Activism and Community-centered Approaches
10:00 Eastern Time (ET)/17:00 South African Standard Time (SAST)/21:00 Bangladesh Standard Time (BST):
Welcoming remarks by the organizers
10:05 ET/17:05 SAST/21:05 BST:
Aragorn Eloff, PhD student in Philosophy, North West University, Potchefstroom, South Africa
10:20 ET/17:20 SAST/21:20 BST:
Luvuyo Bomela (University of the Western Cape, South Africa):
Another one bites the dust: Towards a Community-Centred Approach to Combating Dog-fighting on the Cape Flats
This presentation explores the potential efficacy of community-centred approaches to combat the practice of dog-fighting on the Cape Flats. Although dog-fighting is considered an illegal activity, it continues to pervade many communities while posing a threat to the safety and well-being of both canines and humans. While efforts have been made to challenge and combat dog-fighting, it remains a pernicious activity that is largely unregulated.
A community-centred approach entails addressing the issue of dog-fighting by involving ordinary citizens. This strategy involves incorporating “locals,” whose intervention (if trained properly) can be critical in providing emergency first-aid for the dogs, viz, recognising, reporting, and fending off this deadly practice. Community members play a key role in raising awareness, educating the public, lobbying for the implementation of more stringent laws, and facilitating and monitoring enforcement policies to help combat dog-fighting.
This presentation will review various online publications and any other available information produced by the National Council of SPCAs and The Cape of Good Hope SPCA on dog-fighting. A review of various key tactics implemented by community activists to help combat the illegal practice on the Cape Flats will be conducted. These strategies and approaches include collaborations with local authorities, and grassroots initiatives aimed at supporting the implementation of stricter laws to help regulate dog-fighting. Overall, this review aims to demonstrate that community-centred approaches can be proactive and effective in addressing the issue of dog-fighting in our society.
Luvuyo Bomela is a graduate student in the Department of Sociology at the University of the Western Cape in South Africa. His academic interests include sociology and environmental humanities with a peculiar interest in topics such as animal blood sports and dog-fighting.
11:05 ET/18:05 SAST/22:05 BST:
15-minute break and networking
11:20 ET/18:20 SAST/22:20 BST:
Sarah Israth (University of Dhaka, Bangladesh):
Social Media and Animal Rights: Analyzing the Evolution of Animal Welfare Movements in Bangladesh
This presentation delves into how social media is revolutionizing animal welfare efforts in Dhaka, Bangladesh, focusing on both community-driven initiatives and legal advocacy. Using qualitative methods such as digital ethnography and semi-structured interviews, my research examines how online platforms are transforming individual acts of animal rescue into broader, organized movements. Theoretical insights from Benedict Anderson’s “Imagined Communities” and Erving Goffman’s Framing Theory shed light on how digital spaces foster collective identities and influence public attitudes. By 2024, local animal welfare groups had evolved from merely rescuing and adopting animals to actively engaging in legal battles and policy advocacy. Noteworthy achievements include successful legal actions against animal cruelty and campaigns against harmful policies like the relocation of stray dogs. I will highlight how social media not only builds strong support networks and raises awareness but also empowers new activists. I will emphasize the crucial role of these digital communities in mobilizing collective action and ensuring that animal rights are upheld. My research enhances our understanding of how digital platforms can drive meaningful social change and offers a framework for applying similar strategies to other advocacy efforts.
Sarah Israth is a dedicated advocate for social and animal welfare, with an academic background in anthropology from the University of Dhaka. She has worked in roles focused on social compliance and governance, while her commitment to both human and animal causes has been evident from a very young age.
12:05 ET/19:05 SAST/23:05 BST:
Angie Angel Rengifo (La Quinta Pata, Colombia):
Growing Empathy: Inspiring Animal Ethics Through Compassionate Pedagogy
Colombia’s cultural landscape implies a strong speciesist tradition. Because it relies on agro-economy, most people grow up with a realistic picture of how relations with animals work under the speciesist system, in terms of food, entertainment, and work. At the same time, a large part of the Colombian population has also grown up with violence very close to home, especially in vulnerable groups, where security (food, economic, and physical) is not granted.
In this context, where violence is often part of our daily reality, and among normalized animal objectification, La Quinta Pata is born, a collective that proposes a compassionate, non-victimizing, abolitionist, and artistic activism. As a member of La Quinta Pata, I will present a learning experience that has marked us as a group:
In March 2023, we organized an anti-speciesist Fanzine workshop in alliance with La Olla Vegana Popular (a grassroots initiative promoting food justice, veganism, and feminism) and the School Re-creo Sueños (a pedagogical and popular initiative). The workshop was titled “¿En qué me parezco a los animales?” (How am I similar to animals?) and it was directed at a group of children living in the Santa Fé, a neighborhood historically marginalized since its declaration as a red-zone by the city council.
With my presentation I want to share a successful case of vegan pedagogy and activism through the arts. This workshop focused on building empathy while teaching children about nonhuman animals. Considering the social context of its participants and our pedagogical approach, this experience can become a blueprint for other regional initiatives.
Angie Rengifo was born in Bogota, Colombia. She studied visual arts and is currently doing an M.A. in Performance and Digital Arts in Nuremberg, Germany. Since 2021, she has been part of La Quinta Pata, a collective that practices compassionate activism, art, and literature in favor of animal liberation.
12:50 ET/19:50 SAST/23:50 BST:
13:05 ET/20:05 SAST/00:05 BST: