Author talk: recent developments in Africa

AfricaFiles is pleased to present a panel on recent developments in Africa with the participation of: John S. Saul, Karen Buckenham, Dr Douglas Dziva, Fikir GetanehHaile

John S. Saul taught for a decade in Tanzania, Mozambique and South Africa. He is Professor Emeritus of Political Science at York University and, in 2010, Saul was granted an honorary doctorate by Victoria University within the University of Toronto. He is the author of some twenty books including, with Patrick Bond, South Africa - The Present as History: From Mrs Ples to Mandela and Marikana that was published in 2014. In his other book, also published this year, A Flawed Freedom: Rethinking Southern African Liberation, this veteran analyst and activist explores the liberation struggle, placing it in a regional and global context twenty years after the fall of apartheid in South Africa.

Karen Buckenham is the Research Director at the Centre for Community Justice and Development (CCJD), KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. In 1989, Buckenham moved to South Africa to volunteer for African Enterprise, a Christian non-profit organization. Her purpose was to research and write, but around the time of Nelson Mandela’s release from prison in 1990 her focus changed.

She says, “There had been low-intensity conflict in KwaZulu-Natal for years, fuelled by a network of security operatives. As the election neared, the violence escalated. I was part of a small group of people working in solidarity with Imbali township residents. We enabled a white presence in volatile situations, which provided some protection, and documented what was going on.”

Buckenham continues, “Apartheid is over, but oppression can live on inside the head and it affects how one behaves and thinks..Race remains a significant factor in accessing services.”

CCJD is researching its model as a best-practice standard for communities in South Africa; the abuse of senior citizens and the role of community-based paralegals in its prevention; and racial thinking and access to services.

Buckenham credits New College, the University of Toronto and Toronto itself for providing a solid foundation for her career.

Dr Douglas Dziva was born in Zimbabwe in 1965 and since 1993 has lived in South Africa. He was appointed Chief Executive Officer of the KwaZulu-Natal Christian Council in 2011.

The KZNCC is a provincial fellowship of churches and church-based organisations, founded in 1996 as part of a restructuring process initiated by the South African Council of Churches. The KZNCC is affiliated to the SACC as an autonomous organisation. Its purpose is to help the churches of KwaZulu-Natal develop a Christian response to the many challenges of that province, in particular, HIV and AIDS, issues around land ownership and gender-based discrimination.

On Nov. 9, 2011, the Pietermaritzburg ‘Witness Reporter wrote, “Although [Dziva] was born and grew up in a Lutheran family, the nature of the work of the KNZCC has meant that his outlook has become increasingly ecumenical, experiencing and offering solidarity to the various member churches of the council.”

Dziva has over a dozen years’ experience in relief and developmental programming in which the special focus is on democracy and good governance, gender justice, HIV and AIDS and OVCs.

Fikir GetanehHaile is a graduate of New College, University of Toronto, having completed her Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science, Sociology and African Studies in 2014. Born and educated in Ethiopia, GetanehHaile moved to Canada three years ago to pursue higher education at the University of Toronto. Her areas of interest in study include peace and conflict, culture and development in Africa. After completing her education, GetanehHaile wants to pursue a career working in Africa. Her topic for this panel will be African Economic Integration.