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ON THE DOCUMENTATION OF THE SOCIAL FORUMS IN THE LIBRARIES (Part two)

Reality is the shared dream of mankind and nobody knows what is really happening.

- Leena Krohn[1].

These notes are a continuation of an article about the documentation of knowledge versus the documentation of social activities.[2] The article relates to the documentation of the process and events of the world social forum as well as the regional, national and local social forums. In this later part, I shall bear in mind the response from some librarians and social activists to the first part of the article.[3].

The theme of this second part is that we need to organize a documentation for the future on the basis of our documentation of the past.

PREMISES. OPEN SPACE AND CYBERSPACE

The social forum, in the form it was given by its founders, is a step forward on the road towards a world society. The 'open space' of the social forum is a sign of the 'globalization' of civic action. Global democratization ought longer to be seen as an abstract goal, or utopia, but as a practical task for the citizens to complete.[4]

The part played by information in global democratization is crucial. To paraphrase an old saying: at the global level information becomes the continuation of war and politics by other means. H.G Wells said as much in his manifesto from 1928, which he called The Open Conspiracy (and later renamed to What To Do with Our Lives?):

" Existing states are primarily militant states, and a world state cannot be militant. There will be little need for president or king to lead the marshalled hosts of humanity, for where there is no war there is no need of any leader to lead hosts anywhere, and in a polyglot world a parliament of mankind or any sort of council that meets and talks is an inconceivable instrument of government. The voice will cease to be a suitable vehicle. World government, like scientific process, will be conducted by statement, criticism, and publication that will be capable of efficient translation." [5]

However, a 'world government conducted by statement, criticism and publication' presupposes world society.

The library institution, old as the society itself, and the internet, still in its infancy, are two facets of the transformation of man into a writing and reading being with an external memory. Together, they form the foundation on which world self-government can be built .

The birth and the growth of the 'open space' of the world social forum is a sign of the formation of a global society -- a society with a common library and a common internet.

Those who remain mental prisoners of the present hierarchic system of military blocs and states are not able to build a common society. The little they have achieved in terms of diplomatic agreements, such as, for instance, the treaty on non-proliferation of nuclear weapons, they have systematically spoiled. After 1945, traditional, inter-governmental diplomacy, has only managed to create "cold war", which could mean the end of mankind, and "war on terror", which means infinite war. Their infinite war on terror is just another way to kill us all.

Hope, therefore, lies in 'citizens diplomacy'. The social forum is its current form. Precisely because the social forum is not a political party, or a social movement with some specified goals, (which is another way to say 'political party'), but an opening towards a common society of mankind, the social forum is a historical novelty.

If the process which took off at Porto Alegre in 2001 would fail, the social forum would have to be re-invented later on. The citizens of the world need a common 'open space'. It is a basic necessity, like food, health-care and democracy.

The conditions are in some respects more favorable today than at the time of Wells. The internet, in particular, gives a new point of departure for political thought and political praxis. With the internet, it may be possible, for the first time, to create a common human understanding ("an information"), which is not controlled and manipulated by Nationalist and military-industrial interests, or religious fanatics. Thus it may be possible to add a new dimension to the old idea of liberty, based on the separation of state powers.

The internet can become an Informational Power, which completes the constitutional triad of the Executive, Legislative and Judicial Powers of the modern Nation-States. The peoples of the world need to install a global political system, in which the new informational power checks and balances the powers of the nation-states.

The internet regulates itself to a great extent. This is why we call it cyberspace. Cyberspace means self-government by means of information. But the self-governance of the internet is not yet on a secure basis. It needs to be be further separated from the militaristic nation-states and the corporate interests, which threaten to turn information into exclusive 'intellectual property'.

The solution to the problem of 'internet governance' is at hand. Internet governance is a librarian's task.

THE LIBRARY

The library is said to be the memory of mankind. [6] Let us accept this definition, although it may be a bit difficult to understand how mankind can have a common memory.

What we do understand is that past knowledge and knowledge of the past are necessary in order to foresee and plan for the future. This is why past and present knowledge and events are documented and put on record. But how to prepare the memory of mankind for the future?

The memory of mankind, that is, the library, has to be prepared in three ways. Or, rather it should prepare itself in three ways. The library, after all, is an independent institution. The following is primarily about what its professional staff, the librarians, have to do.

Firstly, the librarians must continue with the activities that have made the library into the great and indispensable institution it is.

Secondly, the library needs to continue with what at least some libraries have already started to do in order to be better integrated in their local communities. The current buzzword is "Library 2.0" (imitated after "Web 2.0").

Finally, there is a third item on the librarian's todo-list , which he or she has not really started to do yet. This is described as "government".

