Roosboom United Churches that had received compensation, held a celebration or thanksgiving service in September 2017, to thank God for being with them throughout their struggle. Some churches are still awaiting their money vouchers as part of the compensation. CLP has been supporting these churches from 2006 and was present at the service, also contributing to its success.

Some lawyers visited the churches who are still on the waiting list and after careful consideration of what the lawyers are saying, CLP continues to support and encourage leaders to be vigilant and critical when engaging outsiders. This is after news circulated in the media of people who are on the rampage targeting restitution claimants defrauding them of money.

Read more about the thanksgiving service here

First Class in the 2018 ‘School of Thought’

Firoze Manji returns for another exciting padkos conversation on March 27^th. In 2015, Firoze’s amazing input on “What’s Left in Africa?” closed off our ‘School of Thought’ series. This time around, Firoze opens the 2018 edition of a new ‘School of Thought’ which will be organised around celebrating and discussing Paulo Freire, whose seminal book, The Pedagogy of the Oppressed was first published fifty years ago. More details will follow, but the 2018 ‘School of Thought’ will run from now through till June / July and will feature local and international speakers addressing different aspects of the Freireian legacy.

Join us at the Church Land Programme (CLP) offices from 11am to hear and engage Firoze – and stay for some lunch with us.

Please let Cindy know that you’re coming by calling (033) 2644 380 or emailing padkos@churchland.org.za

Read full post here

THIS LAND, 10 October 2017, 13.00, with special guest Rev Mbhekiseni Mavuso

ZONE TO DEFEND on 17 August at 12.30

Resisting Mining & Fracking – a movie mini-fest

A MODEST INTRODUCTION AND REMEMBERING

A discussion with Jasper Finkeldy on 2 March at CLP

The destructive and competitive values that sustain capitalism and that legitimate hierarchy – and which are relentlessly pushed throughout society – often undermine the work we try to take forward with people in so much of the work we do in the broader community. It’s so important to challenge these, and to articulate an alternate value set, not only in what we say, but also in what we do. The “Trade School” initiative in our home-town of Pietermaritzburg is a great practical example of “solidarity practices that reinforce values of mutualism, cooperation, social justice, democracy, and ecological sustainability”.

The Pietermaritzburg -based collective that runs Trade School 2016 has created an accessible platform where “anyone can be a teacher and anyone can be a student”. Those who want to teach offer to run a class; & those who want to learn sign up for what the session/s they want– no money changes hands, but learners bring things the teachers ask for as barter, because learning and knowledge has value after all!

Read the full padkos serving here

For a number of us, Jonathan Langdon has been a key intellectual thinking the connections between social movements, learning, and praxis. Padkos and the Paulo Freire Institute are really excited that he will be with us in Maritzburg soon. Join us for a discussion that will draw on 15 years’ work with Ghanaian social movements. In “‘E yeo ngo’ (Does s/he eat salt?): Learning in Movement”, Langdon shares insight from a 5-year participatory study of the Ada Songor Advocacy Forum, a social movement in Ghana. We’re returning to the Centre for Visual Arts Gallery on Ridge Rd (UKZN) for this one – so be there on Monday, 25^thApril @ 4.30pm to hear the presentation, engage Jon, and share some drinks and snacks together.

Read more here

The Nomponjwana women started a gardening project as part of elevating poverty. They call themselves Sekwanele, which means ‘enough!‘, Women’s group.

The group was started after a number of unsolved cases that were reported to the South African Police Services (SAPS) and traditional headsmen concerning women being abused and killed in the area, were not dealt with. Read more here