KEYWORDS: World Social Forum, civil society, Montreal, Canada
SUMMARY: Over the course of six days, the Montreal edition of the World Social Forum - a civil society initiative created in 2001 - took place. My involvement with the Forum began last Spring with participation in an information session at a local university that led to volunteer efforts to mobilize students and faculty across two English universities. Everyone's experience is unique and personal. Through still images, taken from August 10-12 at two downtown Montreal locations, I attempt to capture the Forum as a space - a moment - to initiate dialogue and action on a host of social and political issues that implicate us all. These are my snapshots.
Audio option not available (See: video footage below)
Brief Introduction
As predicted, thousands of concerned citizens attended the World Social Forum in Montreal, Canada last week. While news of denied visas emerge and petitions for the Canadian Government to respond accordingly begin to circulate, the 2016 Forum - admittedly, it's still early - seems to have enriched those daring to critique the world in order to reimagine the world. WSF2016 was my first Forum experience and has no doubt given me pause to reflect on the role of civil society today - and how and where I fit in. "My Snapshots," found below, are one way to begin to understand the Forum's principled aspirations in the 21st Century and the real moments of inspiration that I shall recall when I'm feeling discouraged by the struggle.
Day 2 (08/10)
Day 3 (08/11)
Day 4 (08/12)
For more information about the WSF2016, please visit: https://fsm2016.org/en/. You can also follow #WSF2016 on Facebook and Twitter.
Addendum
Rightly so, the World Social Forum is open to critique; in fact, the Collective welcomes constructive criticism and are, moreover, keenly aware of the positive role of such criticism. As the news comes in post-WSF, I shall compile and share it here:
(1) The Washington Post (Aug. 18): https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/monkey-cage/wp/2016/08/18/the-world-social-forum-aka-the-anti-davos-just-concluded-heres-what-happened/