RANGANATHAN AND HIS FOLLOWERS

Nobody has summarized the librarian's task more succinctly than the Indian mathematician and librarian S.R Ranganathan. (1892-1972). Erik Carlqvist, in his introduction to Ranganathan's classical writing Five Laws of Library Science, jokingly calls him the "law-giver" of the library. Ranganathan's five laws are:

1. Books are for use. 2. Every reader his [or her] book. 3. Every book its reader. 4. Save the time of the User. 5. The library is a growing organism.[7]

In the age of he internet, Ranganathan's laws may be bit too bookcentric (i.e. fixated with one particular cultural archetype, the book). Therefore, Timo Kuronen's two supplementary laws are also worth mentioning:

6. Every reader his library 7. Every writer his [or her] contribution to the library [8]

The above mentioned five "laws" already keep the librarians very busy. Kuronen's two supplementary laws give the librarians even more to do. Developing "Library 2.0" is indeed very much about using the Internet and the World Wide Web locally, to make the local public library as relevant as possible for the members of the local community. For instance, in order to give every writer in the neighborhood possibility to make "his [or her ] contribution to the library", the library needs to maintain blogs and wikis. The implication is that "the library takes up the case", as Norwegian librarian and journalist Anders Ericson puts it. Thus the librarian's new awareness for the needs of the local people translates into an ongoing documentation of current "issues". This activity comes close to journalism. As an example Anders Ericson takes the case of library blogs which document the debates and the historical background of a planned new civil airport in Rygge near Oslo.[9]

A lot more is to be said about what librarians already are doing. Canadian library scientist Toni Samek, for instance, has written an an entertaining guide to socially active public librarianship, in which she describes the "prevalent manifestations of social action applied to library work", as well as many "specific forms of social action used in library and information work for social change". [10]

LIBRARY POWER

It was said that the library has not yet started to "govern" or to be a "government". This is not wholly true. The power of the libraries resides in their crucial role in the transmission of culture and knowledge. [11] Thus our libraries are governing us in many indirect ways which we may be more or less unaware of.

The question is, should the library do even more than guaranteeing the historical continuity of mankind? Should the library more than hitherto start behaving like the government of a state and become more like a state power?

The answer is yes. Of course, the library must not become violent like the state. It should not start building and modernizing its own atomic bombs like, for instance, the states of France and Britain. No, the library should govern exclusively by means of information. In this respect, however, the library has something to learn from the state.

The modern state is organized around a limited number of "actionable themes", to use an expression from the World Social Forum. The various ministries or departments of the state are named after these themes. Those themes amount to nothing more and nothing less than rough classification of practical action.

The state is, firstly, a brutal and violent apparatus for repression and even annihilation (those barbaric weapons of mass destruction!) But the state is also the home of government, which sets out to solve the main problems of the nation.

What the library needs to do, in addition to all the things it is already doing, is to organize its information around the main problems of mankind. The 21 "actionable themes" of the world social forum, already quoted in the first part of this article, is a decent listing of the problems and therefore a good start.

Is this a wildly unrealistic and far out Utopian proposal? Certainly not. What is needed is only a little bit of more courage from the side of the librarians to conspire openly against their state governments. It is difficult, because of the fact that the libraries are (mostly) dependent on the state governments for their funding. However, with global democratization comes global taxes, from which the libraries of the world society may be funded.

The end of the era of Neoliberalism is in sight, the present financial system is rotten. A new system of world public finances is badly needed. The library ought to side with the people who want to build it -- the peoples of the World Social Forum.

The library is not supposed to stay within any national borders, or to accept any limitations its information. The library is expected to deliver all the information without delay to all. The library cannot obey to any "Patriot Acts", because it has to stick to the principle of the Freedom of Information. We may conclude, again, that the library already is on the right track in what it is doing. The principle of the Freedom of Information is, since long, accepted by all professional members of the library community. It is just a question of keeping up the good work.

AN ADDITIONAL REMARK ON ARCHIVES AND LIBRARIES

Professional archivists often stick to the principle of provenance.:

"One of the main principles of systematising archives is the principle of provenience [i.e. provenance - MB]. It means that the archive should be kept or brought back to the original order. To achieve this it is important to understand the organisation of the institution, the structure of the archives, the work flow and so on." [12]

A related rule of the archivist is, or has been, that the uniqueness of the materials has to be respected This has gone hand in hand with the idea that records need to be archived only once, in one archive:

"uniqueness... a record should, by way of principle, only be stored in one place, in contrast with books, which are preserved in many places in many copies [exemplar]. Therefore each archive is different." [13]

However, after the advent of digital computers and networks the borderline between archives and libraries has become blurred. Henceforward, whole archives - small or large - can be scanned, copied and included in the collections of libraries. And vice versa: archives may keep copies of whole libraries together with their archived materials.

The mutual extension and fusion of archives and libraries has not only become technically feasible. It is also economically possible. Furthermore, it is socially desirable.

Yet archives containing the original 'physical' records and documents, and library buildings with collections of printed books and professional librarians, are necessary as ever. We want to keep "the originals", the printed book must stay, and the professional librarian remains as indispensable as the medical professional, the judge and the lawyer, and the engineer.

