This week — Nedlac National Summit, International Literacy Day and talk on obstetrics violence

5 Sep 2022

A four-day Global South Tax Justice School will bring together workers, activists, and members of community-based movements for a training programme on the tax justice space; the School of Public Health at the University of Cape Town is hosting a seminar on gender, meat and violence in food marketing; and Nedlac is holding its 27th Annual National Summit in Gauteng.

Monday 5 September is the International Day of Charity.

Charity not only provides social bonding and contributes to the creation 0f more resilient societies, but also has the potential to alleviate the worst effects of humanitarian crises, according to the United Nations (UN) information page on the observance.

“It assists the advancement of culture, science, sports, and the protection of cultural and natural heritage. It also promotes the rights of the marginalised and underprivileged and spreads the message of humanity in conflict situations,” stated the UN.

On Monday, 5 September, at 11am, the Global South Tax Justice School will kick off with a Zoom session on “The Global South Today: Debt, Austerity, and the Climate Crisis”.

The school will run from 5 to 8 September, with multiple virtual discussions taking place each day.

“The Global School is a four-day combined international conference and training programme for workers, activists, and members of community-based movements, aimed at building a ground-up perspective of corporate profit shifting, tax and wage evasion, and extractivism,” according to the event description.

“The School will include panel discussions with experts and leaders in the tax justice space, case studies of corporations involved in profit shifting and the impacts on workers and communities, and an exploration into the potential for resistance from below.”

Register here.

On Monday at 4pm, the Wits Institute for Social and Economic Research is hosting a webinar on the paper, “Imported Black Books, Radical Undesirability, and Comparative Reading Under Apartheid”, presented by Stephane Robolin.

Robolin’s essay explores what an international account of apartheid-era censorship would look like.

“It examines the official censorship reports of black books written and produced abroad but intercepted by South African authorities and reviewed by apartheid censors. This essay takes its two case studies from state files on texts that explore political violence: Frantz Fanon’s 1963 The Wretched of the Earth and Alice Walker’s 1976 Meridian,” according to the event description.

Read the paper here.

Register here.

On Monday at 5pm, the School of Economics and Finance at Wits University hosts a centenary celebration webinar.

The keynote address will be presented by Professor Thomas Piketty, a renowned economist. He will be discussing his new book, “A Brief History of Equality”.

“This will be followed by a panel discussion on ‘Policy-making in a high-inequality context: In conversation with Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala’,” according to the event description. Okonjo-Iweala is the director-general of the World Trade Organization.

Other speakers involved in the panel discussion are Trudi Makhaya, economic advisor to the president; Dr Kenneth Creamer; and Prof Liberty Mncube.

Register here.

On Wednesday, 7 September, at 10am, the Dullah Omar Institute at the University of the Western Cape, together with the Centre for Human Rights at the University of Pretoria, is hosting the Helen Kanzira Memorial Lecture. The theme of the lecture is “Obstetrics Violence: A Public Health Menace and a Human Rights Challenge in Africa”.

The event will be held at the Lagoon Beach Hotel, 1 Lagoon Gate Drive, Milnerton, Cape Town, as well as virtually.

“Helen Kanzira was a graduate of the LLM in Human Rights and Democratisation in Africa (HRDA) programme at the University of Pretoria. She graduated in 2000, making her a member of the first graduating class of this programme,” according to the event description.

Upon graduating, Kanzira returned home to Uganda, where she continued to fight for human rights. In 2007, she died at the age of 38 due to complications from childbirth.

“The Helen Kanzira Annual lecture was instituted in her honour for the bravery, selflessness, and vibrance that she embodied throughout her life.

“Every year, the lecture focuses on a contemporary issue surrounding women’s sexual and reproductive rights. The central theme serves as a continuous reminder that maternal mortality is almost always preventable, and women’s rights should be prioritised and protected.”

To attend virtually, register here.

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Thursday 8 September is International Literacy Day. The observance is intended to remind the public of the importance of literacy as a matter of dignity and human rights, according to the Unesco information page.

