The Centre for Social Sciences Research (CSSR) and the  Institute for Democracy, Citizenship and Public Policy in Africa  (IDCPPA) at the University of Cape Town invite you to join us for a lunchtime seminar on 26 May 2026 at 12:45pm. The seminar will be presented by Dr. Sarah Van Borek.

About the Seminar:

Steps to Water (Justice): Reframing the Interactions of Gendered Time and Water Justice through Interactive AI Film in Cape Town.

Reflecting on my first time working with interactive and Al film, I share an overview of my methodology for co-developing a participatory interactive Al film-based research approach in The Power Beneath Our Feet (2026) with the Cape Town NPO Black Girls Rising. Through six workshops (community mapping, filming, interactive film storymapping, storyboarding, and two feedback sessions), We empowered underrepresented girls living in Khayelitsha, South Africa, to share stories about their journeys collecting water, including the risks they face and how they navigate these risks. Through a "choose-your-own-path" film, blending actual and Al footage, we immerse audiences in girls' lived experiences while creating safe spaces for girl-led water solutions. The film will be shared with strategic stakeholders to support policy and community changes. In this talk, I will introduce some of the opportunities and current limitations of this technology in this context. This seminar will offer an opportunity to experience a group engagement with parts of the film, and invite discussion around suggestions for strategic screenings.

Speakers

Sarah Van Borek is a filmmaker, educator, and aris-based researcher soecializine In community-engaged methodologies, water justice, and health equity. She holds a PhD in film-based environmental education from Rhodes University, an MFA in Film and Television from UCT, and postdoctoral experience developing participatory audiovisual methods across Africa. While Canadian-born, she has lived and worked in sub-Saharan Africa for over 20 years and taught for nine years at Emily Carr University of Art + Design in Canada with diverse community partnerships.

  26 May 2026
  12:45 - 14:00 SAST
  CSSR Seminar Room, 4.29, Robert Leslie Social Sciences Building, UCT

Hosted by the Centre for Social Science Research and the Institute for Democracy, Citizenship and Public Policy in Africa