By Ebrima Sillah
Tens of thousands of activists and campaigners have started arriving in the Senegalese capital, Dakar, to take part in the World Social Forum. Dakar’s traffic jams are always painful, but gridlocked commuters these days can amuse themselves studying the energetic forum participants arriving in grand style: long caravans of vehicles plastered with all kinds of messages and slogans.
They sing and dance in open trucks and wave warmly at pedestrians and those stuck in traffic, but behind the smiles and laughter are serious messages: demands for social justice and equity; calls for fairer trade; warnings about the effects of climate change. Campaigners have come to describe and discuss migration, human rights, good governance and much more.
The uprisings in North Africa are a lively topic of discussion, as civil society groups and NGOs organise sessions ahead of the forum to raise awareness of their particular issues.
Ebrima Sillah gazes at the crowds gathering for the World Social Forum. Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (95)
February 10th, 2011 at 6:52 pm
Online Knowledge Centre (www.okcentre.org), a forum of youths and students organised online extended encounter programme at Dhaka with World Social Forum, Dakar, Senegal on 09 February 2011.
A dialogue on Youth Employment: Prospects, Opportunities and Barriers held with participation of Economists, Youths and Students Leaders, CSOs and Youth and Students.
Prodip Kumar Roy, Moderator of Online Knowledge Centre moderated the dialogue while Dr. Pias Karim from BRAC University, Rokonuzzaman Rokon from Jatio Jubo Jote, Kafi Ratan from Bangladesh Youth Union, Monowar Mostofa from Development Synergy Instiitue and Subol Sarkar from Vumihin Krishok Samity spoke in the dialogue. 45 students and youths participated in the dialogue.
Using USTREAM(http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/12567317), the dialogue was broadcasted live in online and Pavel Partho, Engineer Mohammad Hilaluddin, Ratan Sarker, Asgar Ali Sabri and participants of Dakar WSF participated in the this dialogue using skype.
It is the first time, an international event was connected with a national programme in Bangladesh.