By Irudhaya Jothi

Salvador: Brazil has produced some of the most iconic players in the history of the world of football. From Pele to Garrincha and Ronaldo to Kaka, the country has a catalogue of stars that is scarcely believable.

Most of the social activists have studied the Brazilian educator and philosopher and a leading advocate of ‘Critical Pedagogy’ Paulo Freire, a Brazilian educator and philosopher, and his well-read book, ‘Pedagogy of the Oppressed’.

And in this land of Coffee and Samba and football, Brazil, one of the top five biggest countries of the world, people from different parts of the world gathered from March 13 – 17 for the 13th edition of World Social Forum (WSF).

The WSF is taking place in Salvador, Bahia, with seminars, plenary sessions, workshops, cultural activities and conferences.

The venue for the meet is Federal University of Bahia (UFBA) but it has spread through different part of the city.

The dreams of humanity today are confronted with the fundamentalisms of wars and xenophobia and systems of domination with their new ways of striking liberties and democracies. The ability to resist is violently challenged. That is why the organizations and movements aligned with the Charter of Principles of the WSF again call themselves together to gather their diversity of struggles and join forces for resistance.

‘To resist is to create, to resist is to transform’ is the conviction I can see in the face of the youth who gathered in a large number and supported by some experienced activists from all over the world.

There was a serious discussion about the ‘water conservation’ and how to produce the groundwater from the corporate mafia who search the water throughout the day and nights. The water conservationists from Brazil exposed the deteriorating conditions of the water plates in Brazil.

Apparently, there is a grand alliance of corporate houses and the ruling government in assaulting the mother earth and her resources!

Very interesting and engaging discussion was in the main building of the Forum, on Feminist Theology! While discussing the need for re-reading the Bible from the feminist viewpoint, the theologians were from Congo, Canada and Brazil. I missed the Black, Indigenous and Dalit Feminist view on Liberation Theology!

The air in the venue is intense with conviction to resist this oppressive forces which trying to enslave the palpable humanity.

There were expressions of resistance through arts and performances in the evening.

It was that the Public Media network, Brazil Communication Company (EBC), the local govt controlled media has decided not to send the correspondents to cover the news! A sort of Social ostracization by the local govt!

The Jesuits youth movement, Magis Brazil has a session on Youth and Human rights, engaged the discussion of the violation of human rights to the youth, in which I will speak on the sustained struggles of Dalit and tribal women for food rights.

More than 10,000 delegates from different parts of the world, including India, are attending the WSF.