The South African Civil Society Information Service
A nonprofit news agency promoting social justice. Seeking answers to the question:
How do we make democracy work for the poor?
A nonprofit news agency promoting social justice. Seeking answers to the question:
How do we make democracy work for the poor?
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On Tuesday, Ecuador's foreign minister accused the British government of trampling on Julian Assange's rights by refusing to allow him to travel to Ecuador, which granted him political asylum almost a year ago. Joining Democracy Now! from the embassy, Assange addresses what he calls "attacks on all fronts against WikiLeaks", from a monetary embargo involving some of the world's largest financial firms to a new Hollywood documentary on WikiLeaks, "We Steal Secrets". Assange...
On Saturday 25 May, an estimated quarter million people in more than 400 cities around the world marched against Monsanto, one of the biggest and most powerful biotech corporations that promotes genetically modified products, more commonly known as GMOs. Activists used extensive social media and community outreach to raise awareness about Monsanto's influence in an attempt to galvanize millions to demand Monsanto be stopped. Among participating cities were Tokyo; Amsterdam; Paris; Vienna;...
Architect, Alastair Parvin presents a simple but provocative idea: what if, instead of architects creating buildings for those who can afford to commission them, regular citizens could design and build their own houses? According to Parvin, this concept puts design and building solutions into the hands of the 99%. It is at the heart of WikiHouse, an open source construction kit that means just about anyone can build a house, anywhere. Free 3D building models are already available online....
SACSIS’ Fazila Farouk talks to Marjorie Jobson, Director of the Khulumani Support Group, who provides an update of South Africa’s apartheid reparations case that has been on going for a decade.
According to Jobson, a lack of corporate accountability for apartheid crimes has resulted in apartheid era practices reproducing themselves in certain sectors of the post-apartheid economy, such as mining. She links the strife in Marikana today to the fact that mining companies were...
In their new book, "The Body Economic: Why Austerity Kills," economist David Stuckler and physician Sanjay Basu examine the health impacts of austerity across the globe. The authors estimate there have been more than 10,000 additional suicides and up to a million extra cases of depression across Europe and the United States since governments started introducing austerity programs in the aftermath of the economic crisis. For example in Greece, where spending on public health has been...
After centuries of Western dominance, the world's centre of economic and political weight is shifting eastward. In just 30 years, China has risen from long-standing poverty to being the second largest economy in the world -- faster than any other country in history. From angry farmers to weary migrant workers, powerful politicians and everyone in between, what China says and does, has become of undeniable importance to the entire world.
This fascinating Al Jazeera documentary provides in...
