Indigenous and cultural rights are again themes for the 2006 World Social Forum (WSF) meeting in Venezuela, where President Hugo Chavez (who claims that his grandmother was a Pumé Indian) has been an outspoken supporter for creole people with indigenous and African ancestry. Begun as civil society's response to the annual World Economic Forum in Switzerland in late January, WSF has grown into a major international gathering with more than 80,000 attendees at the 2005 Brazil meeting.

This year, a special polycentric format replaces the traditional WSF meeting format. Venezuela is one of three countries to host the 2006 WSF. Following a meeting in Bamako, Mali, on January 19, WSF moves to Caracas to coincide with the Second Social Forum of the Americas.

The highlight contains a map of indigenous ethnic people in Venezuela from the country's 1982 Indigenous Census.

Read about World Social Forum plans at...