Above all, the internet needs to be anchored in a social institution. That institution must not be the nation-state or the business corporation. It must be the library. In the long perspective, the internet is just an extension of what Ranganathan called 'a growing organism'. (To be finalized after the European Social Forum in Malmö 17-21 September 2008 [14]).

ENDNOTES

[1] Leena Krohn is a living Finnish author. One of her many works is Tainaron. Mail from another city (A novel. Translated by Hildi Hawkins. Prime Books 2004).

[2] See http://tinyurl.com/6bzwsj . The adress point to a page of the project "Librarians for informational commons and another Europe" at http://openesf.net and http://www.customwritings.com

[3] Summary of the response received:

Hilde C Stepansen sent me the "Proposal for memory plan for ESF2008
(by the Documentation workgroup, NOC ESF2008 July 13, 2008), from
which I quote this sentence: "The information posted about an activity
through the ESF2008 homepage, both outcome field or other data, shall
be stored in such a way that it can survive even when the ESF2008
homepage no longer exists". -- In my opinion, the documentation on the
social forum should be stored in public libraries and archives, which
are maintained by professional librarians and archivists.

Tord Björk supported my view that the social forum needs to
become integrated into society via the libraries, but criticizes my
opinions about the internet and the social forum.

Hervé Le Crosnier, university librarian at Caen (France), wrote in a
private email: "I think your desire to gain trained librarians to be
full participants [in the social forum's process] with their own
speciality is a very good point. Movement sometimes have
"communication specialists", but never Librarians. May be because they
aim at future in a pro-active way and never as an history continuum."
Hervé here formulates the problem, which I am trying to address in
this second series of notes.
Francine Mestrum doubted that the "21 actionable themes" (which I
listed and wrote about in the first part of this article) where never
'unanimously decided', but were instead "improvised during WSF Nairobi
by organizing committee or someone else..." . Francine also wondered
where to put 'social movements' and 'globalization' among the '21
actionable themes'. Ask the librarian!

Michael Widerkrantz, who (at the time of writing) works on an eprints
file archive for the European Social Forum, also commented on the '21
actionable themes': "It seems like a decent list. We might need to add
subjects as we go along, I guess. For one thing, I find it difficult
to include a text on, say alternative use of technology under any
subject in this list."

[4] The present author is a member of the Network Institute of Global Democratization (http://www.nigd.org).

[5] From H.G.Wells: The Open Conspiracy [1931], in H.G.Wells on World Revolution. Edited and with a critical introduction by W. Warren Wagar. Praeger 2002, pp 70-71. The article in the English language Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Open_Conspiracy) links to the elecctronic text of Wells's book.

[6] Thus Erik Carlqvist and Harry Järv have chosen the title "Mänsklighetens minne" (The Memory of Mankind) for their anthology on library history. See Mänsklighetens minne, Schildts 2008.

[7] About Ranganathan's Five Laws of Library Science, see e.g. Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Five_laws_of_library_science. For a Swedish translation of Ranganathan's writing, see "Mänsklighetens minne", op.cit, pp 593-672.

[8] Quoted from Timo Kuronen's dissertation help in information science; see Kuronen, Timo: "English Summary", pp. 126ff in Kansalaiskeskustelun edellytykset ja mahdollisuudet tietoverkkojen aikakaudella, Acta Electronica Universitatis Tamperensis 31 , Tampere 2000. http://acta.uta.fi/english/teos.phtml?3809 ff. (ISBN 951-44-4814-6)

[9] See "The Library Takes Up The Case- A Handshake For More Democracy, http://edufdaoduf.googlepages.com/librarycase (accessed 16 Sept 2008).

[10] Samek, Toni: Librarianship and Human Rights. A twenty-first century guide. Foreword by Edgardo Civallero. Contributions by Kenneth D. Gariepy . Chandos Publishing 2007.

[11] "Le pouvoir des bibliothÁ ques rÁ side enfin dans leur role crucial dans la transmission de la culture et des savoirs", as the editor of a book on the subject of library power has put it. See Baratin, Marc & Jacob, Christian eds.: Le pouvoir des bibliothÁques. La memoire des livres en Occident. Albin Michel 1996, p. 17.

[12] Quoted from the article "Making archives accessible", (http://www.arkivverket.no/stavanger/konferanse/totalfina.html, accessed 14 Sep 2008). "Provenance is a fundamental principle of archives, referring to the individual, group, or organization that created or received the items in a collection", it is also stated in an article on the Wikipedia. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Provenance#Archives)

[13] Quoted from Valtonen, Marjo: "Arkiv och handlingar", in Mäkinen, Ilkka & Sandqvist, Katja eds.: Introduktion till informationsvetenskapen. Tampere University Press 2003, p 171.

[14] This article (and its first part) is my contribution to the discussions in the ESF workshop SOCIAL MOVEMENTS, LIBRARIES, RESEARCHERS AND HISTORIANS in Malmö 18 September 2008 and the related workshop THE LIBRARY STRIKES BACK in the library of Malmö university 20 September 2008. Hopefully, delegates to the meeting of International Council of the World Social Forum, which takes place in Copenhagen some days after the ESF in Malmö, will also take an interest in these ideas.

