REPORT:
The 3rd day of the WSF was a special day. Local Kenyans with the help of many participants of the WSF blocked the roads in the morning to protest against the high entrance fee that especially the slum dwellers couldn't afford at all. The air was vibrant with a special energy which accompanied us the whole time. So our workshop started one hour late.
After a short introduction the participants and the organizers shared the question "Why did you come here?" with a person they didn’t know yet. You had to reply to this question 3 times to the same person and it was amazing to watch the intense conversation that arose.
To further explore our theme of inner and outer activism, Johannes and Carol shared some of their experiences in the civil society movement and the challenges it presented.
To discuss our questions and share our stories we went for the "Matatu" game. (Matatus are the small busses in Nairobi that bring you everywhere and are packed full, with loud music blaring...)
6 Participants shared their burning questions, which we wrote down on big papers.
1. How do you focus your energy?
2. How to continue after the WSF, what responsibility do we have?
3. What is the ONE thing we can do together?
4. How to maintain the energy you need in order to work as an activist?
5.What do you need to develop inwardly in order to be active in the outside world?
We split into groups of 4-5 and listened to each other for 15 minutes and then jumped into another Matatu to explore the other question as well.
During the final session, with everyone back together to share the outcome of the intense discussions we were looking at the current issues at the WSF, the protests and high prices as well as the solutions for the future.
We looked at the picture of jumping into the happenings around us and at the importance of removing yourself from them at times, just for a few minutes, so as to gain an overview and develop the capacity to be pro active and not just reactive.
A lot of the conversations went on after the workshop. It proved that such a space of real listening and sharing of your questions should be fostered increasingly in major events like the WSF.
