Critical Dialogue Programmes
As an organisation with human dignity and social justice at its core, Cornerstone aims to promote and contribute to important conversations around human rights through advocacy, lobbying and research. One of the ways in which we do this is with our monthly Critical Dialogue series.
The series started in 2015 and traditionally takes the form of physical events including book launches, panel discussions, interactive workshops, exhibitions and local film screenings – all of which aim to stimulate public debate that moves society forward. Since COVID hit the nation, and lockdowns were imposed, the Critical Dialogues have, like many others, moved into an online space.
In 2020, we hosted monthly virtual panel discussions, an art and music show, and a hybrid-model 3-day event in November, comprising of workshops, masterclasses and presentations on a range of topics under the broad theme of “Leadership as a mechanism of Reclaiming our futures”.
Throughout the year, we unpacked a range of issues that crept to the fore as COVID-19 shone a light on many of societies cracks, which we had become so used to ignoring.
Some of these topics included; Internet Access as a Human Right, Food Security in South Africa, Reimagining Education & workforce requirements for 21st century Africa, Activism: Then & Now, and The Impact of COVID-19 on Private Higher Education.
The 2021 calendar has been planned and laid out, and while some details may change closer to the time – as we monitor COVID protocols and keep our community safe, we invite you to diarise the below and to take part in these discussions.
You can join us on FACEBOOK and YOUTUBE, where you can also watch some of our previous episodes. Or you can follow us on INSTAGRAM and TWITTER if you’d like to be made aware of upcoming events.
Alternatively, get a prompt straight into your inbox by signing up for our Critical Dialogue mailing list. Simply CLICK HERE to sign up.
The rest of the details; time, date and venue will be communicated at the appropriate date and time. Watch this space!
For further information, email rsvp@cornerstone.ac.za or call 021 448 0050.
The 2nd Critical Dialogue on 'The Challenge of Literacy in South African Primary Education'
CAPE TOWN, February 13th, 2024 - Cornerstone Institute, in collaboration with Oxford University Press Southern Africa (OUPSA), proudly announces the 2nd Critical Dialogue event which will take place on March 7th, 2024 at Workshop 17 situated at the V&A Waterfront. The event will tackle 'The Challenge of Literacy in South African Primary Education,' aiming to address the significant literacy challenges facing South Africa, particularly in primary education.
Read more 07 March 2024The SA Film & TV Industry: Hope For A New Tomorrow
South Africa is an attractive location for international film shoots. But in its own right, our country has also been recognised for excellent movie productions and talent. Since 2005, when Tsotsi won the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film, several South African productions have won international acclaim. In addition, the film industry has the potential to attract foreign investment and to create jobs. The South African film and entertainment industry has the potential to generate R120 billion for the economy annually. The National Film and Video Foundation noted that in 2019/20 the industry contributed R7.2 billion to the economy and that it sustained 31 444 jobs. This fell in 2020/21 to R2.9-billion, with just 12 775 jobs sustained.
Read more 06 January 20222021 in Review
Mark Twain once said, “that the human race has only one really effective weapon and that is laughter.” Even if this is an exaggeration, it might explain the human love for humour, specifically the art of comedy.
Read more 30 December 2021Sport and the National Psyche
Sport has the power to inspire unity and patriotism. It also has the power to transform individuals and communities for the better. On the panel for the coming episode of the Cornerstone Critical Dialogues, we will discuss exactly how this is happening in various spaces.
Read more 23 December 2021New Approaches to Local Government Service Delivery & Economic Development
In the wake of the recent local government elections, this episode of the Cornerstone Institute Critical Dialogues will take a deep dive into how to make local government more effective at delivering services to communities, as well as new approaches to stimulate economic development on the local community level.
Read more 16 December 2021Changing the World through Servant Leadership
Cornerstone Institute recently inducted a new group of student leaders who are deeply committed to enhancing the student experience and helping their colleagues to change the world through the work they do.
Read more 09 December 2021Reviving and Celebrating Our Indigenous Knowledge Systems
On 1 December 1838, slaves were emancipated at the Cape Colony in South Africa. Some 39 000 slaves were freed from the system of ‘apprenticeship’. While slaves were brought into the country by the Dutch from other colonies around the world, the slave system impacted the Khoisan peoples of Southern Africa most harshly. Commandos of colonists would conduct raids against San peoples — often on the pretext that the San were simply stock thieves — for the purposes of acquiring slaves. In such cases, San men were often killed and the women and children taken into bondage, to serve as labour on colonial farms. The treatment of slaves in South Africa was often brutal, with psychological, physical and sexual abuse commonplace.