Kpomassé, Madrid, Prague and Greater Porto Alegre are the first cities to host Social Forums in 2010

Kpomassé, Madrid, Prague and Greater Porto Alegre are the first cities to host Social Forums in 2010 Kpomassé, Madrid, Prague, Salvador and Greater Porto Alegre are among the cities that will start the celebrations of the 10th anniversary of the World Social Forum process in 2010. The calendar of events will start in Greater Porto Alegre, with the 1st Solidary Economy Forum and the 1st Solidary Economy World Fair, on January 22-24, in Santa Maria. Right after those, on the 25th, the Greater Porto Alegre 10 years Social Forum will start. In the same region, it will take place, on January 26-28 the World Forum on Theology and Liberation in São Leopoldo. Still in Brazil, Salvador will host the Bahia Thematic Social Forum on January 29-31. In the city of Kpomassé in Benin (Africa) it will take place on 28-31 the 2nd Atlantic Local Social Forum, whose main theme will be “the impacts of the world financial and food crises on African agriculture: citizen responses and alternatives”. About 1500 participants are being expected to participant. The first edition of the event, that gathered 1200 people, took place in 2008 in the city of Allada. Among the main objectives of the ALSF are “defense of positions and strategies by different organizations to struggle against the neoliberal economic policies effects and to consolidate the articulation among local social movements and the whole African Social Forum in order to fulfill the expectations of the 2011 Dakar WSF”. In the European continent two events will take place in January: on 28-31 it will be held the 2010 Madrid World Social Forum, at the E.P.A. Patio Maravillas. This will be the third edition of the event in the Spanish capital city. Among the themes which will be discussed are: global crisis and alternatives; the environment; energy and climate; Europe; Latin America, Asia and Africa; social economy and fair trade; education, health, social movements, feminism, migrations, trade union struggles, State and political struggles; historical memory. In Czech Republic, three cities will host the Czech Social Forum on January 20-30: Praga, Brno and Usti nad Labem. The program of activities will include seminars, workshops, demonstrations and cultural events during the evening. All over 2010, the World Social Forum process will take place in a decentralized manner with events and activities across the globe. The main objective of the events will be to sum up, from the analyzes and experiences of global civil society social movements and organizations, proposals to face the global crisis in all its dimensions – economic, environmental, political, food, energy, cultural etc. The convergence of all this process will happen in Dakar, Senegal, during the 2011 World Social Forum. Service: I Solidarity Economy Social Forum and I Solidarity Economy World Fair Where: Santa Maria and Canoas (Great Porto Alegre), Brazil. When: January 22-24th (Santa Maria), 25-29th (Canoas) Contact info: ecosol@fsmecosol.org.br Website: http://www.fsmecosol.org.br Greater Porto Alegre 10 Years Social Forum Where: Greater Porto Alegre, Brazil When: January 25-29 Contact info: fsm2010@yahoo.com.br Wbsite: http://www.fsm10.org World Forum Theology and Liberation Where: São Leopoldo (Great Porto Alegre) - RS - Brazil When: January, 26th-28th Contact: permanentsecretariat@wftl.org (FMTL Permanent Secretariat) II Atlantic Local Social Forum Where: Kpomassé, Benin When: January 28-31 Contact info: Yoro Bi Ta Raymond: forumsocialbenin@yahoo.fr / fosoloa@yahoo.fr Madrid World Social Forum 2010 Where: Madrid, Spain When: January 28-31 Contact info: comunicacion@fsmmadrid.org Website: http://www.fsmmadrid.org Czech Social Forum Where: Prague, Brno, Usti nad Labem - Czech Republic When: Januray 29-30 Contact info: Marek Hrubec - marek.hrubec@gmail.com

Source: WSF TV at http://www.wsftv.net/

WSF Bulletin

January 14th 2010

Special Edition

World Social Forum 2010 starts with great event in the Greater Porto Alegre - Brazil

Celebrating its tenth year of existence, the World Social Forum (WSF), will take place in 2010 in a decentralized manner, with at least 27 regional, national and local events throughout the world over the next period (see agenda on the WSF official website).

Opening this process, the regional event "Greater Porto Alegre 10 Years Social Forum" which is going to happen from January 25th to 29th in the Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul, will have over 500 decentralized activities in the cities of Porto Alegre, Gravatai, Canoas, Sao Leopoldo, Novo Hamburgo and Sapiranga.

Given the importance of the date and the event itself, the presence of some heads of state is waited (Lula, Evo Morales, Mojica and Fernando Lugo), as well as several ministers and prominent politicians (Dilma Rouseff, Marina Silva, Heloisa Helena and Ciro Gomes) which have already expressed their interest in accepting invitations to activities during the event.