Literacy challenges persist in modern society, with at least 771 million young people and adults lacking basic literacy skills.

“In the aftermath of the [Covid-19] pandemic, nearly 24 million learners might never return to formal education, out of which 11 million are projected to be girls and young women. To ensure no one is left behind, we need to enrich and transform the existing learning spaces through an integrated approach and enable literacy learning in the perspective of lifelong learning,” stated Unesco.

The theme for this year’s International Literacy Day is “Transforming Literacy Learning Spaces”. It is an opportunity to rethink the fundamental importance of literacy learning spaces to “build resilience and ensure quality, equitable, and inclusive education for all”.

School of Public Health poster

On Thursday, 8 September, at 12pm, the School of Public Health at the University of Cape Town is hosting a seminar titled “‘Hot chicks on board’ — Gender, meat and violence in food marketing, in and from South Africa”.

The seminar will be delivered by Dr Carla Tsampiras, senior lecturer in the social and behavioural sciences division of the School of Public Health. The venue for the event is seminar room 2 on level 1 of the Falmouth Building.

Join the seminar virtually here, with meeting ID 310 590 274 390 and passcode L24Fx4.

For more information, contact [email protected].

On Friday, 9 September, at 8.30am, the National Economic Development and Labour Council (Nedlac) will be hosting its 27th Annual National Summit. The event will take place at Gallagher Estate, Gauteng.

“Lessons learnt about the impact of Covid-19 in the world of work, and how Nedlac’s social partners should respond to the changing balance of forces globally, will come under the spotlight in the summit titled, ‘Social partners — responding to a changing world’,” according to the event description.

The opening address will be delivered by Thulas Nxesi, minister of employment and labour. Other speakers include Cynthia Samuel-Olonjuwon, assistant director-general and regional director for Africa for the International Labour Organization, and Dr Yacoob Abba Omar, director of operations for the Mapungubwe Institute for Strategic Reflection.

“The Summit is an opportunity for Nedlac and its social partners to report back and reflect on the past financial year. There will be inputs and engagements on the impact of the changing global balance of forces on the economy and how the workplace is changing post-Covid, including in respect of remote working, mental health, travel and informal work.”

For more information, contact Sne Ndudula on 0827876987 or [email protected].

NPower poster

On Friday at 12pm, NPOwer is hosting a free support group for all non-government, non-profit and community organisations.

Register here.

Saturday 10 September is World Suicide Prevention Day. The triennial theme for World Suicide Prevention Day between 2021 and 2021 is “Creating hope through action”, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).

“An estimated 703,000 people a year take their lives around the world. For every suicide, there are likely 20 other people making a suicide attempt and many more have serious thoughts of suicide. Millions of people suffer intense grief or are otherwise profoundly impacted by suicidal behaviours,” stated the WHO.

The theme of creating hope through action is intended to signal to people experiencing suicidal thoughts that there is hope, support and care available to them.

“It also suggests that our actions, no matter how big or small, may provide hope to those who are struggling. Lastly, it highlights the importance of setting suicide prevention as a priority public health agenda by countries, particularly where access to mental health services and availability of evidence-based interventions are already low.”

The Ants & the Grasshopper poster

On Sunday, 11 September, at 1.30pm, there will be a benefit screening of the Raj Patel documentary, The Ants and the Grasshopper. The screening will take place at the Bioscope Independent Theatre, 44 Stanley Avenue, Millpark, Johannesburg.

After the film, there will be a question-and-answer session with Thomas Linders of Waaipoort Agroecology Farm and Land Trust. All proceeds from ticket sales will go to the trust.

“[The trust is] building an integral permaculture model in South Africa. It is clear that society at large needs a viable, living example of a conscious, regenerative and sustainable community. In the foothills of the Witteberge and Maluti mountains of the Eastern Free State, Waaipoort is five years into becoming a permaculture farm — an example of regenerative practices, community-building and mentorship,” according to the event description.

For tickets or more information, contact [email protected]. DM/MC

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