The Norwegian Social Forum (Norges Sosiale Forum), Karibu, and the Norwegian Peace Council would like to invite you to an online talk about the current global situation with COVID-19, how this affects our shared efforts for justice and equality, and what it could mean for future activism, social movements and the World Social Forum (WSF) processes.

Monday, March 30, 2020 – 14:00-15:30 PM Oslo

Link: Join Zoom Meeting: https://zoom.us/j/567512151

The conversation will be part of the program for the 24-hour global digital social forum, The Viral Open Space.

How do we understand the current crisis? Should we understand this as a profound systemic failure of a neoliberal system, in the same way as we have come to understand the climate crisis? Can we understand this as a moment stressing that “another world” is urgent and not merely possible as we have come to know it from the expression often cited as the slogan of the WSF; Another world is possible? As countries close down and economies crash, could this also mean new opportunities for social movements? Are there different analyses of the situation in the Global South and the Global North? And should we fear that neoliberal forces will use this crisis to tighten their grip on global finances and organization through disaster capitalism that has been so eloquently described by author and activist Naomi Klein in the book The shock doctrine?

These are questions we hope to touch upon our conversation. The discussion will open with a short information sharing on territorial status reports from the different participants. If more participants this will have to be brief, and with fewer participants it can be a bit more lengthy. After the introductory round we will have an open discussion facilitated by the NSF with an opportunity to present local issues and topics that may be of global relevance in these times of acute global challenges.

If you have internet problems, you can also call in by telephone. Find your local number: https://zoom.us/u/adnyfUnnwn