Jan

24 2023

Lessons from South Africa: Moving Beyond Toxic Polarization in America

7:00PM - 8:00PM  

Temple Sinai 363 Penfield Road
Rochester, NY 14625

Join us for an extraordinary conversation with two renowned leaders who were instrumental in ending the brutal dictatorship of apartheid in South Africa – and are eager to help Americans apply their lessons learned to our current political crisis.

Mohammed Bhabha and Roelf Meyer embody a powerful story of re-imagining a society. Learn how two leaders in dramatically different positions – one who was imprisoned for his political work, the other who helped secure Mandela’s release – built a level of understanding that transformed a nation.

Roelf Meyer is known for his role as the South African government’s chief representative in the 1993 negotiations to end apartheid and establish a democratic country. He served in the cabinet of former President Nelson Mandela, and later became secretary-general of the National Party. In 1997 he co-founded the United Democratic Movement. Meyer consulted on international peace processes in Kosovo, Myanmar, Northern Ireland, and Rwanda, among others.

Mohammed Bhabha is a former Member of Parliament, attorney, and experienced negotiator. He was part of the African National Congress (ANC) team at the Convention for a Democratic South Africa (CODESA), and later as part of the agreements on the final South African Constitution. Mohammed has worked on transitional and constitutional support projects in Kenya, South Sudan, Madagascar, Sri Lanka, Yemen, Palestine, Bahrain, and Zimbabwe.