11th Annual Julius Nyerere Lecture on Popular Education: Inspiring activism and education
Thursday 30 October 2014 from 12h00 – 14h30 at UWC’s Senate Building.
This year’s Annual Julius Nyerere Lecture has a focus on popular education that is informed by a strong commitment to social justice. Popular education seeks to raise topical issues and engage participants in critical debate towards action for change. Street theatre can be a dynamic example of popular pedagogy and kindle interest in and enthusiasm for popular education.
The lecture will be a multi-pronged event! It begins with a colloquium, followed by a performance by members of India’s acclaimed street theatre group Jana Natya Manch and audience participation / discussion. In the subsequent 10 days, the group will perform in various community halls and spaces, engaging local communities in popular education processes where the performance is the code for building insights into various social, economic and political issues.
Jana Natya Manch (The People’s Theatre Group), also known as Janam (Birth), has created original plays for the past 40 years; they have performed more than 8000 times in over 150 towns and cities of India, using public spaces and educating and engaging their audiences in discussions around issues of common concern.
Janam is on its first tour of South Africa.
The colloquium (9:00 – 11:30, UWC) is for invited popular education practitioners and members of the project reference group. It is the culmination of an 18 month project, which is a partnership between the Institute for Humanities and Social Sciences and the Division for Lifelong Learning, UWC. The research has been investigating past and current popular education. During the course of the project we have had an active website www.populareducation.
The colloquium will include - A report-back on findings and ‘contradictions and tensions’ of popular education; - A ‘multi-logue’ (extended dialogue incorporating many voices); and - Reflection on the future of popular education practice and research in SA. The lecture / performance (12:00 – 14:30, Senate Chamber, UWC) is open to all interested members of UWC and invited guests and the public. It will include - A show-casing of the website established as a participatory research tool (www.populareducation.co.za ) - Displays depicting images and objects collected, - An introduction to the link between popular education and popular theatre - The performance by Janam of a play entitled ‘Enough is Enough’ - Audience participation discussions - Refreshments RSVP / more information: Tania Oppel, Division for Lifelong Learning: toppel@uwc.ac.za / phone 021-9593339