[afro-nets] World Social Forum - Brazil - this is democracy

[Claudio Schuftan <claudio@hcmc.netnam.vn>]

World Social Forum - Brazil - this is democracy
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This is a post from Lawrence Lessig, a professor at Stanford Law
School: http://www.lessig.org/blog/archives/002400.shtml

I walked out of my constitutional law class, climbed into a car
to go to a plane to fly to Chicago to fly to Sao Paolo to fly to
Porto Alegre to get into a car to come to this. Brazil is host-
ing the World Social Forum and Barlow and I will be on a panel
with Manuel Castells and Gilberto Gil on Saturday. But Thursday
night, we visited the Youth Camp which in part this year is de-
voted to demonstrating and developing tools to support free
software and free culture.

We arrived in the middle of a concert. Gil was asked to speak.
As he went to the mic, the tent fell silent. Hundreds were
packed into a tiny space. Gil began to describe the work of the
Lula government to support free software, and free culture, when
a debate broke out. I don't speak Portuguese, but a Brazilian
who spoke English translated for Barlow and me. The kid was ar-
guing with Gil about free radio. Two minutes into the exchange,
about 8 masked protesters climbed onto chairs on one side of the
tent, and held posters demanding free radio. A huge argument ex-
ploded, with the Minister (Gil) engaging many people directly,
and others stepping in to add other perspectives. After about 20
minutes, the argument stopped. The band played again, and then
Gil was asked to perform. For about another twenty minutes, this
most extraordinary performer sang the music he's been writing
since the 1960s, while the whole audience (save Barlow and I)
sang along. When the concert was over, Barlow, Gil and I were
led out of the tent. It was practically impossible to move, as
hundreds begged Gil for autographs, or posed for pictures. At
each step, someone had an argument. At each step, Gil stopped to
engage. Even after Gil was in the car, some kid rapped on the
window, yelling yet another abusive argument. Gil, with the pa-
tience of a saint, opened the window, and argued some more.

This was a scene that was astonishing on a million levels. I've
seen rallies for free software in many placed around the world.
I've never seen anything like this. There were geeks, to be
sure. But not many. The mix was broad-based and young. They
cheered free software as if it were a candidate for President.

But more striking still was just the dynamic of this democracy.
Barlow captured the picture at the top, which in a sense cap-
tures it all. Here's a Minister of the government, face to face
with supporters, and opponents. He speaks, people protest, and
he engages their protest. Passionately and directly, he stands
at their level. There is no distance. There is no "free speech
zone." Or rather, Brazil is the free speech zone. Gil practices
zone rules.

Even after the speech was over, the argument continues. At no
point is there "protection"; at every point, there is just con-
nection. This is the rockstar who became a politician, who be-
came a politician as a rockstar.

I remember reading about Jefferson's complaints about the early
White House. Ordinary people would knock on the door, and demand
to see the President. Often they did. The presumption of that
democracy lives in a sense here. And you never quite see how far
from that presumption our democracy has become until you see it,
live, here. "This is what democracy looks like." Or at least, a
democracy where the leaders can stand packed in the middle of a
crowd, with protesters yelling angry criticism yet without "se-
curity" silencing the noise. No guns, no men in black uniform,
no panic, and plenty of press. Just imagine.