Chico
Whitaker is a Brazilian social justice activist who helped to found the World
Social Forum. Inspired by liberation theology, a movement that views helping the
poor and oppressed as a central part of religious faith, Chico Whitaker's social
activism began in the 1950s as a student with the Young Catholic University Students
movement. Exiled from Brazil in 1966 after joining the opposition party to the
military regime, he and his family lived in France and Chile until he was able
to return to his native country in 1982. Over the years Chico Whitaker has worked
with many efforts and organizations for a better world. He served as director
of the non- governmental organization, Catholic Committee Against Famine and For
Development, was as a UNESCO consultant, worked for the UN Economic Commission
for Latin America and with a number of other organizations working for social
justice. Currently he is Executive Secretary of the Brazilian Committee of Justice
and Peace. In 2001, the first World Social Forum was held in Brazil, as a parallel
event to the World Economics Forum that was taking place in Switzerland. Unlike
the World Economics Forum which included business and governmental leaders from
around the world, the World Social Forum's theme was "Another World Is Possible"
and its purpose was to bring social activists together to share their successes
and struggles in their work to transform the profit-centered global economy into
a people-centered global community. Chico Whitaker was one of the people who thought
of holding this shadow conference and helped to organize it. More than 16,000
people attended from all around the world! Since then the World Social Forum grows
each year -- in 2005 there were 150,000 participants! In 2006 Chico Whitaker received
the Right Livelihood Award (often referred to as the Alternative Nobel Prize)
"…for a lifetime's dedicated work for social justice that has strengthened democracy
in Brazil and helped give birth to the World Social Forum, showing that ‘another
world is possible'."
