
28 January: We got to the site of the UFPA (Federal University of Pará) early that morning to set up the stand. The site is enormous and very well organised. The river draws a natural boundary in the east – the view is very pleasant, you can get on a little boat and visit the nearby islands.
The stand was set up in about an hour and the response has been great from the start. A good selection of Amnesty’s work is presented there and the petition and action post card on the two indigenous communities of Yaky Axa and Sawhoyamaxa who seek to recover their ancestral land has gained excellent support.
Continuar leyendo ‘WSF2009: Setting up and getting started’ »
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.
Continuar leyendo ‘WSF2009: A wonderful unifying experience’ »
