First-Ever Amazonian Critical Mass!

Under steady rain, 100 cyclists took to the streets of Belem in the first Bicicletada in the Amazon!

Under steady rain, 100 cyclists took to the streets of Belem in the first Bicicletada in the Amazon!

It was a great night! Pai d’Egua! (That’s a charming idiomatic expression that local Belem cyclists have taught us: literally Father of the Mare, but translates as “Cool!” The Paulistas were charmed by this as much as me!) I don’t think anyone knew if it would work or not, and when it turned out to be a rainy night, doubts must have been raised. But one hundred enthusiastic cyclists took to the streets of Belem last night, bringing the global Critical Mass movement to the Amazon and the World Social Forum, under the Brazilian name “Bicicletada”.  They chanted and sang, we rode all over town, into a gas station, past the center’s Praca da Republica, and eventually into one of the city’s most posh public parks where Raoni had had his bike’s tires slashed by disturbed security guards the day before when he stopped there for lunch and had a tiff with them about rolling his bike into the gated park. The chants were funny and boisterous: “Mais Adrenalina, menos gasolina!” (More adrenaline, less gasoline!), “Mais Bicicletas, Menos Carros” (more bikes, less cars), and a few others that I’ll try to add later when I get someone to remind me of them… one was a song, “Motorista! Motorista! Olha a bike! Olha a bike! Deixa o Carro aí-í! Deixa o carro aí – e Vem Pedalar! Vem Pedalar!” (“Motorist, Motorist, Watch out for bikes! Watch out for bikes! Leave your car there! Leave your car there… and come and pedal, come and pedal”–to the tune of the nursery rhyme Frêre Jacques.)

The Bike Lift is an increasingly universal gesture of Critical Mass cyclists, here in the pouring rains.

The Bike Lift is an increasingly universal gesture of Critical Mass cyclists, here in the pouring rains.

Several times we passed local tourist hotels full of WSF delegates. Here we are at the Crown Plaza, with delegates cheering us from the balconies while we all chanted "Mais Bicicletas, Menos Carros"!

Several times we passed local tourist hotels full of WSF delegates. Here we are at the Crown Plaza, with delegates cheering us from the balconies while we all chanted "Mais Bicicletas, Menos Carros"!

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Trade Unionism: Long Past the Peak

The panel on the proposed Global Labour Charter here at the World Social Forum on January 29 demonstrated in stark terms the historic dead-end of trade unionism. The Charter was cautiously embraced by some, dismissed by others, but in any case, has yet to be written by a broad effort (Peter Waterman, who invited me to participate via the New Delhi group CACIM, has a draft with some things you’d expect, like a 6-hour day, 48-week year, Global Labour Rights including right to strike and engage in solidarity actions, a Global Basic Income Grant, a campaign for the defense and extension of Commons and common ownership, and what I liked best, a Global Campaign for Useful Work to deal with useful production, socially-responsible consumption, and environmental sustainability” I’d probably write this a lot more assertively, but at least he had it in there; there were another half dozen points included too.) To be sure, the participants were radical and well-intentioned, but their ideological commitment to their function (negotiators for “labor power” under/within capitalism) blinds them to an epochal opportunity to seize the initiative. If there was ever a time to break with logic of capital, to go on the offensive and to begin a global process of reinventing life itself, this is it! Especially what work we do: workers movements should be leading a redesign of our lives on relocalized and ecological principles of cooperation, generalized abundance, and enjoyable work.

Instead, nearly every speaker yesterday (most of whom were union officials, a preponderant number from metal worker unions for some reason) spoke in clichés about the need to connect as trade unionists with social movements, to organize migrant labor, to bring ignored groups of workers like sex workers into unions, and so on. The South African speaker, the head of the S.A. Communist Party (I think), spoke with a note of bitterness about the lack of solidarity from northern country unions towards southern country unions, especially with regard to neoliberal “free trade” negotiations (e.g. WTO; he noted that many northern trade delegations do not include trade unionists, which the South Africans consider a basic necessity for a coherent negotiation). (He was backed up at length by one of his comrades in the back of the room, who continued the critique of northern unions’ lack of solidarity.) In light of the unfolding global Depression it seemed strangely “yesterday’s news” and in any case, extremely narrow. As global climate change and ecological collapse quicken their pace, quibbling over sectoral and regional biases of various unions seems to miss the point entirely.

There were also speakers from Nepal, Colombia (head of Nat’l. Organization of Indigenous), Belgium, India, South Korea, Norway, Nigeria, and Italy, with about 40+ in attendance from England, Japan, France, Brazil, and some others I didn’t get. So quite a broad representation, which itself was interesting, but the tone of the discussion was terribly disappointing. I admit I chimed in to say that the work we are all doing, globally, is making the mess, and that if we don’t get out front on the reinvention of work, and continue to abdicate to Capital, we can only lose. Some cheered me, I think mostly Italians (hah!) but the conversation didn’t really change direction as I (perhaps arrogantly) thought it might”¦ alas. (I probably wasn’t as compelling as I wanted to be.)

