Paying for Power

A gender quota requires 1 out of  5 participants are women.

Davos is all about networking. But this is high speed, broadband networking. Tucked away (probably because security is much easier here... anyone not connected with the Forum is easily noticed) in this small Swiss mountain resort, the movers and shakers sort each other out. So, if you had had the idea of such a conference, what would you charge the richest people in the world?

Now, I'm digging my information from the Herald Tribune. You have to be a member of the club to get invited to the Forum. Yearly membership for a single person is around 52.000 US$. Then you have to pay the entrance fee of 18.000 Swiss francs... a total of about 71.000 US$. That's your ticket to come and listen to the powerful of this world. But as one participant told me, "At that price, you're a loser." To get into the more exclusive conference rooms, access to influential people and rooms of your own, you can pay upwards to 600.000 US$!

Promoting instead of policing, Canadian Mounties
woo investors.

We, the press, don't pay that and work 15 hours a day for our honest salaries. But, we do get to meet and hobnob with the best of them. Last night, Friday, was a night of parties. Being here, we had to see what that was all about. After a nice Indian cocktail party with delicious and spicy finger food, we had drinks with CEOs the world over. The big event of the evening was the Google party. They had a robot which could solve the Rubrik's cube in 27 seconds, men completely wrapped up in bright orange or green or red sort of tights from head to toe, carrying illuminated, electrical plants. As we walked in (having sort of crashed the party because not invited) we crossed John Kerry, US Senator, as he was leaving. There were many other prominent people inside letting go, dancing to the DJ's music. A great evening, ending, for us at least, around three in the morning.

Back up this morning, albeit not so early, we are doing a last stand-up and packing up. At right is Isabelle Kumar, the other half of our gender quota, telling it like it is in Davos.

Next stop Lyon and then Astana, Kazakhstan on Sunday!

With the powerful in Davos

Every year, the rich and powerful gather in this small alpine village to discuss the world situation. The World Economic Forum's motto is "Committed to improving the state of the world." And if they all could agree, the people here are surely those who have the means to make a difference. This is a place to meet, to exchange and to absorb new ideas. You can do that everywhere, even in the shuttle vans transporting participants in a circle around this small town. This morning I rode in with a man who runs tens of non-profit hospitals in the United States and we had a great conversation about health reform. The driver of the van said he had given the head of Google a ride earlier.

Some of the veterans of this well revered conference even have battle scars. Kumi Naidoo is the International Executive Director of Greenpeace International and comes from South Africa. He isn't used to the cold. He showed us different scars on his legs from previous falls on his six trips to Davos. "This one is from Davos 2005," as he rolls up his trouser leg.

Invest in Canada!

Walking all over the town, mostly up and down steep, snowy streets to get beauty shots, works up an appetite. On the way back to the Press Center, we run across a Canadian stand, enticing the rich and powerful to invest in Canada. Their argument here comes in the form of a sort of crèpe with chocolate sauce and bananas. Hard to resist!

A very complicated situation in the Ivory Coast.

Well, I finally got my bags back, but not until I went to the airport on my next shoot and not until I went back to the baggage belts myself and found them! I came out of the baggage claim and then right back to check-in and checked in for my next destination.

My next destination was an urgent departure for Abidjan, Ivory Coast. Euronews had the chance to get an exclusive interview with the incumbent president, Laurent Gbagbo. At left you see me with his councillors, Gbagbo, and with François Chignac, the journalist from Euronews. There are lots of interests involved in this election and that makes things of course very confusing to find out what is behind all the statements for each side. You can see the interview at http://fr.euronews.net/2010/12/31/exclusif-laurent-gbagbo-sexplique-sur-euronews/

Euronews also did an interview with the opposing camp of Alassane Ouatara which you can see on the same site. I know it sounds naive to wish they could all just sit down and talk it out, but both Gbagbo and Ouatara sound like intelligent men who both want the best for their country. Reminds me of the story of King Salomon and the two women who say a baby is theirs. To solve the problem, the king says he will cut the baby in two and give each half. The real mother then gives the baby to the other so as not to harm the baby. Who will make such a gesture in the Ivory Coast?