The second day of the Feminist Dialogues opened with a lively report back of  the African Feminist Forum held in November 2007 combined with the launch of the African Charter of Feminist Principles. The five presenters shared their reflections on this innovative autonomous space that is clearly reenergizing and building anew the feminist movement on the Continent. The Forum took up the burning issues for feminists in Africa today ranging from citizenship, democracy, sexual and reproductive rights and HIV-AIDS. Wanyeki Munthoni stated that the AFF was a much needed place for feminists to replenish their ranks in a safe space far removed from the UN jamborees where many of them had first met.

Ayesha Imam who coordinated the meeting underlined that it was a place where diversities of all sorts could be acknowledged. Jessica Horn explained that young women played a key role, as the post independence generation. While stressing young women were building on older women’s ‘herstories’ she stressed that young women were going to have live and face up to new concerns with the influence of China and the legacy of HIV/AIDS. Young women, all the panel acknowledged, also led the cultural and artistic contributions of the AFF. The discussions brought the celebration of African Feminisms to the Forum and clearly inspired many of the other regions.

In that spirit the workshops took up the many ways feminists are redefining democracies, rights and citizenship. The workshops looked at how neoliberalism, militarism and fundamentalism impact on practice of democracy.

What clearly emerged is that the contradictions  and complexities are enormous in all regions and feminists working autonomously and in social justice movements need  to work together in order to meet these challenges. Yet it is also clear that each region faces these concerns from different angles. For example there is widespread communal level political conflict in South Asia. Whereas participants in Latin America   emphasized organized crime where whole territories are dominated by drug dealers.  In Africa wars are rife, linked to military expansionism and corruption. In Europe the Fortress Europe is leading to strong xenophobic attitudes and increasing urban based violence among excluded and marginalized youth.

The growth of fundamentalisms (be they Christian, Muslim, Hindi or neoliberal) emerged as a strong point throughout the day. One important point made was the ways in which women’s dress and bodies were used by both religious and political conservatives to symbolize ‘culture’ in reactionary and ‘ethnicentric’ ways. One dilemma raised by participants was how women themselves would collude in the violence against women in the name of culture and ethnicity. One disturbing story was of the Vice President of South Africa defending rape in the name of Zulu cultural values with women’s support.

The day concluded with a strategic meeting on how the feminist dialogues will contribute to the World Social Forum Process. The importance of ensuring that feminists contribute to different WSF events was stressed. Fatma Alloo of the Africa Organising Committee asked that women had to keep vigilant to ensure that there was the promised 50% participation of women in all key spaces. The Feminist Dialogues will be hosting a women’s rally, a controversy panel and a multigenerational dialogue at the Youth Forum. Nandita Shah closed the day’s events by  encouraging all participants to come ‘wearing their colours of their land’ so that feminists are visible and engaged throughout the WSF.