Anti-capitalist souvenirs hot items at leftist forum
CARACAS -- When it comes to buying souvenirs, activists protesting globalization have found a shopping paradise at the World Social Forum.
From Che Guevara T-shirts to books on 21st-century socialism and low-impact backpacking, Venezuela's street vendors are offering just about anything a leftist activist might want, eager to profit from the gathering of more than 60,000 people.
Activists are digging in their pockets for posters of Cuban President Fidel Castro or pins bearing photos of Vladimir Lenin and Colombian rebel leader Manuel Marulanda.
Others are themselves selling handmade jewelry and political pamphlets to bankroll their trip to the Venezuelan capital.
A lucky few are snapping up talking dolls of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez -- the hero of this year's World Social Forum, an annual event timed to coincide with the market-friendly World Forum in Davos, Switzerland.
In one street market, French activist Rene Villepin haggled with a vendor before paying $30 for the talking ''Chavecito," or ''Little Chavez." The doll sports the Venezuelan leader's signature red-beret and at the push of a button says: ''It's your dream, it's your hope and it's your job to be free and equal."
''I usually buy only reading material at these types of events, but I had to have one," Villepin said, smiling.
Chavez's image and the slogans of his leftist government seem to be everywhere at the six-day forum, which has drawn antiglobalization activists, peace advocates, labor leaders, and intellectuals from around the world.
Many hunted for interesting trinkets, but others urged fellow attendees to avoid certain ''imperialist" products, like 
