EHS seminar: Dr. Mamphela Ramphele offers ancient wisdom

Environmental Humanities South (EHS) is proud to announce talk by Dr. Mamphela Ramphele will discuss transformation in the web of life, how ancient wisdom in Africa can be a pathway towards building a better future. Dr. Ramphele was a co-founder of the Black Consciousness movement in South Africa and former Vice Chancellor of the University of Cape Town. She was recently co-president of the Club of Rome, co-founded Reimagine SA and is a member of The Planetary Guardians. Dr. Ramphele is the author of multiple books, in which she discusses topics such as leadership, renewal, black consciousness, trauma, and repair. Among these Conversations with my Sons and Daughters (2012) and  Dreams, Betrayal and Hope (2017) just to name a few.

In this upcoming talk, which will form part of the EHS fortnightly seminar series, scheduled for Thursday 17 October 2024 at 11 am (SAST), Dr. Ramphele will discuss how the African continent continues to struggle to find its rightful place in the world community with its complexities.  

The African continent, with one of the youngest populations on Earth continues to be plagued by various challenges, including poverty, gendered violence, lack of ethical leadership, the erosion of democratic institutions, high debt ratio, and of course, climate crisis which affects not only the wellbeing of African people but also contributes to conflict, while negatively affecting the diversity of animal and plant life.

As a way to offer an intervention, Dr. Ramphele argues that the key to a strong united purposeful Africa lies in embracing our rich heritage of being both the cradle of humanity and of first human civilisation built on a philosophical foundation of understanding that humanity is nested in the web of life where everything is interconnected and interdependent.

This event will take place at EHS Seminar Room, located at 4th floor Humanities Building, UCT Upper Campus. To book your spot, email Zainab.adams@uct.ac.za