Europe Talks: Young voices reimagine South Africa’s constitutional future at Dibukafé

On 19 August, Dibukafé hosted The Constitutional Remix: Co-Creating South Africa’s Next 30 Years, a Europe Talks event inviting young South Africans to reflect on 30 years of the Constitution and consider what its principles should mean for the country’s future.

Organised in partnership with the European Union Delegation to South Africa, Valued Citizens Initiative and the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development, the event brought together 24 learners from Madibane, Lamula Jubilee and Emadwaleni high schools in Soweto.

Olga Mahori, Acting Director: Participatory Democracy at the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development, opened the session with an introduction to the Constitution. The learners then turned their reflections into posters, zines and collages expressing what they believe the Constitution should protect and recognise, and the issues that matter in their schools and communities.

Their discussions addressed justice, education, gender equality, access to human rights and human dignity. Learners also questioned narrow definitions of educational success, calling for greater access to extracurricular opportunities and schools of excellence in areas such as sport, arts and culture, chess and coding. Their work highlighted the importance of creating more pathways for young people’s different skills and talents to be recognised.

Hear what the participants had to say here!