Putting climate change higher up on the national agenda will be the
objective of this year’s Ruth First Fellowships and Lecture. The 2007
Fellows, announced this week, are science journalist and author Leonie
Joubert and renowned photographer Santu Mofokeng , according to a release.
Both Fellows will explore the effect of climate change on vulnerable South African communities.
With Joubert having just launched her first book, “Scorched: South Africa’s changing climate†and Mofokeng having dedicated his life and work to the portrayal of South Africa’s political and spiritual landscapes, both Fellows have a strong track record in the areas of social and environmental reportage, and are thus fitting to the tradition of Ruth First.
The Lecture and Exhibition will be presented on August 17th, the anniversary of First’s assassination in 1982 by the apartheid regime. The annual event commemorates the work of the late journalist, activist and feminist.
The project is funded by the Ruth First Memorial Trust in partnership with the Heinrich Boell Foundation and African Studies and hosted by Wits Journalism.
For further details contact:
Birgit Schwarz
Investigative Journalism Workshop
Journalism and Media Studies Programme
University of the Witwatersrand
011-717 4043 or 082-600 7132