Read more 02 December 2021What's the Point of Activism against GBVF?
Since the outbreak of COVID-19, emerging data and reports from those on the front lines have shown that all types of violence against women and girls, particularly domestic violence, has intensified. This is the growing ‘shadow pandemic’ – and we need a global collective effort to stop it. As COVID-19 cases continue to strain health services, essential services – such as domestic violence shelters and helplines – have reached capacity.
Read more 25 November 2021What To Do About All Our Waste
Critical Dialogue, Season 1, Episode 7: What To Do About All Our Waste. South Africans produce many tons of organic, plastic and electronic waste every day, much of which ends up in landfills, polluting our rivers, oceans and the environment. It’s a growing problem that shows little sign of slowing down. To gain a deeper understanding of the exact scale of this issue, how we might achieve the ambitious targets government bodies have set, as well as of emerging business opportunities in waste recycling and resource recovery, listen to Episode 7 of the Cornerstone Institute Critical Dialogues on Bush Radio 89.5FM next Thursday evening (18 November, 2021).
Read more 18 November 2021The Rising Cost of Homelessness in Cape Town
If you walk around any South African city it is impossible not to be struck by the number of homeless people there are – you can’t miss it, especially in the early evening when people who have nowhere else to stay are bedding down for the night in shop doorways, under bridges or in parks. It is difficult to quantify exactly how many people are sleeping on the streets in South Africa as no reliable national statistics are routinely collected.
Read more 11 November 2021“Artists Are Surviving Lockdown And Living To Tell The Tale.”
COVID-19 has rapidly changed the way that everyone — including artists and creative freelancers — conduct business. Cancelled shows and gigs, institutions that have gone under, isolation and mental health issues have all taken their toll. An August 2020 study in the US showed that unemployment is particularly high for performing artists in the wake of the Covid19 pandemic.
Read more 04 November 2021Mental Health Awareness in South Africa
According to the World Health Organization and World Economic Forum, mental illness is the largest economic burden the world carries today. Ninety percent of people in developing countries such as South Africa go without any form of treatment. The stigma of mental illness and a lack of mental health awareness worsen already existing mental health issues.
Read more 28 October 2021THE SCIENCE, POLITICS AND ECONOMICS OF CLIMATE CHANGE
“The people who are currently in power and responsible for making important decisions will not likely be alive in 20 – 30 years when the worst effects of the current rate of climate change will be felt. Therefore, they don’t have as much to lose from continuing to make bad decisions. By the time we inherit political and strategic power on this planet, it will be too late to make changes.”
Read more 21 October 2021Taking the Pulse of Education & Higher Learning in South Africa & Worldwide
The Covid-19 Pandemic has caused intense disruption across all societies and particularly in the space of Higher Learning, where it has widened already existing social and economic gaps. In the second edition of the Cornerstone Critical Dialogues on Bush Radio 89.5FM this coming Thursday evening, we will be “Taking the Pulse of Higher Education in South Africa and Worldwide” with a panel of distinguished guests, including Professor Ahmed Bawa Chief Executive Officer, Universities South Africa (USAF), Professor Loretta Feris, Professor of Law at UCT, Professor Driekie Hay-Swemmer, Executive Director in the Office of the Vice-Chancellor, CPUT, and Professor Martin Oosthuizen, CEO, Cape Higher Education Consortium (CHEC).
Read more 14 October 2021New Cornerstone Critical Dialogues
As part of our collaboration with Bush Radio 89.5FM, South Africa's oldest community radio station, the next season of the Cornerstone Critical Dialogues will be taking on a new format.
Read more 07 October 2021Fed Up With Being Afraid - Tackling Gender Based Violence In South Africa
In the year 2019/2020 the South African Police Service recorded 53 776 sexual offences, with 42 664 of these being rape cases. While the final figures for 2021 are yet to be released, we know that many incidents remain undocumented, unreported and unaccounted for within national statistics.
Read more 11 August 2021Digital Transformation in Higher Education.
Digital transformation is revolutionising how organisations approach their operations, service offerings, marketing efforts and every other facet of functioning in the modern world. Higher education is no different.
Read more 15 July 2021Plans for the future: How young people see economic recovery in South Africa.
Commemorate Youth Month As we commemorate Youth Month and honour the young people of 1976 who laid down their lives, fighting for freedom and the right to equal education, we also reflect on the challenges faced by the current youth of South Africa. A declining economy with record high unemployment numbers, and all of this during one of the most tumultuous times in human history. ... Tune in on our Facebook page or YouTube channel on 17 June 2021, at 7pm.
Read more 17 June 2021