WSF: The poor were locked out

1 February 2007

My old friend Peter Kimani in Nairobi has just added a comment to Anthony Barnett's article on the World Social Forum. The local perspective is harsh. He says the entry fees were too high for the poor; the meeting failed "pitifully" to raise awarness about Kenyan issues; and calls it "a veritable market for Capitalists".

I don't think anyone's every said that about the World Social Forum before...

The sounds of music echo downtown Nairobi, as agile dancers in bright red shukas (loin clothes) make gentle gyrations to the reverberations of the drums.

The dancers are not here to announce the onset of a great arts festival but to lure customers to the Kenyan affiliate of Barclays Bank with unsecured loans of up to Sh1 million (9,000 pounds).

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