Yesterday, we launched the 78th issue of Amandla magazine that focuses on the local government. Amandla Collective’s Shaeera Kalla was in conversation with Issue #78 contributor Ayabonga Cawe. We are in the middle of what some call the ‘silly season’, while the poor are plunging deeper into the abyss of poverty due to the high unemployment rate and…

This webinar illustrates that equity is a central issue in public health and that there is an inescapable link between poverty, the feminization of poverty and access to health care, particularly in the South African context. This webinar furthermore, seeks to build systems of solidarity among affected marginalised groups as a result of the pandemi…

Is there a way to save Eskom, manage the climate crisis, protect jobs, and keep electricity a public service all at the same time? For a while now, an international coalition of trade unionists, researchers, and environmental groups under the banner of the Eskom Research Reference Group has been working on a research document that answers “Yes!” to…

This episode outlines the various ways to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in pursuit of preventing a 1.5°C increase. Timestamps: 1:27 - The overall solution 2:05 - What is a climate model? 3:18 - 1.5 to stay alive 4:23 - How to reduce emissions 6:20 - Nature as a solution 7:20 - Carbon sequestration 9:55 - Going net-zero 10:26 - Not just solutions …

The episode unpacks the two major components of climate injustice. Firstly, the uneven contribution of emissions by countries, individuals, and corporations, both presently and historically. Secondly, the uneven effects of the climate impacts, on both developing nations/global south and on the poor and working-class. Timestamps: 1:59 - What do we m…

The second episode on the impacts of climate change that focuses on the melting of ice as well as storms. Some other impacts are touched upon. Timestamps: 1:11 - Recap 2:28 - Why the melting ice matters 4:02 - How sea-level rise happens 5:25 - Why sea-level rise matters 7:24 - Melting of sea-ice 8:53 - Storms 9:19 - Cyclone Idai 10:52 – Other impac…

The first episode on the impacts of climate change that introduces the feedback loop process and explains how climate change creates droughts and wildfires. Timestamps 1:00 – Recap 1:57 – Why a 1°C increase matters 2:42 – Why we say climate change 4:44 - Droughts 5:54 – Feedback loops 6:26 – Droughts as a feedback loop 7:32 – The Cape Town drought …

The episode gives an overview of emissions: what they are, the important ones with regards to climate change, and where they come from. Additional materials: Emissions by sector with interactive infographics. https://www.wri.org/blog/2020/02/greenhouse-gas-emissions-by-country-sector The carbon cycle https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/features/Carbo…

This episode explains the processes that warm the earth and why global heating is different to the usual, natural processes. Key questions: How is 'climate' related to 'weather'? What are 'greenhouse gases' and how they affect the earth’s temperature? What is the difference between the 'greenhouse effect' and 'global heating'? Additional learning m…

Welcome to System Change not Climate Change, an audible course for activists on the climate crisis! The course is primarily aimed at youth activists, particularly those in school, but is certainly suitable for adults as well. With that in mind, the course will aim to cover the basics, but there will also be something for those who already know a fa…

Building a new Eskom: Fully Public and Serving the People with Daniel Chavez, Sean Sweeney and Brian Ashley The crisis at ESKOM must not be used to further liberalise and privatise the energy sector. The proposal to break-up ESKOM into different companies WILL lead to greater privatisation of the energy sector. Electricity will become more expensiv…

"The on-going calls for ‘radical economic transformation’ as well as arguments about how lack of ‘economic freedom’ undermines political independence, sharply raise questions about the nature of the ideology that drove the liberation struggle, African nationalism. As we examine African nationalism, it is vital to reflect on nationalism that develop…

Gramsci is now a "star in the firmament" of humanities. Can his fame help us to better understand his thought or does it risk producing a misinterpretation of his thought? We will try to answer this question by focusing on the idea of hegemony, likely Gramsci's most famous analytical category

"In this period where activists have begun to expose the pervasive nature of patriarchy and misogny in activist spaces - this is a period where the labour movement needs to authentically and genuinely deal with the pervasiveness of patriarchy and misogyny in the workplace but also in the unions that are meant to protect workers. What we find in the…

On Friday the 14th of June, Brazil witnessed one of the largest general strikes in recent years. Workers from various sectors joined the General Strike against the Pension Reform, in defense of Education and by jobs. Segments in the transport sector, public servants, education professionals, metallurgists, bankers, construction workers, petroleum w…

South Africa’s distorted distribution of wealth is one of the biggest challenges facing the country’s economy, with unemployment sitting at an unsustainable 27.7%. In terms of wealth, the top percentile households hold 70.9% while the bottom 60% holds a mere 7%. 76% of South Africans face an imminent threat of falling below the poverty line. With s…

The twentieth century has brought considerable political, social, and economic change for South Africa. While many would choose to focus only on the issues of race, segregation, and apartheid, this book tries to capture another facet: its drive towards modernisation and industrialisation. While considering the achievements and failures of that driv…

How do class, race and gender impact on the production of knowledge? Is it enough to include those who have been excluded from advanced knowledge? Or has knowledge itself been tainted by the exclusions of class, race, gender and colonial conquest? How to proceed with such realisations? How do we decolonise our minds and our universities? Should we …