3rd Africa Forum Archive

The main theme for the 3 rd Africa Forum held at the Eskom Conference Centre in Mid Rand , South Africa in May 2004 was

"Engaging in Citizenship - creating Space and Opportunity in Civil Society for the Blind and Visually Impaired"

The 3 rd Africa Forum received four keynote addresses from:-

  Z. M. Yacoob

Judge of the Constitutional Court of South Africa

Chairperson - South African National Council for the Blind

Entitled:"Engaging In Citizenship: Creating Space and Opportunity in Civil Society for the Blind and Visually Impaired"

" It is both an honour and a privilege to speak here. This is a meeting of committed minds, of workers, of human beings. Many people here have already made untold sacrifices for the cause of people who are weak and vulnerable, people who are blind and partially sighted. Many of us are blind or partially sighted ourselves. We are in need of special fighters for our cause in the new world in which we live: people who will exercise courage, strength, and ingenuity in working with blind and partially sighted people in our future society. Many of these people will be blind and partially sighted themselves, and they are very likely to come from amongst us here. Read more

"Building Alliances for Enhanced Advocacy"  

Petonella Linders

Deputy Chairperson - South Africa 's National Youth Commission

Looking at the various aspects of human rights, social inclusion, and advocacy to be discussed under the overall theme of the forum, I must say that it is a very appropriate theme given the fact that as a country we have just concluded our tenth year of freedom, in which South Africans with disabilities have seen tremendous positive change. One of the most critical of these changes is the fact that we could, since 1994, participate as fully fledged citizens of our country with the inclusion of disability as one of the prohibited grounds in the constitution, as well as the clause on equality in section nine that affirms that all people are equal. Read more

Social Inclusion: The World Bank Evolving to Help Empower the Blind

Nichola Dyer

Country Program Coordinator: Botswana , Lesotho , Namibia , South Africa , Swaziland - World Bank

"Judy Heumann, the World Bank's Disability Advisor, was not able to be here today but she has asked me to convey her best wishes to all of you.

It is an honor for me to represent the Bank at this forum, particularly as disability and blindness are new topics for me, and this has given me a wonderful opportunity to listen and to learn from you.

Since I arrived here on Monday, I have had an opportunity to meet and discuss with some of you, and to begin to have a much better appreciation for the issues that you are grappling with, and the ways that you so effectively deal with the challenges that each day presents. I have been struck by the wonderful and dynamic energy during this Forum, and in this room here today. Read more

Life Chances for Blind and Visually Impaired People in the Information Age

Kevin Carey

Director - humanITy

Vice Chair - Royal National Institute of the Blind

"During the past 20 years, rich countries have been trapped in an expensive struggle to exploit the potential of growing computing power. For most of that period, the major problems concerned input methodology and output intelligibility in such applications as word processing, accounting, and research. But the real issue is how to harness the processing power that now exists for intelligent agents, automated machine processing, and 3D printing. These new developments will eliminate millions of jobs for poorly and moderately qualified people as human beings focus on what they can do better than machines. For blind and visually impaired people, this means exploiting post computer technologies, such as telephone networks and community broadcasting, to provide trustworthy information and to communicate its importance. Since the rehabilitation crisis was recognised 30 years ago, little has changed because we have been sheltered and tied to self employment, with a little communal agriculture. What we need are realistic business models such as dominant partnership, social firms, and network collaboration; these, in turn, require a rehabilitation approach focused on self-esteem rather than technical competence. read more

more papers from the 3rd Africa Forum