Esperanto at the Social Forum 2005 Brazil (Porto Alegre)

One of my biggest efforts to help Esperanto grow was my participation in the  World Social Forum-2005, where about 30 Esperantists marched as a group among 200,000 (yes, two hundred thousand) people in a festive atmosphere during two hours throught Porto Alegre.  As I held my small guitar, a lady my age joined me asking me to sing in Esperanto. I then sang Guantanameira. Leading local Esperantist, Miguel Viana,  quickly joined me to note that a communist member of the Brazilian parliament, Vilma, had asked me to sing.  Among foreign Esperantists I was joined by leading Chilian Esperantist, Jose Antonio Vergara and  Frenchman, Francisko Simmonet (whose name I long knew as someone who had an extended stay in Israel before I arrived there in 1974 or my lengthy stay in 1976). I discovered that former employee of Universal Esperanto Association, Paulo Ereno, was a co-founder of the Brazilian branch of Unitarian Religious Movement, to which I and may USA Esperantists are also affiliated.

http://www.esperanto.com.br/libero/msf2005/5a-forumo.htm

While I aquired an apartment from a local esperantist via Pasporta Servo, 3 other Brazilian Esperantists from outside Rio Grande de Sur,  joined me to help out the Esperanto effort.  That host later relocated to Brasilia.

Francisko and Paulo have both passed away prematurely.

There was also a hundred concerts. Minister of Culture, singer Gilberto Gil sang:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ggxRoPR1I6c 

I appear talking in this film at the minute 7:00 and sing at 7:40.
http://www.wsftv.net/Members/EmilioCid/videos/forumo.wmv