Historian Elizabeth Vibert has spent three years studying a unique women’s farm in South Africa.
Now, on the eve of that country’s 20th anniversary of democracy, she is sharing her findings in the second of a four-part lecture series, sponsored by the Victoria Grandmothers’ Advocacy Network and Cadboro Bay United Church.
Vibert, a University of Victoria professor, will describe how three generations of rural African women have created a cooperative farm, building strength, self-sufficiency and community – as well as feeding their families.
The talk, entitled Global Food Security: The Story of an African Women’s Farm, will examine grassroots alternatives to industrial, export-oriented agriculture.
Her description of the farming women will highlight specific challenges of state violence, rural marginalization and the impacts of HIV/AIDS. She will also show how small communities can work together to build social resilience.
The farm is also the focus of the Colonial Legacies Field School course that Vibert is offering her students next spring in Limpopo, South Africa.
The Grandmothers’ Advocacy Network is a group of women across Canada pushing for more government aid to fight AIDS and other diseases in Africa.
The talk will be held at Cadboro Bay United Church, 2625 Arbutus Rd., at 7:30 p.m., Nov. 18. Admission is by donation.
For more information, please call 250-477-2715.