Outspoken commentators will speak on controversial contemporary ethical issues ranging from parallels between Israel and apartheid South Africa, to physician-assisted suicide, at the Spiritfest Winter School during the Festival.
Outspoken commentators will speak on controversial contemporary ethical issues ranging from parallels between Israel and apartheid South Africa, to physician-assisted suicide, at the Spiritfest Winter School during the Festival.
A Fringe Festival programme event running from this Thursday to Sunday 8 July, the Winter School includes a programme of lectures, panel discussions, book launches and lunchtime movies that focus in one way or another on matters religious, spiritual and of pressing ethical concern within the society in which we live.
Terry Crawford-Browne, dubbed a “formidable human rights activist and warrior for peace” by Archbishop Emeritus, Desmond Tutu, will be speaking on the parallels between Israel and the South African experience.
Crawford-Browne was instrumental in blowing the lid on the arms scandal. After evidence confirmed how well-connected members of the government had been paid massive bribes to secure contracts, his application to the Constitutional Court forced President Zuma’s appointment in October 2011 of a judicial commission of inquiry.
At 1pm on Monday 2 July he will introduce a screening of Roadmap to Apartheid, which addresses the theological motivations for apartheid in South Africa and Zionism in Israel-Palestine. At 11am he will speak on Roadmap to Apartheid: the parallels of South Africa and Israel-Palestine, followed by the launch of his book, Eye on the Diamonds, which links the colonial and apartheid histories of South Africa with those of Israel and Palestine.
Keith Matthee SC, former acting judge and well-known advocate at the Cape Bar, will take a sideways look at the controversy that has plagued the new Chief Justice Mogoeng Mogoeng. His Winter School lecture at 11am on Tuesday 3 July will explore “Why all the fuss about a Christian Chief Justice?”. He offers insight into how this controversy has played out some of the stresses and strains within South African politics and the legal community.
At 11am on Wednesday specialist physician Celia Jameson, founder of the Palliative Care Ward at Settlers' Hospital in Grahamstown and specialist in geriatric medicine, will be leading a panel discussion on the searing ethical concerns in the debate on palliative care versus physician-assisted suicide. She will be joined by two philosophers, Francis Williamson and Richard Flockemann.
Rhodes scholar, economist and financial fundi Stephen Meintjes will be looking at the dysfunctional global financial and economic system. Almost the world over, and certainly in South Africa, real jobs, has become the single most critical social and economic issue. Meintjes argues that at its root, the problem stems from a failure of the taxation system. His talk, Putting and end to poverty – Change the tax system! is on Thursday 5 July at 11am. Following his lecture Meintjes will be launching his new book Our Land Our Rent Our Jobs.
Peter Rose – environmental scientist, Professor of Biotechnology, Planet Earth Institute scientific advisor and recently returned from the Rio+20 meeting in Brazil, will be taking a look at the triple whammie of environmental/climate crisis, exhaustion of resources and financial meltdown that are marking a major crunch-point in the progress of the secular modern world in his talk, Has Secular Modernism run its course? The perfect storm of Environment, Finance and Resources on Friday 6 July at 11am.
Robert Barron’s highly acclaimed new five-part TV series Catholicism on the foundations of the Christian faith will be shown during Winter School lunch-time films and will be introduced by Francis Williamson. The series takes a journey through five major themes of the Christian story.
See the Spiritfest website: http://www.grahamstowncathedral.org for the schedule.
All presentations in the Chapter House of the Cathedral, Church Square, Grahamstown.
For more information about the winter school programme call Peter Rose at 082 801 1353 or email p.rose@ru.ac.za.