Seminar discusses 10 years of World Social Forum

One of the core activities of the Greater Porto Alegre Social Forum is the International Seminar "10 Years Later: Challenges and proposals for another possible world" which will feature more than 70 intellectuals and social leaders around the world - many of whom have integrated the process of creation and construction of the World Social Forum (WSF) in the last ten years. See list of participants (in Portuguese).

The seminar, held in the city of Porto Alegre, aims to examine the new challenges of alter-globalist civil society and to design future directions to be followed by the WSF. It also aims to provide a more systematic reflection on what has been done thus far, mistakes and successes, and the WSF institutional dynamics, becoming thus a moment of strategic thinking addressed to the activists most involved in the process. The activities will take place in the Legislative Assembly, in the Usina do Gasometro and in the Armazens do Porto, always in the morning

Program of the Seminar "10 years later: challenges and proposals for another possible world"

1st day, January 25 - World Social Forum – Examining the last 10 years

2nd day, January 26 - World conjuncture today Table 1: Environmental Conjuncture Table 2: Economic Conjuncture Table 3: Political Conjuncture Table 4: Social Conjuncture

3rd day, January 27 - Elements of a new agenda I Table 1: Common Goods Table 2: Common Goods Table 3: Economy and Gratuity Table 4: Good Life

4th day, January 28 - Elements of a new agenda II Table 1: State Organization and political power Table 2: Rights and Collective Responsibilities Table 3: New World Order Table 4: How to Construct Political Hegemony

5th day, January 29 - Systematizing big issues and contributing to the World Social Forum process

TOWARDS DAKAR 2011: the multiplicity of forums

• Pan-Amazonic Forum
• Americas Social Forum
• African Social Forum
• Maghreb Social Forum
• Stateless Peoples Forum
• Palestine Forum
• European Social Forum
• United States Social Forum
• Crisis of Civilization Forum

Registration for the Greater Porto Alegre 10 years Social Forum

The registration of participants can be made on the website http://www.fsm10.org. The registration fee is R$20,00 and it covers the material that will be provided in the accreditation.

Registration for press coverage must be made on the same page. The press center for communication professionals is located at the Legislative Assembly.

The registration of activities is closed.

Press:

- Sao Paulo: seminariofsm10@gmail.com, phone: (11) 9853-9950 - (Verena Glass)

- Porto Alegre: fsm2010comunicacao@gmail.com, phone: (51) 3433.1233 / (51) 9317.0862 - (Luciana Borba)

More information:

"Greater Porto Alegre 10 Years Social Forum" official website: http://www.fsm10.org/

Seminar "10 years later" official blog: http://seminario10anosdepois.wordpress.com/

WSF Bulletin

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Suggestions and comments: fsmsite @ forumsocialmundial.org.br

WSF Office - Brazil

Address: Rua General Jardim, 660, 7th floor, Sao Paulo - SP- Brasil, Zip Code: 01223-010

email: fsminfo @ forumsocialmundial.org.br

Website: http://www.forumsocialmundial.org.br

While news about the two fire tragedies, first in a supermarket of Nairobi, and the in Rift Valley, reach us via the media and by email, we also hear about the Social Forum event, which took place in Kariobangi (Nairobi):

Daniel Onyango reports:

This year the World Social Forum will be taking place in Belem Brazil from 27 January to 1 February. As away of showing solidarity with the thousands of participants who will be attending the event, youths from Kariobangi Parish that was part of Nairobi 2007 World social forum have organized different activities in preparation to the global event. On 10 January 2009, the youths organized an environmental clean up in Korogocho slum where the residents are faced with environmental hazards that has affected thousand of people and claimed many life. There was a large turn out of community members and young people who joined there effort to make Korogocho a cleaner and safer place. With an aim of creating awareness on the importance of conserving the environment, the event also aimed at mobilizing the community to participate in the coming social forum and other activities scheduled to take place in Kariobangi, Korogocho slums. Other activities to take place include peaceful demonstration about human rights issues, Human rights workshop and seminar, Cultural performances and others.

The most recent World Social Forum event ended yesterday in Belém, Brazil, without, as far as I know, any input from the world's library community. I hope to be proven wrong by public librarians who went there to do what Kay Raseroka suggested (no, adviced, or even recommended and requested) them to do. IFLA chair Kay Raseroka (at the WSF in Mumbai, January 2004) said that the librarians should all attend the Social Forums in order to document the Forums in their libraries.

As for the public librarians in, say, East Africa, I can understand why they where not there. It costs a lot of money and effort to go to Belém, Brazil. And so it might be with librarians and library activists (like me) in other parts of the world. If they have jobs as librarians or library activists at all, they are not well paid, anyway. (The library activist is a pro, who earns his necessary cash working half-time in the greater library of the internet.)

