High Tide at Flamengo Beach

The whole city of Rio swayed and danced with gay abandon to the wild beats of the samba music. The laser beams danced madly in the night in varying patterns of different hues. The Flamengo Beach throbbed with thousands of people having collected to watch the grand finale. The palpable sense of excitement which characterised the opening ceremony was now replaced with a sense of achievement, of pride and satisfaction. They had actually made it happen-an event of this size and magnitude seemed unimaginable only a few weeks ago. Mixed with this spirit of exhilaration was a tinge of sadness that it had all come to an end - especially for the Global Forum staff, who had often worked day and night to put a crazy gamut of events together. Not to be forgotten is the unstinting contribution of Mr. Chip Lindner, who not only displayed exceptional organisational skill, but also a rare cultural sensitivity and understanding in his interactions with the Brazilian people. In fact, it was not just the Global Forum staff alone, but the people of Rio too who had joined hands in making this ambitious venture possible. It was their special brand of Carioca hospitality and love which finally made Rio a memorable experience.

It was a wonderful opportunity for me to work at the Global Forum and learn about what goes into organising a mammoth event like this. To quote Steve Yolen, Director of the International Press Centre (IPC), " Professionally, it’s been the toughest thing I have ever had to do, in terms of effort and complexity".

One of the most striking features of the Global Forum was that it brought together a broad cross - section of environment and development civic groups, human rights movements, women’s organisations, youth associations, trade unions, religious and inter-faith communities, indigenous people’s groups, industries, scientific and research organisations.

"The impact of the Global Forum can not be over-estimated," felt Diane Sherwood, one of the Global Forum staffers, "It’s the beginning of a global network that will do the real problem-solving in the nineties and the 21st century".

More than 400 seminars, conferences, and debates were organised on diverse issues like conservation of biodiversity, renewable energy strategies, poverty and hunger, population, role of women in the process of development, mental pollution, out-of-body experiences, appropriate technology and sustainable development. Some of the other highlights of the Global Forum included the international festival of films and videos, exhibitions of photos, paintings, and sculptures, special and cultural events. The exhibition booths selling colourful T-Shirts, Brazilian honey, diet breads did brisk business, but the eco-friendly gays, with their erotic posters stole the show, hands down. They were an instant hit with the crowds and drew the maximum attention. Not to be left far behind were the John Denvers, the Olivia Newton Johns and the Gilberto Gils, who featured in the evening series at the amphitheatre in the Park.

There is no denying the festive air and the carnival like atmosphere at the Flamengo Park, which made the cynics dismiss the whole event as a big circus or a gathering of "eco-freaks’. but would it be fair to exclude the followers of the Dalai Lama, the Brahma Kumaris, the Baha’is, or the "eco-friendly" homosexuals and the Quakers from the process of deciding the fate of the planet. who would believe it, but even Ted Turner (of CNN fame) has a set of his ten commandments which he follows religiously as his contribution to the cause of sustainable development.

Sustainable development is not the intellectual property of the privileged few, who have been using it as a rhetorical tool for so long that the term has been shredded of all its meaning. It concerns all human beings and the diverse participants at the Global Form were an expression of this sentiment. The tree of life was a visible symbol of this ...... and millions of people form around the planet sent in their pledges to save the earth.

What started at Rio has not come to an end. Its just the beginning. the dream of a common future need not remain a dream for too long - so what if the happenings at Rio Centro speak to the contrary. That so many people from different parts of the planet, from different parts of the planet, from different walks of life could get together to express concern for a common cause is an overwhelming start. The party at the Flamengo Beach was a celebration of this beginning.

by Renu Jain

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