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RethinkingFreedom - a foundation course for activists

Cape Town, 2019

Course overviewThe world in 2019 looks like an ugly place. Right-wing authoritarianism is on the rise and rides on waves of popular discontent and disillusionment with failed neoliberal policies and mainstream politics. In different parts of the world, right-wing leaders are ascending to power through the use of popular instruments like the vote. Fake news and misinformation are integral parts of the strategies used to cement this ugly world. Walls are going up and a politics of exclusion has gained prominence. The climate crisis continues and corporate power is seemingly invincible. The disappointments and near-collapse of left governments contributes to a climate of cynicism and despondency. But, attempts to change the world and win freedom have not ceased. In many places, people are waging a push-back against the climate crisis, closure of democratic space, rising inequalities, militarisation, racism and hate-fuelled politics. Rethinking Freedom is a course designed to grapple with the realities of fighting for the attainment of freedom in this time of uncertainty. Tying the course together are key questions:

• What does freedom look like today? • What are the constraints and limitations to freedom today? • What kinds of strategies are on the table for those seeking to be free today? • What are the different imaginations of the future being crafted in these struggles?

Participants in the course will consider these questions, locate them historically and look at their theoretical underpinnings.

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ApproachA range of creative approaches – film screenings, interactive games, performance, seminars, fireside chats, reading circles, discussion groups and debates – will be used in delivering the course. The course is residential and has three components/modules that run over three blocks starting in April 2019, in Cape Town. While the course is mainly residential, participants will be engaged between the modules through online contact, assignments and support.

Who can apply?Participants must hold a matric certificate or equivalent, have some leadership experience (elected or appointed) at any level – in an activist organisation and display a strong commitment to social justice. In addition, participants will be expected to commit to attending the entire duration of the course, which runs over three blocks:

Registration and orientation: Wed 24 April Module 1: Wed 24 April – Mon 29 April Module 2: Wed 10 July – Mon 15 JulyModule 3: Wed 9 Oct – Mon 14 Oct

Tuition fees, travel and accommodation will be provided by Tshisimani. Space is limited to 30 participants.

Course SummaryModule 1: Contemporary Challenges to Freedom

Wed 24 April – Mon 29 April 2019

In 1989, a wave of democratic revolutions swept across Eastern Europe. These revolutions, which brought down the Berlin Wall and led to the collapse of the Soviet Union, were part of a larger "third wave of democratisation" which included southern Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America and southern Africa. 30 years later, in many of these countries, the promise of freedom has gone unfulfilled. Globalisation and deregulation have removed social protections, enriched and empowered multinational corporations, led to the growth of massive inequality, and to the worsening of the climate crisis. Right-wing populism has surged in recent years, inviting compar-isons with the 1930s. Populist leaders like Trump, Modi and Bolsonaro attack "the enemy within" (minorities, political opponents and organised labour) and vilify refugees fleeing war and economic and climate disasters. They actively seek to limit democratic freedoms and adopt policies which serve the interests of the capitalist class. And while the internet and new digital technologies, including social media, have widened access to information and created new possibilities of communication and resistance, it has also allowed the right-wing to communicate their ideas and spread disinformation ("fake news") more widely. This has enabled states to engage in mass surveillance. This module will look in-depth at three contemporary challenges to freedom: inequality; authoritarianism; and media, technology and surveillance. It is intended to give activists an in-depth understanding of how these challenges play out globally and shape the world we live in today.

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Module 2: Feminism and FreedomWed 10 July – Mon 15 July

Various political traditions have been seized with the questions: “what is the meaning of freedom?” “who should enjoy freedom?” and “what is the content of this freedom?”. Different theoretical traditions provide different answers to these questions. The starting points are different, and so are the emancipatory visions. As an intellectual and political project, feminism grapples with women’s status in society, gender roles, gendered power relations and how various political traditions exclude women in their visions of freedom. From multiple angles, feminism provides a critical evaluation of the core claims and visions of freedom contained in political traditions such as liberalism, anti-colonial struggles, Marxism etc. This module will set up a conversation between some of the major currents of feminist thought and political traditions such as liberalism, Marxism, and anti-colonial nationalism. With a focus on the different strands of feminism and where they stand in relation to these theoretical traditions, this module will explore broadened and enriched ideas of freedom. The module will also explore how – through interventions like queer theory – different currents of feminism have been challenged and critiqued for their incompleteness, blind-spots and exclusions. At the end of the module participants will assess whether feminism offers a radical vision of freedom in a world that is punctuated by horrifying levels of gender-based violence, inequality, the policing and surveillance of women’s bodies, and a lack of reproductive justice.

Module 3: Strategies for Winning Freedom TodayWed 9 Oct – Mon 14 Oct

Today, activists on the left of the political spectrum are seized with the question: how to organise politically to challenge authoritarianism, inequality, climate change and many other ills that are haunting the world today? While there may be agreement on the need for social change, there are varied ideas on how to get there. Grappling with these issues requires reflection on emancipatory experiments and strategies for winning freedom that have emerged in the 21st century. Enriching these reflections are recent and ongoing struggles across the world: the 2011 revolutionary moment in the Arab world, Africa’s “third-wave protests” to municipalism in Spain. These different struggles have placed urgent questions on the table: what visions and imaginations are being constructed in the search for freedom? Will freedom be won and secured through an insurrectionary route and marking a complete break with the past? Does the gradual approach to change have a place in how we think about winning freedom today? Does the institutional or electoral path to power offer any insights to those struggling to win freedom today? Is there a need to shift from the centrality of the “national” towards a politics that centres the “local or sub-national”? In this module, participants will consider all these questions as part of a reflection on their own struggles in pursuit of freedom.

How to apply?To apply, fill in this application form and send a motivation letter and short bio to info@tshisimani.org.za. Nominated applications should be accompanied by a nomination letter from their organisations. The deadline for applications is Friday 01 March 2019. For more details visit www.tshisimani.org.za

021 685 3516/8

021 685 0799

67-69 Main Road, Mowbray, Cape Town,

7705 @Tshisimani

@tshisimaniCAE

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Application Form

Rethinking Freedom – a short course, Cape Town, 2019

Personal Information

First Name

Last Name

Gender

Date of Birth

Address

Postal Code

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Contact Information

Email

Telephone

Leadership Experience

Organisation

How long have you been a member of your organisation?

Responsibility in the organisation

Education

Highest qualification

Other

Current studies, if any?

Current Employment, if any?

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Language Preference

Please state up to three languages that you are comfortable in communicating in

What is your motivation for applying for the course?

200 words (max)

Please provide your bio (activist background, interests etc)

150 words (max)

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Letter of Support from nominating organisation (if applicable)

What are your expectations from this course?

100 words (max)

Where did you hear about the course?

From my organisation

Website

Social media

Email

Other

For more details visit www.tshisimani.org.za

021 685 3516/8

021 685 0799 67

67-69 Main Road Mowbray Cape Town 7705

@Tshisimani

@tshisimaniCAE