Скачать или смотреть What advise would you give to a would-be popular educator now?

Anne and Sally speak about the importance of ‘building a current’ – being part of something that is going somewhere; a binding vision and horizontal structure; They point out the importance of constant reviews and reflection: ‘what was the quality of our work today?’ (6:40 mins)

This interview was recorded in April, 2014 as part of an 18-month research project entitled investigating ’traditions of popular education in South Africa’ sponsored by the NIHSS.
(Questions by Astrid von Kotze; recording and editing by Thom Pierce.)

Background
The research sought to shed light on the (radical) non-formal educational work that operated outside of and often in direct opposition to the formal education system in apartheid South-Africa. The formal education system was a reflection of authoritarian and racist relations in which (white) masters were deemed to be the experts inducting (black)ignorant people into Western / European knowledge. Popular education sought to recognise and validate people’s existing knowledge and skills and the socio-cultural contexts that gave rise to innovations and strategies of survival. In the nineteen seventies and eighties, many creative community initiatives across a wide range of activities and locations, like religious organisations, trade unions, advice offices, NGOs, schools, universities and other social movements offered popular or people’s education. ‘Training for Transformation’, founded by Hope and Timmel, is one of these.

Training for Transformation (TfT) is ‘based on a philosophy of justice that seeks the common good.’ (Hope & Timmel, 2014) It is underpinned by the conviction that transformation is not only essential, but also possible. Associated with the work of the Brasilian educator Paulo Freire and the writings of Frantz Fanon and Antonio Gramsci, TfT aims at conscientisation. Here, learning ‘to read’ the world and understanding how personal troubles are connected to broader socio-political issues and people is the beginning for action. Acting, together, to radically change conditions of oppression and exploitation, is the practice that TfT aims at.


The film (clips)
The film is in nine parts – each one a response to a question formulated in line with the larger research question of this ‘catalytic’ project. They are informed by the intention to understand the machinations of two extraordinary education activists, rather than the desire to create a detailed record of the times. (The story of their TfT work is told by Anne and Sally in Training for Transformation in Practice, 2014, Practical Action Publishing) Rather, the interview generates insights into the context and work of popular educators in South Africa, a programme that has been sustained over 40 years and is still going very strongly, with the books more popular than ever. The story is told from the perspective of two women whose commitment to social justice has never wavered and whose insights reveal the moral, political and creative convictions that underpin this work.