Reports from Belém

• WSF 2009 Highlights 30 January — World Social Forum TV THIRD DAY OF THE MEETING OF THE WORLD CIVIL SOCIETY E SOCIAL MOVEMENT TO FACE THE GLOBAL WARMING AND THE FINACIAL CRISIS interviews with Jorge Furagaro - Amazonia Colombia; Nilma Bentes - Afro descendent movement; Jorge Marubo from Jawari area, Amazonia Brasil; Walden Bello (Focus on the Global South-Philippines), author, academic and political analyst - text and video http://www.wsftv.net/Members/focuspuller/videos/highlights3.mp4/view

• World Social Forum 2009: a generation’s challenge PEOPLE Geoffrey Pleyers | open Democracy News Analysis 30 january 2009

http://www.opendemocracy.net/article/world-social-forum-2009-a-generation-s-challenge

• Crisis as Opportunity for "Another World" Mario Osava - IPS Inter Press Service - 21 January 2009

http://ipsnews.net/print.asp?idnews=45494

The International Council of the World Social Forum met in Abuja, Nigeria between 30 March and 3 April 2008. Reports from the meetings are found on the website of the Network Institute for Global Democratization, which is a partner in the WSG Library project. Link:

http://www.nigd.org/nan/nan-doc-store/03-04-2008/wsf-ic-abuja-2008

Greetings,

-Mikael

The Wiki mode? An enormous potential!

You may have heard of Wikipedia : A Web-based encyclopedia, to find almost anything you could think of, and in many languages ! Try the Web to learn about "Ramses II" egyptian pharaon and you get the Wikipedia full answer. Wish it were in esperanto ? Yes, it is also available.

This impressive achievement results from a collective, round the clock effort of countless volunteers worlwide.The Wikipedia knowledge-base expands continuously, wider than any commercial encyclopedia.

At the core is the "Wiki" free-software allowing distant people to contribute, discuss, amend and agree. Anybody can retrieve knowledge one day and contribute the other day to the community.

The Wiki-WTO project is to operate on the wiki-mode, overcoming distances and language barriers, to shape a worlwide project at virtually no cost.

What is and what does the WTO? Let us stay alert and informed.

The World Trade Organization (WTO) is an international organization designed to supervise and liberalize international trade. It came into being in 1995, following the former General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) created in 1948. Wikipedia tells you the details.

What the WTO does, impacts on nations, on people, on the way the planet goes.

Although the stated aim of the WTO is to liberalize trade and stimulate economic growth, globally free trade results in the rich becoming richer, while the poor are getting poorer. The issues of labour and environment are steadfastly ignored. To the extent the WTO succeeds at promoting globalization, then in equal measure do the environment and labour rights suffer.

Despite of strong opposition from poor countries, the WTO continues encouraging harmful policies which would benefit the largest farmers, destroy nascent or fragile industries throughout the South and open public services everywhere to corporate takeover.

There is much to say about the decision making in the WTO: obscure, unrepresentative and non-inclusive. The Third World Network called the WTO "the most non-transparent of international organisations", because "the vast majority of developing countries have very little real say in the WTO system".

The ITO we could have had

Soon after the Second World War, the economist John Maynard Keynes came with an innovative project for the future of world trade, which he called the International Trade Organisation (ITO).

It offers brilliant concepts as reported by Susan George in an inspiring article "The world trade organisation we could have had": Yes, it is possible to construct a trading system serving the needs of people in both North and South. The Wiki-ITO is meant to follow this route and to shape an alternative International Trade Organisation: useful for people, careful for life and environment, while fostering fair trade practices.

The Wiki-ITO idea

Would it be possible to revive the ITO, as a collective project driven by the civil society? Why not using the Internet tools? Look, the Wiki-ITO is already there, started as a local experiment. This is where we stand today.

What next? The idea is to build a community of interest, join forces and gain speed, until the Wiki-ITO becomes a knowledge base which no economist could ignore.

Thanks to a legitimate, representative and transparent operation, it would ideally grow strong enough to deprive the market-based WTO of its already undermined credibility.

Enough Websites oppose to the WTO already; why another one?

Many NGOs do protest, fight against, oppose to. The Wiki-ITO complementary approach would be to positively build, elaborate, discuss until sound International trade rules are collectively agreed.

Would people from Asia, Africa, Australia, America...agree so easily on trade issues?

We can see conflicting commercial interests everywhere. But where governments may fight, civil society reach the consensus, because people from widely differing cultures and economic standards still share universal values.

The Wiki-ITO will recognize the United Nations legal instruments, mandate cooperation with the International Labour Organisation...a solid and valid framework for everybody to adhere.

The Wiki-WTO will derive its proposals from uppermost values: Human Rights, Environmental Charter; it will put trade where it belongs - Economy is to serve mankind; it will strive to stop the non-sense - biodiversity erosion for the sake of wrong macroeconomics.

Where to start?

It make sense to create the Wiki-ITO as an activity of the World Social Forum (WSF), within the www.wsflibrary.org .This WSF Library website aims at creating a permanent link between libraries, librarians and the WSF, it has been created by the Kenya Library Association in connection with the WSF in Nairobi, January 2007.

