The third and final public debate in Idasa’s series “Building Democratic Societies” will be happening next Tuesday evening.

This one is entitled “Are South Africans failing to claim their Democracy?” Despite high levels of electoral participation, South Africa continues to be a very unequal society with an ever widening gap between the elite and the poor. Have vested political and economic interests become the main driver of our body politic? We’re sure this debate will be as interesting and engaging as the previous installments in this series. Come and listen to our speakers and have your say on the matter.

Seating for these popular events is limited and you are encouraged to RSVP.

Date: Tue 18 May 2010
Venue: Idasa’s Cape Town Democracy Centre, 6 Spin Street, Cape Town
Time: 5.30pm for 6pm to 8pm (refreshments will be served after)
RSVP: Tanya Shanker, email: tshanker@idasa.org.za

Find more details about this event here.

Review: Coloureds no.1 by the Trantraal Brothers

Coloureds is a fantastic new regular series of comics produced by the über-talented Trantraal Brothers. Experience everyday life in Cape Town’s townships, especially “inni Lavis” (in Bishop Lavis), through the uncompromising eyes of 9-year old Caitlin Hill and her little broe’tjie Nigel. See them plot to kill their abusive, alcoholic dad while they watch their mother Charmaine seek solace in religion...

Andreas Späth
Read the whole review here.

New from Idasa: Social Accountability in Africa: Practitioners’ Experiences and Lessons edited by Mario Claasen & Carmen Alpín-Lardiés

This new publication from Idasa and the Affiliated Network For Social Accountability (ANSA-Africa) is a collection of case studies from Africa on social accountability. The book attempts to build a consolidated body of knowledge on social accountability efforts across the continent. The case studies are diverse and present unique approaches to how social accountability strategies and interventions are implemented within different countries…

Read more here.

Book Review: Climate Change, Carbon Trading and Civil Society: Negative Returns on South African Investments edited by Patrick Bond, Rehana Dada and Graham Erion

I’m a big fan of Patrick Bond, the director of the Centre for Civil Society and Professor of Development Studies at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, who has been a courageous and steadfast voice of opposition to political and economic orthodoxies in South Africa for years.

This book summarises the responses to climate change in South Africa and elsewhere, focusing specifically on carbon trading as a mechanism that has been widely promoted as a means to mitigate global warming, particularly through the Kyoto Protocol…

Read more here.