Many may argue that the WSF 2007 in Nairobi was the most challenging of all forums. Having experienced the previous WSF in Venezuela, I noted the difference in Venezuela’s government supported forum (free water, free transportation and organized rallies and marches) to the WSF in Kenya. The forum in Kenya was dominated by Non-government Organizations (NGO’s) and churches and the local organizers allowed corporate sponsors such as Celltel (Kenya
’s version of our AT&T) and Windsor, a resort hotel, to hold a beer and food tent that was the only visible food court in sight. Many didn’t realize there were other food options until the second or third day of the forum because local food vendors were placed in the parking lot - outside of the forum stadium grounds.
One cannot blame the disorganization on all Kenyans because most of Nairobi did not know the gathering was even happening. Locals that did hear about the forum could not afford to attend because the entrance fee was too expensive. Fortunately though, the fee was waived for all Kenyans on the second day as word starting spreading about the unfair cost. The waiver of the entrance fee brought in many youth from the Korogocho settlement that walked miles just to attend the forum. There were many children who might have been orphans walking around without shoes yet cheerfully d
rawing a crowd with their cultural performances of dance and song. Despite the entrance fee waiver, food and water was still a very much inflated cost inside the forum grounds. This caused an outrage with the Kenyans, especially the youth from Korogocho who organized a protest in front of the Windsor food tent.
I happened to pass by the protest as I walked alone a
mong thousands of people traveling to workshops or browsing tents. Screaming and chanting in protest is no unordinary occurrence at a WSF, so passing by screaming Kenyans seemed normal to me at first. As I walked closer, I noticed and felt some other energy in the air. It was a protest of the WSF itself and of the food court that many had already noted was way too expensive for their budget. The youth made their own signs that read, “Eating here is supporting Capitalism,” “Food is as Expensive as Gold in the WSF 2007” and “If we don’t stop them now, they will start selling Oxygen.” One sign even showed the real prices for typical Kenyan meals. Most dishes were approximately 70 Kenyan Shillings, about 1 US dollar and the food court was selling the least expens
ive thing on the menu, two hamburger buns and a beef patty for 400 shillings, three times as
much as a typical meal that would consist of a main dish and two sides.
A main organizer of the protest was Frances, a rapper and artist from the Korogocho slum. His words were like no other I had heard in Kenya. He spoke from experience and deep sincerity for the issue of injustice with the corruption of the Kenyan committee who organized the forum down to the Kenyan government. The crowd started growing in size, yet the people inside the food tent still kept on eating and the cooks with top chef hats and all still kept cooking. It was not long until I started chanting along with the Korogocho youth and I looked around me and saw that the Kenyan police squad arrived carrying rifles and stood behind the protestors. A compañera from the GGJ delegation and from New Mexico, Alma Rosa, stood in front of the police officers and literally talked them down to a point where they confessed they were from the slums too. Thanks to Alma R
osa’s skills with approaching police officers, the 5-0 did not dare use their lethal force in front of thousands of tourists.
What made this protest real and revolutionary was that these youth were risking their lives in order to make their voices heard. They wanted to see improvements in their communities and they knew that the WSF was supposed to be a gathering space for strategies and for building alliances, and not a space for profit off poor people.The following day, the youth of Korogocho literally took over the Windsor food tent. They demanded that the children be fed and when they were not listened to, they went into the chef’s area and started to take food in their t-shirts. This caused a media frenzy, yet even those who were too busy trying to catch a shot of poor Kenyan youth taking over a kitchen, stopped what they were doing and actually joined in to start cooking the meals. There were people from all over giving food to the children and cooking meals. The Windsor food tent closed down for the rest of the forum, but unfortunately, the excitement did not last too long. The following day, the same youth participated in a protest march. Two young boys were killed by the police as they protested and marched. We heard the news because o
ne of the Korogocho youth came to our hotel to tell us the devastating news.
Ironically, the youth of Korogocho knew all along that they were risking their lives by protesting. It is common for protestors to be seen as “thugs” and trouble makers. What many in the Kenyan government fail to do is listen and understand that they are the real trouble makers and causing communities to take the streets with anger and hopes for a better Kenya and better world.A good friend whom I met at the forum recorded the protest. If you’d like to hear it or read his article, please visit
http://www.daveyd.com/