The Int’l Metalworkers Union South Asia representative was one of the more thoughtful contributors, noting that the geography of production has changed, serving to decentralize and informalize work places across the world. He contrasted the growing irrelevance of unions (he didn’t actually characterize them as irrelevant, but his comments indicated an awareness of their diminishing role) with “new” marginal sectors that have used the internet and new communications technologies AND skills to make themselves heard. As he noted, all of society is having the ground disappear beneath their feet, and all existing institutions, to remain relevant, will have to forge new alliances, especially with less formal groups. He also intelligently noted that the old male-dominated trade unionism has not come to grips with the fact that globalization has feminized workplaces everywhere, and that women migrant workers are probably the largest category of unorganized workers. Later, from the audience, another guy from India who Peter Waterman told me represented a Left Union organization that had emerged in recent years, gave a lengthy speech dismissing any notion that trade unions were anything less than crucial institutions as powerful and relevant today as ever, maybe more so. He insisted that everything involving resistance and struggle against capitalism in India for the last 100 years depended first and foremost on trade unions! I was a bit flabbergasted that anyone could make such a claim, since there are countless examples in history of unions being impediments to social struggles, and their ongoing role in disciplining workers to the needs of capital is hardly invisible.

The leader of the Hyundai branch of the South Korean metalworkers union repudiated the tone of nationalism that permeated a lot of comments, but had been holding back the discussion even among these folks going back to 2005. He lamented the slow progress they’d made on efforts to unify their efforts, noting that Capitalism was moving at a much faster speed.

Indeed, the ponderous conversation that went on in the sweltering heat of a classroom in the Prédio Central on the UFRA campus (outside in a nearby tent some kind of New Age/religious ceremony was going on, occasionally emitting loud chanting over which we struggled to be heard), confirmed a sense of missed opportunity. A big broom and a “dustbin of history” seemed to be closing in on the gathering as it concluded”¦ I don’t doubt that many of these individuals will make important contributions to real social struggles in the future, but the framework of their discussion, and their apparently years-long effort to advance the conversation, demonstrated a deeper impotence than anyone there would care to admit. For myself, the urgency of merging conversations about work (labor) and ecology grows stronger, while my patience for blathering bureaucrats and tired old formulas is more or less exhausted.

Soggy Socialists”¦ and Everyone Else Too!

I have way too many photos from the Opening March day before yesterday. I didn’t find anyone I knew until it was nearly over, though I had a very fun time regardless. I made my way through the crowd several times in search of good signs and interesting moments and out of 250 photos, I got a few”¦ The March was scheduled to leave from the riverfront around 3 pm for some odd reason”¦ sure enough at 3:45 the torrential equatorial rains opened up and we all got super soaked. I had an umbrella and parked myself under a big mango tree with a few others, but the water made its way up from the ground anyway. It was hilarious to see how quickly the marchers either gave in to the giddy fun of being completely soaked to the bone, or peeled off to sheltering awnings along the sides.

Soggy socialists march under a downpour, Jan. 26, 2009, Belem, Brazil, opening the World Social Forum.

Soggy socialists march under a downpour, Jan. 26, 2009, Belem, Brazil, opening the World Social Forum.

Many of the contingents were Brazilian socialist or communist groups, but just about every “issue” was well represented too. Groups of women, gays, Indians, ecologists of many stripes, people from all over the global south, a few of us northerners (really not many), and a healthy number of Christian hippies to boot! Turns out to be a substantial presence of Christian activists” ecology- and peace-oriented. After about 40 minutes of off and on hard rain (I mean HARD rain!), the skies cleared and after another 30 minutes we were all dry again! It’s damn hot when it’s not raining, so it doesn’t take long to dry out”¦ After marching along for a few miles shooting photos, enjoying the canopy of mango trees that cover many streets here, I finally stopped off for a traditional soup I remembered here called Tacacá. It’s a strange broth based on some kind of leafy green, a half dozen shrimp, and a big blog of something black and gelatinous. It doesn’t look very appetizing but it tastes great and is quite a great street-side small meal.

I snuck this photo when they started to pose for another photographer.

I snuck this photo when they started to pose for another photographer.

These folks were from Guinea Bissau I think, and were giving an opening invocation, about 40 minutes before the rain started.

These folks were from Guinea Bissau I think, and were giving an opening invocation, about 40 minutes before the rain started.

"I come to work, not to die!" says the banner, at left end is the following cartoon.

"I come to work, not to die!" says the banner, at left end is the following cartoon.

"Cause of death: workplace"

"Cause of death: workplace"

This giant globe was carried along on the march, this photo taken about an hour after the rains had stopped.

This giant globe was carried along on the march, this photo taken about an hour after the rains had stopped.

At the beginning, many striking scenes of earnest marchers and hopeful banners, this one calling for Economic Democracy and a vision for a new world.

At the beginning, many striking scenes of earnest marchers and hopeful banners, this one calling for Economic Democracy and a vision for a new world.

So many locals are really proud to be hosting, and here you can see one older woman volunteer in the middle, practically giddy at the start of the march--really sweet!

So many locals are really proud to be hosting, and here you can see one older woman volunteer in the middle, practically giddy at the start of the march--really sweet!

I ended the night last at the same restaurant I ate at two days ago, Palafita, which sits on a deck over the Rio Guama. It’s a spectacular location and Jai Sen from CACIM in India was holding court with Kathy and Andrej and another Andres who is a Belem local, Juliana and Ron from the Canadian Postal Workers Union, and a few other folks who came and went. It was great to meet him, as we’d been in correspondence for a while regarding an article I wrote on Rostock that he’s including in an anthology he’s putting out.  I have a lot more images of this march, concluding with some of my wider thoughts at the moment. Read on if you dare!

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