Collette Prince and Tess Miles attempt to confront a right wing Afrikaans group who are creating a whites only enclave called, Die Eden Projek. Leader Jaqui Gradwell started his project at Willowmore in the Eastern Cape. Grappling their fears of racism, and physical danger, Collette and Tess find unexpected truths about the leader and the project and the irony of living in a democratic South Africa where racism continues to thrive.
In the end, Collette and Tess don’t fulfill their intended mission to confront this group, but instead are left with more questions then they started with. The Eden exposes the rhetoric of manipulating people with their fears to get what you want in democratic South Africa.
We embark with chokka (squid) fishermen from Port Elizabeth on their first fishing trip of the winter 2017 fishing season. Faced with serious environmental pressures and only working on commission they each have to catch enough of the elusive squid on this trip to support their families for the off-season. Each trip is a competitive gamble for their livelihoods. We meet Abel Goliath and Vakele Jams Maxwele and the crew of the Jamie Jay as they head out to sea with big hopes for the trip to encounter all kinds of trials and challenges.
ELSA Moot Court Competition is a simulation of the world trade organization (WTO) dispute settlement system. The European Law Students Association (ELSA), held a Moot Court competition in the African region at Rhodes University in March 2017. It is here that the winning teams of the African regional round had the opportunity to advance to Geneva, Switzerland to compete against other winning teams from around the world.
Report by : Abner Accom, Catharina Andersen, Tess Miles, Thingo Mthombeni, Collette Prince & Dan Tucker
A heartfelt film about a young learner from the Gadra Matric School who is trying to improve her marks. Shulamite Mswela tells how she moved from her hometown in Port Alfred to Grahamstown, in the hopes of being the first scientist in her family. With the guidance from distinguished professor Dr Shivani Mishra from the University of South Africa, Shulamite learns that the academic journey is not that easy. Dr Mishra allows the viewer to see how human she truly is, as she voices her failures and upheavals. Like Shulamite, Dr Mishra had to assimilate into a new environment and make sacrifices. She has achieved countless accolades, whilst learning from her failures and never giving up. Shulamite and Dr Mishra’s paths meet and they share their stories of overcoming failure and perseverance.
A short film about integrating indigenous knowledge alongside classroom science in Grahamstown, South Africa. It focuses on a research project started by Maren Seehawer and 5 local teachers aiming to discover how indigenous knowledge can inspire better learning, improve student contribution and make science more relatable. Through the experience of a school learner at Tantyi Primary School this film shows that indigenous knowledge has made a positive impact on his life and future career endeavors. It is an exploration of bringing two worlds, home and science, together.
The film begins with an avid learner, Lithe-tha, who was first introduced to indigenous knowledge in the classroom at Tantyi Primary school in 2015. His teacher, Mr Nuntsu demonstrates to us how he builds the bridges between knowledge at home and knowledge at school. A fundamental role in this knowledge project is encouraging students to bring back knowledge from their elders, parents and siblings on indigenous knowledge. Furthermore, we meet Nomzi who offers insight on indigenous practices and cultural values and why they are important. Later we meet Maren, PHD student, a member of the research project. She speaks on how indigenous knowledges can serve as a tool which not only offers alternatives to western science but also allow for a practical and relatable take on education. Lastly, Lithe-tha reveals the potential in integrating indigenous knowledge alongside classroom science. He inspires a hope in bringing about a change in the South African science curriculum.
This story is about hydrogen and whether or not it is a reliable renewable energy source. It is a film that creates awareness about the importance of renewable energy. The film features two scientists, Dr Henrietta Langmi who specializes in hydrogen and Dr Garth Cambray who specializes in biotechnology. On the one hand Dr Langmi speaks positively about hydrogen as a renewable source of enrgy and on the other hand, Dr Cambray counter argues this view. However, they both agree that in order for hydrogen to be a good renewable source of energy a lot of work still needs to be done.
