Eleventh annual Julius Nyerere memorial lecture in 2014

Abstract

The event included a live performance by Jana Natya Manch (The People’s Theatre Group), also known as Janam (Birth). Janam 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. They performed 'Enough is Enough'. A play based on the personal narratives of industrial workers in and around Delhi, gathered by the actors. The play is a juxtaposition of hilarious, over-the-top farce with deadly serious, quietly assertive docu-drama on the work conditions of workers. Through testimonies of real workers, the play explores issues that confront them, such as low wages, long hours of work, inadequate safety measures and the contract labour system.

The topic was Popular Education: Inspiring education and activism. The event was coordinated by Professors Shirley Walters and Astrid Von Kotze of the Traditions of Popular Education Research Project within the Division for Lifelong Learning (DLL). This project was supported by the Institute for Humanities and Social Sciences (IHSS) and UWC to uncover the history of popular education in South Africa in order to bring these traditions to the attention of those thinking about community learning centres / colleges which are mentioned in the White Paper on Post - School Education and Training.