Street kids raid WSF poverty summit
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anti-capitalism |
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Thursday January 25, 2007 11:59
by pat c
Poetic justice as the kids get to eat while the World Social Forum delegates go hungry for a change. These people have no conception of the reality of poverty. Getting a 5 Star hotel to run the catering. Bah!
Full text at link.
Dozens of street children have invaded a five-star hotel food tent and feasted on meals meant for sale at the World Social Forum in Kenya's capital. The hungry urchins were joined by other participants who complained that the food was too expensive at the annual anti-capitalist get together.
The police, caught unawares, were unable to stop the free-for-all that saw the food containers swept clean. The gathering in Nairobi is discussing social problems, including poverty.
A plate of food at the tent being operated by the prestigious Windsor Hotel was selling for $7 in a country where many live on less than $2 a day.
Two days ago, World Social Forum organisers were forced to waive entry fees for participants after Nairobi slum dwellers staged a demonstration against the charges.
Comments (4 of 4)
Jump To Comment: 1 2 3 4Hello,
I attended the world social forum in Nairobi, was there translating mainly, and attended some workshops, the anti coke, some of them organised by Oil Watch from Ecuador against Texaco and a few ones on climate change/carbon trading by a Swedish institute ( with Vandana Shiva)....
There was a tree planting ceremony, Prof Wagaari Matthai did not attend it, however she participated at some of the events...At one of the debates... launching a new women nobel peace prize initiative many of the participants questioned the Somalia US interventions... she made some comments on this...
Just coming back to the organisation of the forum. I met some of members of the organising committee. In fact the cultural stuff was brilliant, I believe that the financial/accounting side failed... as they even were thinking of selling the receivers ( radios) to listen to the translation provided at the forum for 500 shellings... is this a capitalism forum?
the original price charged to access the social forum venue was 500 shellings... around 10 dollars... far too much for Kenya, and later on was dropped to 50 shellings...
I visited Kibera, the second biggest slums after Soweto in South Africa...
I met Frank from a youth community project( will upload the interview asap!) and he was insulted a few times at the forum,,,, just because some believed that he was one of them one attacking the food stalls
in general I enjoyed the forum, although the issue with security and personal belongings was a kind of nightmare... people were robbed camaras, passport, laptops. mobile, event articles... and glasses....
I attended the demonstration at the opening... there were not enough Latin Americans.... the airplane cost is quite expensive, and this was obvious...
for more question or comments please feel free to email me miren.s@gmx.net
I had some interesting recorders...
bye for now
Another act of thievery also happened, this time vital equipment there to assist local communities was stolen: IMC radio team and IMC-Kenya teams were robbed at gunpoint
IMC-radio team held up in Naorobi by gunpoint yesterday evening
http://kenya.indymedia.org/news/2007/01/521_comment.php
and...
The impact of the World Social Forum on the people of Kibera: "a Failure"
http://kenya.indymedia.org/news/2007/01/534.php
includes more stories from the recent WSF:
"What Is WSF? Something That Will Bring Me Medicine?"
Peace March: From Kibera to Uhuru Park, for the opening of the World Social Forum
Kenya. Wsf 2007: "Da Kibera a Nairobi" (Italian)
Kenya: I Poveri e il World Social Forum
"Another act of thievery also happened, "
Are you for real? The kids expropriation of the food was not thievery. Given the contempt shown to the local communities by the WSF organisers I'm not surprised that people were robbed. Its a pity it happened to IMC activists.
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