INVITE: two events celebrating the fighting spirit of June 16 and debating race, power and the national question on Cape Town on the 15 and 17 June 2011.
Mark Weinberg @ AIDC
Join us for two events celebrating the fighting spirit of June 16 and debating race, power and the national question in Cape Town on the 15 and 17 June 2011.
Details below. Please circulate widely.
Amandla!
Mark.
AMANDLA! cultural celebration of the fighting spirit of June 16
FEATURING: Raakwys (The reunion of one of Cape Town's greatest Bands)
PLUS: The Zoe Abrahams & De Kaapo, DJ Sampie: Zounds of Da South, Spoken word/poetry, Stand up Comedy & more ...
DATE: 15 June 2011
TIME: 7pm till late
VENUE: AIDC Solidarity Centre,129 Rochester Rd, Observatory, Cape Town
DONATION: R10, Bring your own XYX and meat to braai.
INFO: An...@amandla.org.za 0838867164 or 0214472525
AMANDLA! SEMINAR: Race, Power and the National Question in post Apartheid South Africa
DATE: 17 June 2011
TIME: 9h00 – 16h00
VENUE: AIDC Solidarity Centre 129 Rochester Road, Observatory
RSVP: Thembeka Majali them...@aidc.org.za 021 447570 or (083) 5953934
SEMINAR CONCEPT NOTE:
Race thinking dominates our entire society even as we approach two decades since the end of Apartheid. Clearly, not just race but crude racism is a major source of division in South African society post-apartheid. Recent debates (Manyi, Manuel, et al) indicate great confusion and conflict not just over meanings of non-racialism but most importantly our anti-racist practices. Like in most aspects of our society inequality intrudes and becomes a major cleavage through which race and racism seep.
The end of Apartheid has not changed the fundamental role that “race” plays in constructing, in our minds, the ascribed roles and social positions of people as dominant, subservient, privileged or oppressed. Moreover, by leaving largely intact apartheid geographic and social segregation, separate national identity along the lines of ‘Africans’, ‘Coloureds’, ‘Indians’ and ‘Whites’ has been reinforced. This is not to mention how not knowing each other’s language and thus culture perpetuates national division and race thinking. It is no surprise then that we continue to battle race thinking and racism in the workplace, at schools, the media and in the community.
As part of the reflections that the 35th anniversary of the June 16 uprising provokes, Amandla! is hosting a day seminar aimed at activists, intellectuals and academics to consider the impact of race thinking and racism on the transition from apartheid. What are the short, medium and long-term strategies to build a non-racial and anti-racist future for our country? Are we doomed to be ‘Africans’, “Whites’, ‘Coloureds’ and ‘Indians’ before being South Africans and why do these racial labels continue to be so important in post-Apartheid South Africa? Is it possible to have affirmative action without reinforcing race thinking and most importantly what are the practical steps we can take in our communities, work-places and colleges to overcome racism and racial prejudice.
