Stairway to South Africa

 Pre-2025 RIM Forum Activity


In the months leading up to 2025 RIM Forum, we offered a series of online, RIM-related, group activities to help us learn about and better understand race & markets within the South African context. These included short readings, films, lectures, and other educational resources. 

Eighth Step - Tuesday, October 29 at 5pm (South Africa Time - SAST)

or 10:00pm ICT, 4:00pm CET, 11:00am EDT, 8:00am PDT

How can historical and contemporary South African jazz be conceptualized ? In this eighth step, jazz musician and scholar Vuma Levin explored this question with an emphasis on how this music has on the one hand critiqued racial capitalism, and on the other been formed by different incarnations of it.

Listen to Vuma’s latest album ‘Antique Spoons’ here: https://open.spotify.com/album/4LDBC7za9NUCEJNKkGCdnL

You can find out more about his work via his website here: https://vumalevin.co.za/about/

Seventh Step - Thursday, September 26 at 5pm (South Africa Time - SAST)

or 5:00pm CET, 11:00am EST, 8:00am PDT, 10:00pm ICT

What does advertising say about South African society and cultural identities? Dr. Judy Davis (Eastern Michigan University, USA) shared examples of historical and contemporary ads for review and commentary, looking at:

  • the creator’s purpose and intended audience for the advertising;

  • why the ads feature a particular subject, pose, perspective, or framing;

  • how the ads represent the cultural values of the period; and

  • how the ads shape social identities in South African culture

Sixth Step - Wednesday, September 4 at 5pm (South Africa Time - SAST)

or 5:00pm CET, 11:00am EST, 8:00am PDT, 10:00pm ICT

How are histories of racial oppression dealt with in contexts of diversity? In this sixth step, Dr. Chana Teeger (London School of Economics, UK) tackled this question by discussing how young South Africans, born into democracy, confront their country’s racist apartheid past in high school history lessons.

Fifth Step - Wednesday, June 26 at 5pm (South Africa Time - SAST)

or 5:00pm CET, 11:00am EST, 8:00am PDT, 10:00pm ICT

In this fifth step, Muzi Kuzwayo (South Africa’s Promise) discussed his aspirations for South Africa, drawing from his insights into consumer dynamics.

Muzi Kuzwayo’s past books:

Fourth Step - Monday, May 20 at 5pm (South Africa Time - SAST)

or 5:00pm CET, 11:00am EST, 8:00am PDT, 10:00pm ICT

In this interactive film showing and discussion, Filmmaker and International Election Observer, Erik Ponder, led a discussion that placed his short documentary—Election Day, Freedom Day, Miracle Day—in conversation with the award-winning seven-part documentary Have You Heard from Johannesburg.

Third Step - Monday, April 29 at 5pm (South Africa Time - SAST)

or 5:00pm CET, 11:00am EST, 8:00am PDT, 10:00pm ICT

This third step was a discussion with Ms. Lynsey Ebony Chutel (The New York Times) about her book (co-written with Tessa Dooms): "Coloured: How Classification Became Culture."

Two excerpts from the book:

- Awê! Ma se kind: Finding our mother tongues

- Colouring outside the laws... and why Trevor Noah isn’t coloured

Second Step - Monday, March 25 at 6pm (South Africa Time - SAST)

or 5:00pm CET, 12:00pm EST, 9:00am PST, 11:00pm ICT

This second step was a talk by Dr. Kevin Ncube (Cape Peninsula University of Technology) who asked: Who is responsible for the development of Africa and its descendants?

First Step - Monday, Feb 26 at 6:30 pm (South Africa Time - SAST)

or 5:30pm CET, 11:30am EST, 8:30am PST, 11:30pm ICT

This opening event provided a sneak peek into RIM’s third Forum, introducing the pre-forum “Stairway” program, and offering attendees an opportunity to ask forum-related questions to the organizers.