Over 15,000 people have descended upon the city of Hyderabad in Andhra Pradesh, India over the last week representing social movements, non-governmental organisations, trade unions and activists under the banner "another world is possible" for the Asian Social Forum (ASF).
The ASF began on Thursday, 2 January with an encouraging call for the struggle against neoliberal globalisation to continue to be deeply rooted in Gandhian values of non-violence, despite the landslide election of a fascist government in Gujarat following the crimes against humanity committed there in early 2002.
Huge tents holding up to 5000 people, playing fields and universities have been the venue for radical analysis of neo-liberal economic globalisation, and the war on terror, from the majority world perspective. Energy was high from the first day as dialogue opened. Social issues were dominant on the agenda as calls were repeated to put people in front of profits and return the concepts of humanity, social justice and environmental responsibility to Governments, corporations and international financial institutions alike.
The Conference on Peace and Security was organised by numerous groups started with a lamp lighting and narrative by Miyoko Matsubara, a Hibaksha (survivor of the nuclear bombing of Hiroshima), who went on to detail the consequences of the bomb and the challenges faced by its survivors. Most of the speakers agreed that US economic and foreign policy is a threat to humanity.
Meanwhile, the Conference on Social Rights focused on the alliances and coalitions in a global context for the protection of the rights to Food, Education, Health and the plight of marginalised peoples.
Eminent Southern academic and activist Walden Bello emphasised the need to tackle the forces of corporate globalisation "head on." Bello dispelled the suggestion that the ASF was merely a discursive exercise, emphasising a vision that welcomed people from all over the world to join the movement, encouraged discussion, and strategised to tackle ongoing imperialism and dismantle the forces of growing militarism.
The ASF concluded on Tuesday, 7 January with a march through the streets of Hyderabad. The social forum movement continues with the third World Social Forum that will be held 23-28 January in Porto Alegre, Brasil.
Read: Melbourne IMC feature
