ENI – The World Social Forum, which brought together 70,000 activists, including many faith-based organizations, from around the planet, in Nairobi, Kenya in February, was declared a “non-event for world media” by some commentators. The BBC criticized the forum for “a growing lack of focus that drains it of political impact.” Bishop Mvume Dandala, general secretary of the All Africa Conference of Churches, a grouping of 134 churches and 35 national councils of churches representing 300 million Christians, responded by saying, “I am a bit disappointed with the attention that the international media seem to pay to [the World Economic Forum in] Davos, Switzerland, at the expense of recording what the poor gathered here tried to say. The message here has been clear: The dominant economic system ignores the plight of the poor of our countries. As long as the issue of poverty is not tackled adequately by the developed world, any talk of overcoming terrorism is just a waste of time; as long as the gap between the rich and the poor keeps growing, you can forget about democracy and stability in our countries. Can the message be any clearer?”
