Documentary and discussion
Date: 15 August 2019
Time: 11h00 – 14:00
Venues in Pretoria, Durban and Cape Town (Videoconferencing facilities: see below)
Co-Facilitors: Prof Thierry Luescher, ESD, HSRC and Ms Anita Khanna (Writer, Producer, Impact Producer, Uhuru Productions)
Introduction to the documentary: Rehad Desai (Director, Producer, Uhuru Productions)
Comments on current policy development will be provided by colleagues from DHET, NSFAS, and former activists of the student movement.
In October 2015, university campuses erupted nationwide with students’ call for de-commodified higher education – #FeesMustFall and #EndOutsourcing – and it soon developed into the most significant national protest wave in democratic South Africa.
The full-feature length documentary #EverythingMustFall (produced and directed in 2018 by Rehad Desai) recalls the start of #FeesMustFall at Wits, how it spread to other universities and extended to other campaigns, the key demands of students and their modes of voicing them, and eventually the responses that students received, from university authorities, social actors, the political elite, and from the police and private security. The documentary tells the story through the experiences of four student leaders at Wits University and their Vice Chancellor, Prof. Adam Habib. At the heart of the film sits a conflict around the meaning of higher education, higher education policy and the future of young people in a deeply divided and unequal South Africa.
Purpose and proceeding
The seminar provides an opportunity to recall what happened four years ago and since. Inspired by the documentary, the seminar seeks to take stock of continuities and change in the higher education sector, the state and future development of higher education policy, and explore broader questions of social transformation and what #FeesMustFall has shown to be possible and impossible.
The seminar starts at 11 am with a brief introduction to the documentary #EverythingMustFall by the producer and director Rehad Desai. This is followed by a screening of the documentary. Following the documentary, we will receive brief comments of invited guests who have deeper insight into current policy developments (from the Department of Higher Education, Science and Technology, and from the National Students Financial Aid Scheme) and from former student leaders. The floor will be open for further engagements for about 40 min (until 2 pm).
11h00 – 13h00 Introduction to the documentary and screening of #EverythingMustFall documentary (full feature length)
13h00 – 14h00 Facilitated discussion
This seminar is part of the HSRC’s research project “The new South African Student Movement: From #RhodesMustFall to #FeesMustFall” (supported by The Andrew W Mellon Foundation) and of Uhuru Productions Public Engagement commitment.
Kindly note that seminars can now be accessed via the Vidyo link: https://hsrc-vc.tenet.ac.za/flex.html?roomdirect.html&key=GGKGXLnInSbnn5Mspk7JfF1qu8
Please advise the administrator below if you are intending to link via Vidyo
Kindly RSVP by 14 August 2019
Pretoria: HSRC Video Conference, 1st floor HSRC Library Human Sciences Research Council, 134 Pretorius Street, Pretoria. Arlene Grossberg, Tel: (012) 302 2811, e-mail: acgrossberg@hsrc.ac.za
Cape Town: HSRC, Merchant House 116-118 Buitengracht Street Cape Town, Cape Town. Contact: Shouneez Khan Tel (021) 4667948, or email: skhan@hsrc.ac.za
Durban: The Atrium, 5th Floor, 430 Peter Mokaba Ridge, Berea, 4001 , Contact Ridhwaan Khan, Tel (031) 242 5400, cell: 083 788 2786 or RKhan@hsrc.ac.za, or Wiseman Mbambo e-mail: wmbambo@hsrc.ac.za