PARTICIPATORY DEMOCRACY AND POLITICAL CULTURE
Rosa Luxemburg
“The People shall govern.” Building a just and inclusive society involves establishing a political system that empowers the people to partake in decision-making. Such a participatory democracy comprises a non-governmental sphere or civil society where people meet, network and contribute towards the decision-making process through community-based organisations and NGOs.
A precursor to participatory democracy is political culture – a culture characterised by peaceful, meaningful and transparent communication between citizens and governments and in which decision-makers are receptive, responsive and accountable.
Through its own programmes and those of its partner organisations that focus on research, dialogue and education, the Rosa Luxemburg Stiftung Southern Africa:
- promotes an acceptance and appreciation of democratic principles by civil society as well as the importance of ensuring that, without action to restrict an uneven distribution of political power, democracy is ultimately corroded
- supports interaction with, and participation by, particularly grassroots communities in democratic movements
- encourages vigilance and analysis of democratic institutions and legislation
For further information, please contact Rose Khumalo, Project Officer at: rose@rosalux.co.za
Centre for Civil Society
For the benefit of and in dialogue with civil society, the Centre for Civil Society advances socio-economic and environmental justice by developing critical knowledge through teaching, research and publications. Established at the University of KwaZulu-Natal in July 2001, the Centre promotes the study of South African civil society as a legitimate, flourishing area of scholarly activity. It develops partnerships within civil society aimed at capacity-building, exchanging knowledge and generating reflection and debate. The CCS has built a reputation as a core academic base in South Africa for social and environmental justice research informed by activism.
Centre for Education Rights and Transformation
The Centre for Education Rights and Transformation (CERT) is an integral part of the Faculty of Education at the University of Johannesburg. It seeks to make a positive contribution towards knowledge creation and social transformation and combines academic research with action learning, fostering educational change at the grassroots. The Centre’s work is anchored in the ideals of social, political and economic democracy; racial, class, gender and language equity; diversity in knowledge creation, discovery and dissemination. It defends education and human rights and promotes transformative teaching and learning. The work of the Centre focuses on: the history, sociology and development of South African education; globalization and educational change in Southern African and internationally; African and international policy studies in education; pedagogies in classrooms, lecture rooms and community halls and public advocacy, community participation, and social relevance.
Freedom of Expresssion Institute
The Freedom of Expression Institute (FXI), a non-profit organisation, was established in 1994 to protect and foster the rights to freedom of expression, access to information and to oppose all forms of censorship. It undertakes a wide range of activities including lobbying, education, monitoring, research, publicity and litigation and the funding of legal cases that advance these rights. In the process, it networks and collaborates with a wide range of organisations locally and internationally. FXI is a member of the International Freedom of Expression Exchange (IFEX), which monitors freedom of the media and freedom of expression globally. Through the IFEX Action Alert system, FXI publicises freedom of expression violations in South Africa and draws in other organisations to support its campaigns.
International Labour Research and Information Group (ILRIG)
ILRIG is a non-governmental organisation providing education, producing publications and conducting research for the labour and social movements in South and Southern Africa. The main focus of its work is globalisation and it holds the view that globalisation is not a heightened form of international integration, but an attempt to restructure class relations to restore capitalist profitability. Globalisation is neither neutral nor inevitable. There is an alternative! ILRIG was founded in 1983 and, although previously linked to the sociology department of the University of Cape Town, is now an independent Trust. Over the years it has built a reputation for high-quality publications and education programmes which are accessible and useful to social movement activists and trade unionists. Through its educational programmes and research it brings the experiences of working and poor people in other countries to Southern African organisations and draws on this information to inform the search for alternative policies.
Khanya College
Khanya College is an independent non-governmental organisation based in Johannesburg, South Africa. Established in 1986, its primary aim is to assist various constituencies within working class and poor communities to respond to the challenges posed by the forces of economic and political globalisation. Khanya College provides education that is relevant to the needs of the historically oppressed and exploited; contributes to the strengthening of community based organisations, trade unions, non-governmental organisations and the entire social justice movement. It contributes towards a process of social change and development especially in and through education.
The Harold Wolpe Trust
Harold Wolpe Memorial Lectures
The Harold Wolpe Memorial Trust is committed to the creation of an equitable, humane and democratic society based on the principles and values of non-racism, non-sexism, freedom of expression, open and honest intellectual engagement and other basic human and social values and rights. The Trust takes cognisance that it operates within the context of social transition in South Africa, where a social reconstruction and development and nation building project is underway under the pressures of political and economic globalisation. In cooperation with its partners, the Harold Wolpe Memorial Trust hosts annual memorial lectures in Cape Town, Johannesburg and Durban. The primary purpose of the memorial lectures is to celebrate and advance Harold Wolpe’s intellectual and political legacy.
Zimbabwe Labour Centre
The Zimbabwe Labour Centre (ZLC) is a non-profit Trust set up to benefit working people in their struggle for a just, equitable and fair society through training, legal aid, research and advocacy. It provides the following:
- Legal aid clinic: A Law Society of Zimbabwe registered clinic providing advice and representation to working people and their organisations with an emphasis on defence of the right to organise and strike
- Reform and advocacy: Research and policy advocacy is carried out as well as collaborative actions with like-minded movements and organisations
- training, research and publications: Conducts training programmes and courses as well as the development of educational materials and publication of books, pamphlets and journals on labour and human rights
