SYMPOSIUMS
LEADERSHIP REQUIRES TOUGH CONVERSATIONS
CURATED BY THE ELIOT OSRIN LEADERSHIP INSTITUTE
Facilitated by thought leaders and bold advocates of change, this symposium offers a space to engage deeply, network collectively and recalibrate, to shift our paradigms and lead with courage.
MEET THE SPEAKERS
Cheryl Hendricks
Executive Director, Institute for Justice and Reconciliation, conflict and peace expert
THIS DISQUIET CALLS FOR INTROSPECTION, LEADERSHIP AND ACTION:
We can no longer ignore the contestation for the very soul and future of South Africa. There is a disquiet around governance, peace, conflict and security. We are troubled by our ‘unfinished business of the past,’ a present filled with negativity, and a future filled with uncertainty. There is a leadership vacuum and a need for an urgent collective rethink. Yet, we do have agency – it is displayed in the many civil society initiatives to provide humanitarian, development, and peacebuilding support, as well as the continued efforts to hold government to account. My talk will explore how we got to this juncture, how the disquiet manifests, and offer some innovative ideas on the way we move forward to create new pathways towards a society and our democracy as a beacon of hope. This is our call to action.
Mark Heywood
Editor of the Daily Maverick’s Maverick Citizen and social justice activist
ACTIVE CITIZENSHIP & COLLECTIVE RESPONSIBILITY – CREATING AN ETHICAL SOCIETY:
In the 21st century the scale of the challenges faced by society has meant that activism has become a necessity, rather than a choice. We simply cannot afford to take a hands-off approach to issues like inequality, global heating and corruption and wait for someone else to stand up for dignity, decency and human rights. Our futures are intricately connected. We must rise collectively or we will fall collectively. But what does active citizenship mean in practice? And what does an ethical society look like? Explore these issues with veteran social justice leader Mark Heywood in a dynamic, personal and interactive discussion.
Nadia Lubowski
Founder of the Anton Lubowski Educational Trust and curriculum developer
COMPLICATED LEGACIES – MAKING SENSE AND SEEKING MEANING:
Anton Lubowski’s assassination shattered not just his family, but shocked an entire nation. While his life’s work as an anti-apartheid activist and his contributions to the struggle led to change and hope for a better future, his family inherited a somewhat more complex legacy. Nadia Lubowski talks to Albie Sachs about her process of coming to terms with her father’s life and death and the way forward.
Greg Alexander
Teacher, rabbi and facilitator of Jewish texts and experiences
THE LIMITS OF FORGIVENESS – DEEPENING OUR UNDERSTANDING AND ACTIONS:
At the time of South Africa’s transition to democracy, Arch Bishop Desmond Tutu, head of the TRC, encouraged victims to forgive their persecutors in order to be set free. Greg will argue that this contradicts the Jewish teachings on teshuvah and cuts out the necessary process work required to arrive at a meaningful place of forgiveness. Using a startling example from the life of Simon Wiesenthal, we will debate the role and parameters of forgiveness.
Dennis Davis
Retired Judge President of the Competition Appeal Court, law lecturer and author.
CULPABILITY AND PAY BACK – LEGAL PERSPECTIVES FROM THE HOLOCAUST AND THE TRC:
Is the Truth and Reconciliation Commission a more effective means to deal with societies that have perpetrated crimes against humanity or genocide? We will discuss the record from the Nuremberg trials and the South African TRC, and assess these different responses to reconciliation, reparations and restorative justice.
Albie Sachs
Former Constitutional Court Judge, activist and writer
SOFT VENGEANCE AND THE MORALITY OF JUSTICE – LESSONS FOR LEADERS:
Albie will relate his own experience in developing the notion of soft vengeance as his response to being blown up by an apartheid bomb and losing an arm and the sight of an eye. Sharing his story inspires lessons for life.
Cheryl Hendricks
Executive Director, Institute for Justice and Reconciliation, conflict and peace expert
BIO
Cheryl Hendricks engages policy makers, academics, researchers, and civil society on peacekeeping and post conflict reconstruction. Her illustrious career includes work at Centre for Conflict Resolution and at the University of the Western Cape. She holds a PhD in Government and International Relations from the University of South Carolina and a Masters in Southern African Studies from the University of York, England.
Mark Heywood
Editor of the Daily Maverick’s Maverick Citizen and social justice activist
BIO
Social justice activist, Mark Heywood is former Executive Director and co-founder of SECTION27. As editor of the Daily Maverick’s Maverick Citizen, he spotlights civil society and activism. He is adjunct professor at UCT’s Nelson Mandela School of Public Governance and recipient of a Lifetime Achievement Award of the Public Health Association of SA (PHASA). Mark has authored several books and numerous articles on law, human rights, HIV/AIDS, health and literature, and a co-founder of the Treatment Action Campaign (TAC).
Executive Director and co-founder of SECTION27.
Nadia Lubowski
Founder of the Anton Lubowski Educational Trust and curriculum developer
BIO
Nadia was 9 when her father, activist Anton Lubowski was assassinated in front of their family home in Namibia. She continues to process her loss and make sense of her father’s complicated legacy. She is the founder of the Anton Lubowski Educational Trust, and has a Masters in curriculum development.
Greg Alexander
Teacher, rabbi and facilitator of Jewish texts and experiences
BIO
Rabbi Greg Alexander is a dynamic facilitator of Jewish texts and experiences, specialising in making meaning in today’s world now. He has lived and worked in England, Israel, Russia, Hungary, the USA and South Africa, and is a graduate of UCT, Leo Baeck College (London) and Hebrew University (Jerusalem). He currently works on the rabbinic team at the Cape Town Progressive Jewish Congregation and teaches for Midrasha and Melton.
Dennis Davis
Retired Judge President of the Competition Appeal Court, law lecturer and author.
BIO
Dennis Davis is a retired Judge President of the Competition Appeal Court and Honorary Professor at UCT, Wits and UWC, teaching competition law, tax law, legal theory and constitutional law. He is author and co-author of 11 books and 200 articles in refereed journals. He is the presenter of Judge For Yourself on ENCA.
Albie Sachs
Former Constitutional Court Judge, activist and writer
BIO
Albie Sachs was instrumental in the development of the South African Constitution and continues to promote constitutionalism and the rule of law. He has travelled widely sharing South African experiences that might help heal divided societies. He is an author and public speaker.