On Monday, 21 January 2007, I attended the first day of workshops at the World Social Forum. Overall, my experience was good. There were many workshops that had logistical problems and never began or it was hard to hear.
I went to one workshop sponsored by Oxfam International on the recent "Arms Trade Treaty" introduced in the UN for support from all member nations. Left is a picture of the Kenyan Ambassador to the UN giving participants an update on the movement and why the restriction of selling small arms in Africa is so important. This was also of great importance to the Jesuits and partners working for the Social Apostolate in JESAM. (Jesuit Superiors of Africa and Madagascar)
Other workshops that I attended that day included: Building Peace Relationships with Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns and Rights of Women and Orphans in Africa sponsored by the African Collaborative (a local NGO).
The estimates for total numbers at the Forum range considerably... anywhere from 5,000 to 30,000. I would opt for somewhere closer to the first number.
(Pictures are slow in coming because reliable (and faster than slow) internet connections are on the sparse side. Thank you for your patience!)
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