"Social Movements & African Renaissance" - Internationale Conference with Renown African Activists and Intellectuals, 18-19.10.2011 in Berlin

AfricAvenir organises in cooperation with the Rosa-Luxemburg-Foundation an international conference on "Social Movements and African Renaissance" with the participation of some of the most renown activists, politicians and intellectuals like Asume Osuoka, Director Social Action (Nigeria), Oumar Mariko, Presidential candidate and Director Radio Kayira (Mali), Winfred Nyirahabineza, KADINGO/Kalangala (Uganda), Timothy Kondo, ANSA (Zimbabwe), Masaké Kane, League of Revolutionary Pan-Africanists (Senegal) and Nathan Irumba, Exekutivdirektor SEATINI (Uganda). We want to open the discussions about some of the core topics that are at the heart of the struggles for social justice in Africa, e.g. military interventions, geopolitical interests, market liberalization and structural adjustment programmes, the role of the Youth within Social Movements in Africa, Landgrabbing and the struggle for a sustainable agriculture aiming the establishment of food sovereignty, the role and future of development cooperation and concepts and perspectives of independent ways of development.

Programme:
Tuesday 18 October (The Key Note can be attended separately, at free entrance. Please note that this Key Note will not be translated into German!)

• 18:00: Registration
• 18:30: Welcome Address, Introduction to the Programme
  
  
• 19:00: Key Note Address: Asume Osuoka (Nigeria): Resources, Wars and extractive Industries  (free entrance, open to all!)
  In recent times we have experienced a heightened race for raw materials in industrialised and emerging countries. Some also see such interests behind the recent military interventions of western powers in Ivory Coast and Libya. Meanwhile Europe and Germany have developed new strategies for raw materials: consultancy and activity in the field of “security sector reforms” is increasing and the USA are linking together their engagement in terms of development policy (USAID) closer and closer with their military engagement in Africa (AFRICOM). What does this all mean? Asume Osuoka clarifies the social and ecological repercussions of extractive industries (mining, oil, uranium, diamonds, etc.).
  
  Questions from the floor
  
  
• 21:00: Social gathering/Informal meet and greet session

Wednesday 19 Oktober

• 09:15: Welcome Address, Introduction to the day's events
  
  
• 09:30: Nathan Irumba (Uganda): „Consume what we produce – produce what we consume“
  A critical analysis of the effects of trade agreements, market openings, deregulations and liberalisations and alternatives in local and regional markets.
  
  Questions from the floor
  
  
• 11:00: Coffee break
• 11:30: Masaké Kane (Senegal): Social Movements in Africa: the Emergence of a New Pan-Africanism and the Role of the Youth
  What answers can an African Renaissance provide?
  
  Questions from the floor
  
  
• 13:00: Lunch break
• 14:00: Oumar Mariko (Mali): Africa in a Period of Transition and the Collapse of the Postcolonial State
  African answers to globalisation, the engagement of external powers in Africa, as well as hitherto existing development cooperation
  
  Questions from the floor
  15:30: Coffee break
• 15:50: Short presentations (30 minutes each):
• Winfred Nyirahabineza (Uganda): The fight against landgrabbing, speculation over food products and unfair agricultural trade, as well as perspectives for sustainable agriculture for the creation of food security
• Timothy Kondo (Zimbabwe/Engl.): The work of ANSA / From current world trade conditions and development cooperation to international solidarity and cooperation
  
  Questions from the floor
  
  
• 17:20: Short coffee break
• 17:45: Fishbowl Discussion: Concepts and Perspectives of Independent Development in Africa
  with Oumar Mariko, Masaké Kané, Winfred Nyirahabineza and Timothy Kondo in the starting group (changing of places is strongly encouraged so that others can actively participate)
  
  
• 18:30: Closing thoughts and future prospects
• Perspectives for the continuation of the discussion of alternative development concepts
• 19:30: Possibility of a group meal and social gathering

AfricAvenir will subsequently compile a letter of recommendation in the form of a “policy paper” based on the events at the conference.

The conference will take place on the 18 (evening) and 19 October 2011 at:

Mercure Hotel
Hermannstr. 214-216, 12049 Berlin
(U8 Boddinstraße)

Registration:
Thea Kulla: t.kulla(at)africavenir.org
Participation fee: 15€ / 10€ (concessions)
(includes refreshments and lunch on 19 October)

Please make payment by bank transfer to:
AfricAvenir International e.V.
Badische Beamtenbank
Sort Code (BLZ): 66 09 08 00
Account Number: 00 16 72 13 03
Reference: Your Name + „Fachtagung Oktober”

Background

Historic changes are often brought about by social movements. In the beginning of 2011 the two decades-old dictatorships of Tunisia and Egypt were swept out of power by social movements that held their governments accountable for their failed socio-economic policies. But there is evidence that this might only be the beginning of a truly continental movement of social unrest and uprisings. Some already talk about a crisis of the postcolonial state model. At the same time there are signs of new imperial and colonial endeavors of foreign powers on the African continent.

This conference on “Social movements and African Renaissance” aims to open the discussion on some of the core issues that bind all these otherwise heterogeneous social movements together. These issues were also raised and discussed at this year’s World Social Forum that took place for the second time on African soil in February 2011. So what are the goals of these movements and against what developments are they reacting?

By giving the floor to some renown activists, politicians and intellectuals from Africa this conference aims to provide the German audience, especially the community of cooperation workers, with some rare insights and analysis of the changes taking place on the continent – thereby establishing the necessary prerequisites for a true dialogue and partnership at eye-level between Africa and Europe.

AfricAvenir International intends this conference to be the starting point of a series of conferences and activities under the overall title “The audacity of inventing the future – In quest for independent ways of politics, organization and development in Africa”.