Date/Time
Date(s) - Wed - 30 Mar
12:00 pm - 1:30 pm
Categories
UFC@DUT will be running its 7th seminar for the year. Please join us in this fascinating seminar and discussion as we learn about civil society activism and its impact on the city.
Topic : Civil society activism and its impact on the city.
Presenter: Dr Desmond Desai
Date: Wednesday, 30 March 2016
Time: 12:00 to 13:30
Venue: BS2103, Level 1, S2 Block, Steve Biko Campus. Entrance from gate 1 and 2. 79 Steve Biko road.
About the Presentation
The emergence of the South Durban Community Environmental Alliance (SDCEA) uniting all people of race, creed and colour to challenge the toxic pollution dumped on people of the area. This emergence involves the reframing of the environment as a brown issue articulating the discourse of red (Social), Environmental Justice (Brown) and Nature (Green) in a rights space notion to ensure that democracy is properly practised. SDCEA has brought about different methods and tools to pursue these strategic goals of democratic opposition by using signs, politics and action to establish groups challenging environmental knowledge and expertise. SDCEA has used their own indigenous knowledge including their own equipment and experience to deal with the issue of pollution. The knowledge that has been developed by SDCEA has been used strategically and extensively to argue for a clean and healthy environment. SDCEA has embarked in creating awareness in South Durban about people’s environmental rights and ways in which we can all get involved to ensure that industries that operate on our fence-line adhere to their permits and regulations. There had been an overwhelming response by the community in understanding the issues that the people of south Durban are plagued with. This presentation uses the case of environmental politics in which SDCEA through its networks and community based structures has deployed and advocated for a clean and healthy environment. This deployment of indigenous knowledge and local action programs by SDCEA represents a broader challenge to the power of science and technology base on the increasing information of the hazards and risks ordinary people suffer on a daily basis in the South Durban. South Durban has been one of South Africa’s strategic industrial areas that feed into the national economy and has the worst record on environmental pollution that’s impacts on people’s health, well-being and quality of life.
About the Presenter
Desmond is Coordinating Director, South Durban Community Environmental Alliance (SDCEA) and the KZN Coordinator of the Right2KNOW Campaign which is a national campaign against the draft secrecy laws such as the Protection of Information Bill and the Media Appeals Tribunal. Desmond is also the Coordinator for the Durban Social Forum and sits on a number of activist boards and church organizations. He is also the office coordinator for SDCEA- south Durban community environmental alliance which is a NGO that seeks to address issues concerned with human rights and environmental injustices. His work extends far beyond pollution and harmful toxins contributing to the ill health of communities. He is the chairperson of the WDF-Wentworth Development Forum which combats major issues such as housing and development in communities. He is the member of the mental health, aged and the disabled, empowering these citizens to believe and make a difference in society. He is also a member of the CBCO- Community Building Credible Organizations.
He has travelled for peace principals and participation working in Kenya, Malawi, Botswana, DRC, Swaziland, Zambia, Nigeria and many other places. Internationally he has made his mark in the USA, Texas, new Orleans, Louisiana, new York, Chicago, Seattle, Washington DC, san Francisco, California, London, Ireland, Denmark, Amsterdam, Brussels, France, India. Desmond Dsa has received the 2013 Diakonia Human Rights Award in light of his selfless and tireless commitment and contribution to environmental justice and human rights. Dsa has also been honoured the 2014 recipient of the very prestigious Goldman Environmental Prize Award and now has been honoured with a doctorate from the Durban University of Technology, Health Sciences Department. He is also a recipient of Goldman Environmental Prize Award Recipient, United States.
Kindly RSVP to confirm your attendance to ufcadmin@dut.ac.za Please feel free to send this on to others who might be interested.