Commonwealth Voices

This episode documents the struggle faced by South Africa's waste pickers to organise for their rights and recognition.

There is today an unquestioning global focus on economic growth. What governance approaches could make the global economy more just? Political commentator and columnist Owen Jones chairs a discussion with fellow journalist Sainath Palagummi (India) and economist Faiza Shaheen (UK).

This discussion examines the role of institutions in perpetuating structural discrimination in the fabric of governance, and examines ways of challenging and changing it. Historian and writer Onyeka Nubia chairs the discussion at the Commonwealth People’s Forum in London. Panellists include: Kalpana Kannabiran, a sociologist and legal researcher; Marai Larasi, a black women’s rights activist; and Tshepo Madlingozi, a senior lecturer in Law at the University of Pretoria.

What happens when air quality is so dangerous, it brings businesses, schools and other services to a close and hundreds of people to the doors of public health clinics? The Jamaica Environment Trust were already calling on the government to tackle the public health risks of contaminated air and water. In 2018, when the decades old problem of fires at the Riverton city Dump resurfaced, their calls got louder.