Where to go?

The 21 actionnable themes of the World Social Forum (WSF) seem relevant to start and they address a broad spectrum: water, food security, health... In a cascading mode, each field may be worked out into progressive details, stepwise, until reaching an international consensus on trade rules for agriculture, industry, services.

Even if it means a long way to go, it will be dotted by victories, since it is of great value to internationally agree on sound principles (food security), on appropriate indicators (ecological footprint, human development index)...so much to learn and to share.

How to work collectively?

The Wiki-WTO is a tool for a yet-to-be formed community. Now we should link, network and build this community of interest. Also write our own rules (editing, checking; translations; moderation, administration). Common rules are needed for constructive interactions and by chance the Wikipedia example proposes a comprehensive and well-proven set of rules.

Language barriers?

The wiki mode allows routinely duplicating a page in many languages. More than 30 translators from the Coorditrad networks are ready to support the project! Their fast response encourage us.

Where do we stand today?

At www.wsflibrary.org, under "Belem 2009”�heading is the wiki-WTO Home page.

The project Context, Objectives and Approach are documented in English, French, German, Spanish and Portuguese. That is like a seed.

The upcoming Attac European Summer University to be staged in Saarebrueck, Germany, may gather enough impulse for kick-off.

The Wiki-WTO may become an activity of the next World Social Forum In Belem, 2009.

What volunteers could bring at present is:

- Expertise: to develop the intellectual social contents

- Moderation: to guide the efforts

- Translation: to communicate everywhere

- Administration: to maintain a fast and robust platform. Once properly launched, a dedicated wiki-site will be set up.

...It is still very uncertain ...whether the Wiki-WTO will raise interest and find support.

But if the market-oriented WTO is to collapse soon from its internal contradictions, the situation will be no better.

An international trade regulation is needed, and this makes alternative ITO proposals so more so desirable.

Is The Western Model Universally Applicable?

Thinking loudly

‘The banning of live broadcasts should be condemned by all. As information managers we must condemn this action by the government in the strongest terms possible’ – Esther Obachi

In �My views about the Political situation in Kenya and the way forward’, Esther wrote those cited words which also appear on the wsflibrary Homepage.

I am happy that Esther brought out the situation that obtained in Kenya in very clear perspective. I totally agree with that analysis.

However, I have a grouse on the applicality of Western ideals on so called Third World countries.

In Kenya, one of the greatest achievement of the Kibaki administration was the freedom of speech and press. However, prior to and during and immediate after elections, the vernacular stations played a terrible role of igniting and preparing people of their ethnicity for violence against the others. Most were thro’�call-in messages that were relayed live on radio. By the time the elections were found to have been rigged, the only option was to do what they had been prepared for. Certainly, live broadcasts were doing more harm in a state in anarchy than good. This brings me to the question: do the cherished ideals of the Western world such as freedom of speech and press always work for others? While I leave it for discussion, I tend to think that there is a developmental stage that permits such an ideal to work. Absence of that development stage can result in the ghastly results.

I remember former President Moi (Kenya) was opposed to multiparty democracy on grounds that it woud divide the country and ignite tribal animosities. This has come to pass. In his unveiling of the cabinet recently, Kibaki tacitly acknowledged the truth in that view. Considering what happened in Kenya and now Zimbabwe, which may be copied by other African countries considering that Kenya has often played a first one; my second question is: Is Western concept of multiparty or plural politics really good for Africa? Any answers.

Kenyan Crisis.

Still at in Kenya As at this date (10th April, 2008), we are still at it in Kenya. We hoped diplomat Koffi Annan and Tanzania�s president Kikwete and other eminent African persons had done it for us. No, we are now fighting for cabinet positions and degenerating into the ghastly state we were recovering from. Our political class is now jostling for power-sharing in the Grand Coalition. None of them is bothered about the terrible conditions of the masses they contributed to displace, the soaring inflation, the insecurity, imminent shortage of food due to displacement of farmers and inordinate increases in farm inputs and fertilizer prices, uncertainty in the economy and the consequent social hazards. So occupied with who should become minister for what and from which side of the coalition that it is shameful that consideration for, even pretence at sympathy for, the suffering of the masses has been thrown to the wind. Our political elite amplify something common with African leaders: as long as one of them captures power �legitimately or not –�the other will not let go and will incite the country and its misery, lousy masses to tear each other to pieces; if it is sharing they�ll agree to share, but again after serious haggling. If they can�t agree on how to share their power, the masses will be called upon again as pawns to kill each other as their negotiation chip till one side agrees that enough is enough or till the country is completely torn to irrecoverable pieces.

