Thou shalt not steal; thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s goods…unless, of course, you’re passing media laws in 2010. A Great Texts public lecture investigates that pesky paper.
Clinton, Cosby and Gates will agree; it all starts with Bill. When you’re talking about the statute, not the name, and you’re talking Cape Town, not Tinsel Town, Silicon Valley or The White House, it may all end with Bill. Yes, we’re talking about THAT Bill, the one and only Protection of Information Bill, recently the brunt of media furore, fear and fury in a country that prides itself on one of the most progressive constitutions in the world. For good reason; there is much debate around a law that privatises privacy and imprisons Freedom of Speech, after all. Where does this lead?
It leads to Great Texts. At least, that’s the buzz word from top, local academics trying to answer this question by doing just that – leading where others would lay down laws. The Great Texts/Big Questions series of public lectures is the brainchild of the Gordon Institute for Performing and Creative Arts (GIPCA), which recently received a new director, Jay Pather. The dubious Bill received special mention with the most recent lecture, “(Not) a Great Text, (But) a Big Question: The Protection of Information Bill”.
The panel was led by writer, philosopher, academic and UCT’s former Vice Chancellor, Professor Njabulo Ndebele. The Prof engaged fellow Professor David Benatar, (HOD, Department of Philosophy, UCT) and Tony Weaver (assistant editor of the Cape Times) in a discussion that aimed to coax insight out of ignorance and encourage all to participate in the ideological battle inherent in the issue.
Lectures take place on Thursdays at 17h00 at Hidding Hall, University of Cape Town, Hidding Campus, 31 – 37 Orange Street. This week’s lecture was ‘The Creature from Planet X: an anatomist looks at science fiction’. Professor Alan Morris of UCT’s Department of Human Biology discusses science fiction movies (e.g. Avatar) painting a picture of a possible anatomical reality. Find out more on the GIPCA events page.
