Home News My visit to Pretoria for the 2024 Jury Meeting

My visit to Pretoria for the 2024 Jury Meeting

My visit to Pretoria for the 2024 Jury Meeting

By Jon Warmington-Lundström, Education Manager at Right Livelihood

In August, I had the pleasure of joining the trip of Right Livelihood’s Jury as they convened in Pretoria, South Africa, to select the 2024 Laureates. This year’s meeting was hosted by the Centre for Human Rights at the University of Pretoria, one of the eight Global Campus of Human Rights regional hubs.

As Education Manager, my work is closely tied to the Centre through Right Livelihood’s collaboration with the Child Rights Unit. This partnership has been vital to our ongoing work to advance children’s rights and human rights education with the Global Campus of Human Rights.

The Centre for Human Rights was established in 1986 during the apartheid era and played a pivotal role in shaping South Africa’s 1997 constitution. In 2006, the Centre received the UNESCO Prize for Human Rights Education, particularly in recognition of its Master of Laws programme in Human Rights and Democratisation in Africa (HRDA) and its influential moot court competition. Today, the Centre continues its groundbreaking work through five Masters programmes, a cohort of PhD candidates and ten research units.

After working with Centre colleagues online, meeting them in person allowed me to delve deeper into their work and see the connections between Child Rights initiatives and the other research units. It was excellent to see that child rights are not only thoroughly researched and integrated into the HRDA programme curriculum but are embedded in the Centre’s entire culture. 

Learning from South Africa’s history

The day before the Jury Meeting began, we went on a joint visit to Johannesburg, accompanied by members of the Centre, to deepen our understanding of South Africa’s complex past, present and future. The group split for either a tour of the Apartheid Museum or a visit to Mandela House and the Hector Pieterson Memorial, both offering insights into the inequalities and human rights violations of apartheid, as well as the ongoing struggle for equity.

Opting to visit the Apartheid Museum alongside members of the Centre staff from diverse sub-Saharan African nations, it became immediately apparent how much apartheid was in the consciousness of the wider continent. In particular, it was clear how inspirational Nelson Mandela and his fellow activists were to African liberation movements at large.

After the museum, we reunited with the larger group for a guided tour of the Constitutional Court to learn more about contemporary racial dynamics in South Africa. This striking example of modern architecture sits on the grounds of The Old Fort, a former prison that once held common criminals, striking unionists and anti-apartheid activists.

In a place where both Mahatma Gandhi and Nelson Mandela were once imprisoned under appalling conditions, today, the Constitutional Court represents a powerful vision of unity, with its design featuring transparency, equality and all eleven official languages of South Africa. Sharing these moments with academics involved in the fight for improved rights across the continent provided important context and reflection before the Jury reviewed the 2024 Award candidates.

Reflections on partnerships

Later that day, we once again joined our Centre colleagues to connect and explore our shared missions. Inspiring speeches from Gunilla Hallonsten, the Chair of the Right Livelihood Board, and Professor Nkatha Murungi, Acting Director of the Centre, highlighted the significance of alliance and solidarity and ignited discussions on what tangible initiatives we can partner on in the future.

Over the course of the next three days, I was able to sit in on the Jury Meeting, which took place in a picturesque house on the university grounds.

We extend our heartfelt thanks to the Centre for Human Rights for their generous hospitality and unwavering commitment to advancing human rights across Africa and beyond.

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