Many thanks, though, to the international community for reacting fast to our crisis. Many thanks to the Ugandan Govt and people. The Ugandan president was the first head of state to call in, and the people of Uganda accepted Kenyans on their soil as refugees. Many thanks to the UN for backing a solution in the strongest way they�ve ever done in Africa. Thanks to the U.S, Britain and other Western countries. Special thanks go to President Kikwete and former president Mkapa of Tanzania. Graca Machel, Desmond Tutu and other African leaders who refused to stand by as our greedy leaders let Kenyan brothers butcher each other for their selfish greed. Dr. Annan receives the greatest and deepest thanks for his perseverance and genuine concern to resolve the crisis. We hoped by now we would be writing and debating about it as an academic issue, but alas. We seem to be moving in circles.

Is it necessary? One of the biggest challenges we ought to be asking ourselves is whether it was worth it. Why would the interests of two persons tear a country apart? Does it help anything to note that our leaders would have had us massacre each other probably to the last man were it not for the intervention of the international community?

Why this Kenya? Kenya has played a parental role for many within the region who faced turmoil in their countries. It has sent its peace-keeping soldiers to many countries in the world. Its journalists have brought the attention of the world to sufferings in other countries. It has been the hub of commercial activities within the East and Central African region. It has been a haven of peace in a region –�except Tanzania –�which has faced political upheavals. Many never thought that the country could become a banana state. But although I wouldn�t say that we have reached the banana level, what has happened is prove that in Africa, any country can collapse to that state due to poor quality leadership accompanied by greedy leaders.

Ethnicity Voting in 2007 provided the people of Kenya a chance to remove bad leadership. People were tired of corruption and arrogance. Most people are poor, hungry and lack opportunity for self-development. From a most hopeful populace in 2002 when the Kibaki government took power, they became disillusioned as is usually expected from bloated hopes. Unfortunately, the masses do not usually know the sources of their conditions. With the professionals, religious leaders and the media playing the ethnic card, the country was divided –�not on matters of fact –�but on ethnicity. Matters were not made any better with the obvious stealing of votes. To voters, it implied they were stupid. The sheer arrogance of the ruling class, together with the apparent ethnic campaigns that preceded voting, the rampant poverty which became a source of active political discontent, the playing of ethnic communities against one another by the ruling elite to ensure tribal support even in circumstances where it would have been reasonable not to choose on that basis (thereby muddling the social conditions) made the meek struggles of the masses to be a struggle for power and resources for ethnic elite. The ethnic elite can now enjoy sharing the power and resources as the masses languish in whatever stupid state they are.

Our role in itEach person has a significant contribution they have played in these circumstances here or elsewhere or in their countries. Many of these problems start within us, and perceptions –�right or wrong –�are formed on the basis of our behaviour as leaders, professionals, models, parents, teachers, writers�name it, in whatever capacity. Do you discriminate among equals? Do you distribute unequally what should be shared by all or many? Would you rather a member of your tribe represent you in this or that function? Do you employ on tribal or other discriminatory criterion? Do you use your position to favour unfairly your brothers and sisters, relatives, tribesmen, girlfriends, boyfriends, mistresses�Do you misappropriate funds meant for all? As a teacher, do you mark on the basis of certain relationships or merit? Do you sideline some people in order to have it all your way? Do you sideline? As a leader or boss, do you treat all equally or do you base your decisions on other irrelevant factors. Perceptions of favouritism or discrimination can ruin. There is a very sound moral foundation in the success of anything. Pray for Kenya.

Some encouraging news from young friends in Nairobi:

 Hi, hope you are fine, we are fine too.  Things are fine here, life is
 back to normal and people are smiling again though not all of us.
 I. is back to school again we tried to find some help and he is 
 doing well, he is also attending piano classes and is doing really fine,
 S. too is fine attending computer classes too, i have been busy too
 working as a volunteer in a children center and attending the college
 too. We are waiting for R. to finish his high school this year and we
 pray he perform better.  We wish you, your family and friends a happy
 Easter holiday

Season's Greetings from me, too.

In January 2001, 2002, 2003 and 2005 Porto Alegre, the capital of the Rio Grande do Sul, the southernmost state of Brazil, hosted World Social Forums (WSF). In January 2006, the city was host to the Assembly of the World Council of Churches (WCC).

The following is a quotation from the address to the Assembly of the WCC, which was delivered by Yash Tandon, the economist from Uganda, who directs the South Centre in Geneva:

I hope that from here the churches will go with two messages: how to deliver the world from the

curse : of Neoliberalism, and how to strengthen the hundreds of alternatives (TAHA) of the

people for a different world. In the words of the World Social Forum: Another World is Possible!

We can make it!

In my humble opinion, the IFLA and library associations everywhere in the world should do what the WCC and so many churches have done. In other words, they ought to join the World Social Forum.

The library, being in its essence a public institution, is incompatible with a doctrine that postulates the privatisation of all public service, including schools, universities, scientific research and knowledge, public broadcasting companies, museums, archives and public libraries.

In addition to being a public institution, the library is universal. Like the Internet, which is the most recent extension of itself, the library has no geographical or spiritual borders. It is Cosmopolitan; it speaks all languages. And, like the World Social Forum, the library strives to be an open space.

Another world is possible! It is virtually there, in the library.

- Mikael