02 November 2012
Press Statement
International African Solidarity Festival
Date: Saturday, 03 November 2012
Time: 2pm
Venue: BOSCO Centre, Walkerville, Johannesburg, South Africa
All Media Invited and for accreditation and more information contact Philani Ndebele @ philani@asc.org.za/ +27 (0)76 942 3565
The Action Support Centre (ASC) proudly hosts the International African Solidarity Festival (IASF), the first international and continental event since the International Forum in 2004. Organised under the banner: “Celebrate, Consolidate and Strategise” the IASF aims at deepening people-to-people solidarity through learning and exchange, re-energising and renewing the collective transformative contribution of ACTION members and partners, and create a space for collective discussions on Africa and the rest of the world’s contemporary challenges. Furthermore, the festival will develop strategies and provide evidence that another world is possible, by bringing the future into the present.
Year 2012 marks the ASC’s ten-year anniversary of supporting community driven efforts to transform conflicts across the continent. As part of these celebrations, more than 200 practitioners, including ACTION members from across Africa and around the world, with over 35 countries represented including representatives from Democratic Republic of Congo, Cambodia, Egypt, Syria, Somalia, Somaliland, Swaziland, the Phillipines and Zimbabwe, as well as a strong contingent of participants from in and around South Africa will convene at BOSCO Centre for the IASF.
The IASF will start with a plenary session at 14h00 on Saturday 3rd November, followed by breakaways into Thematic Workshops led by various experts such Elinor Sisulu, Bishop Paul Verryn, Bella Matambanadzo, Stephen Faulkner, Zingiswa Losi and many others . Each Thematic Workshop will run for 3 hours, followed by a plenary wrap-up, leading into the Cultural Evening that will begin at around 19h00. The Cultural Evening will be an evening of live performances from local artists, poetry, traditional dances, music, great African food, key note address and speeches and general revelry.
The following are 8 key pillars that will guide the Thematic Workshop discussions:
- Narative Story Telling
- Restorative Justice and Reconcilliation as Essential Tools for Societies in Transition
- Organising Youth as a Non-Violent Force for Transformation
- Building a culture of Peace and People-to-People Solidarity
- Exploring Opportunities and Challenges for Africa’s Renewal in the 21st Century
- Establishing Infrastructures for Peace at Multiple Levels
- Art and Cultural Expression as Subversive Forms of Protest
- Transforming the Indignity of Poverty and Inequality
All media is invited to be part of this celebration and in-depth discussions.
For more inform contact:
Philani Ndebele (Campaigns Manager) The ACTION Support Centre (ASC)
Cellphone: +27 (0)76 942 3565 or +27 (0)73 371 7724
Email: philani@asc.org.za