“In January 2001, in Porto Alegre, Brazil, 20,000 activists, students, filmmakers came together to share their experiences and exchange ideas about confronting Empire. That was the birth of the now-historic World Social Forum. The rallying cry of the WSF is ‘Another World is Possible.’ It has become a platform where hundreds of conversations, debates and seminars have helped to hone and refine a vision of what kind of world it should be.”—Arundhati Roy

The World Social Forum has become a key part of the international global justice movement, attracting activists around the world. Here, Leite lays out the origins, development and challenges of the forum today.

José Correa Leite is a member of the Brazilian Organizing Committee for the WSF.