For the past decade, Food Dialogues has been a vital forum for exploring the intricate relationships between food, economics, and politics within our complex food systems. This year, re-branded as the Food Indaba, the programme runs for two weeks from Monday, July 22 to Sunday, August 4, featuring a diverse array of events across Cape Town, including the V&A Waterfront precinct, Mowbray, Langa, Philippi, Lynedoch, and Stellenbosch.
Range of Events
Food Indaba 2024 offers a mix of ticketed and free events. A significant highlight is the Pan African Webinar hosted and facilitated by AfriFOODlinks. This free event, titled “Power and Hunger,” will delve into the weaponization of hunger, making it a must-watch for anyone interested in the intersection of food and politics.
This 90-minute Zoom webinar will shed light on how hunger is used as a tool to exert power in various African cities, including Kenya, Tunisia, Uganda, South Africa, and Burkina Faso. Speakers will discuss how hunger is overtly used to support armed conflict and how power is used to normalize or render invisible the persistent hunger of certain populations. The discussion will also cover the impact on immigration, food production, politics, and social development, as well as the cities’ responses through policy, citizen mobilization, and urban development strategies. Moderated by Paul Currie from ICLEI Africa, the panelists will provide key insights from across Africa into forms of resistance against the weaponization of hunger.
Another noteworthy virtual event is the live-streamed Public Conversation from Cape Town TV studios. This session will discuss new significant food reports from UN agencies and others that offer an accessible way to engage with critical food system issues from home.
For those in Cape Town, there will be an in-person version of the “Power and Hunger” conference, which will take place on Thursday, August 1, 2024, from 08:30 to 16:00 at Maker’s Landing. The morning will kick off with a session led by the Centre of Excellence in Food Security, where you’ll hear from voices around the world—from Gaza and Sudan to Ukraine and South Africa—about how hunger is used as a political weapon in both conflict zones and peaceful democracies. Stephen Devereux will provide key insights into these issues.
Later, the Hasso Plattner d-School Afrika at UCT will present a design thinking workshop for food systems. Their Design Dash workshop will introduce practical tools for tackling food system challenges, drawing on their experience with innovative problem-solving in various sectors, and eliciting fresh angles, approaches and insights for participants to take forward.
In the afternoon, a panel of activists and journalists will dive into Modern LawFare, discussing how to use the law to achieve justice in the food system. Carla Joy Bernardo of the Centre of Excellence in Food Security will wrap up the day with a closing synthesis, summarizing the key takeaways.
Stay Connected
Register now for the events and subscribe to our mailing list to stay updated on all the exciting happenings at Food Indaba 2024! If you are in Cape Town, check out the rest of the in-person events taking place around the city.
Food Indaba is hosted by the SA Urban Food & Farming Trust with co-host and sponsor SOLVE@Waterfront. Co-sponsored by the DSI-NRF Centre of Excellence in Food Security and AfriFOODlinks (funded by the European Union). Event partners include the African Centre for Cities, The UNESCO Chair in Science and Education for African Food Systems, ICLEI Africa, Hasso Plattner d-School Afrika, Bertha House, Philippi Village, Oranjezicht City Farm, City of Cape Town, 16 on Lerotholi, Cape Town TV, and Derrick Integrated Communications.