The guest speaker at our monthly speaker evening is Dr Roger Chennells, who will share some of his knowledge of ethnobotany, and specifically his observations and experiences whilst representing the San people in a legal matter regarding indigenous peoples’ rights to be compensated for the use of their lore to develop pharmaceutical and other commercial products.
Roger is a legal advisor to the South African San Institute (SASI), as well as to the Working Group of Indigenous Minorities in Southern Africa (WIMSA). He is a founding trustee and legal advisor to IPACC (Indigenous Peoples of Africa Coordinating Committee) Trust, formed in 1997 in order to coordinate the international and human rights of indigenous peoples of Africa. He is also a founding trustee of the Centre for Rural Legal Studies in Stellenbosch.
His primary interest remains the exploration and promotion of law and human rights in practice, particularly with an emphasis on the rights and interests of indigenous peoples. He has assisted the San with traditional knowledge and heritage rights for over a decade.
Further information and venue details from Yvonne Steyn.
Note that the venue has strict access control and that you are required to RSVP to obtain an OTP (One Time Pin) to gain entry to the estate.