The Environmental Struggles

Desmond D’Sa* gives his impressions of the environmental struggle.

The World Social Forum (WSF) has really been an eye opener for me. I was taken aback by the number of people who came from all corners of the globe who wanted to not only share but also to learn how we can collectively build a better future for all of us. I was with the delegation from the Social Movements Indaba (SMI) and also represented the South Durban Community Environmental Alliance. We worked jointly with Groundwork and other NGOs like Friends of the Earth Nigeria, Netherlands, United Kingdom and other civil society groups from Africa to collect thousands of signatures for our Shell Accountability Campaign. The campaign was aimed at telling Shell to use its profits to clean up its mess in Nigeria, South Africa and else where in the world where its facilities are located.

We participated and worked with the above groups in four sessions on a daily basis, on Environmental, Trans –National Corporations, Financial Institutions, Climate Change, Health and Africa’s Energy and Resources for Africa and other related seminars. The participation from civil society from different countries was excellent and in some sessions we would have audiences of over 100 people. I must say that I was in awe of the discussions and detailed information that was presented at these seminars from all participants. It was also good to meet with old comrades and make friends with new comrades as well as exchanging contact information.

We put forward many resolutions which were accepted, and worked with many of our comrades on the texts drafted to ensure that our vision for another world is carried through. Out of the WSF has come more understanding of the issues and the difficulties faced by poor people all over the world. For example in Africa we have a rich vein of minerals like coal, copper, gold, platinum, crude oil and yet we have the biggest population in the world living in abject poverty.

We’ve agreed to have exchange visits with our brothers from the African Continent. The first is earmarked for early March with the community representatives from the Niger Delta in Nigeria visiting the communities in South Africa. We assured them that information will be shared and exchanged with them so that even our government and its multinational companies who are doing business in Africa will not get away with inequality, and that we will work on joint campaigns in the future.

The first day we arrived in Nairobi was exhausting but also tinged with excitement that finally we were meeting people with common problems on the world stage. It was not only to share but to learn and make the connection so that we could feel one another ’s pain and sufferings.

The hotel was in a place called Thika, an hour and a half’s drive from the conference and approximately two hours from Nairobi airport. What is apparent as you leave Nairobi airport is the many South African corporations along the route indicating the Western economic hold on the continent and in Kenya, with the South Africans leading the rush.

It was clear that the roads were in good condition and the homes of the bosses were beautiful. As our bus continued along the route we found the Vice President of Kenya living in beautiful surroundings, large house and heavily guarded by the Kenya army. That stretch of road was well tarred and police control was in place all along the road.

Then reality hits home as we get into the biggest shack settlement where the poor of Kenya are housed. The roads have big potholes and it is clear that they have been like that for a number of years, with no repair or replacement. The houses are the same as we see with shack dwellers living in our cities. When the question was put to the Kenyan people about development, they would just look at you as if the question seemed strange. This is evident only where the masses of the poor are located with no proper roads, houses and other infrastructure. Despite this extreme hardship that they experienced, people were friendly and very enthusiastic in welcoming us as brothers and sisters of Africa.

The WSF itself was grueling but as there was free information about all people’s struggles in their corner of the world, the value of the conference proved itself. The WSF been a space for all people of the world to share their experiences and knowledge. Therefore it was a shock to the South African delegation that the very people we thought we were going to share our experiences with and hear the voices of were in fact locked out of the conference, namely the Kenyan poor. T South African delegation decided that we will not stand aside. We took on the Kenya Police and the organizing committee and smashed open the gates to make sure that all the poor of the Kenyan slums, including traders, were allowed in free. The lesson we learnt very quickly was that even as the poor we must be on our guard at all time, even against those who we put in responsible positions. The poor of Kenya were delighted t their counterparts from South Africa stood with them when needed. We gave meaning to the slogan ‘An injury to one is an injury to all’