Serageldin Lectures on Social Justice in the Ninth Nelson Mandela Annual Lecture
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Dr. Ismail Serageldin, Director of the Library gave the Ninth Nelson Mandela Annual Lecture on 23 July 2011. Entitled “The Making of Social Justice”, the lecture was attended by 1200 person, including Nelson Mandela’s wife, as well as thousands who watched it online including Mandela himself.
In the lecture, Serageldin tackled several points, namely: social justice as the foundation of any state; reflection on the meaning of justice; freedom, rights and equity; cohesion in the age of pluralism; and the centrality of participation.
He referred to the “Arab Spring” when ordinary citizens toppled autocrats and still battle dictators armed with little more than their convictions, quoting Victor Hugo “No army can defeat an idea whose time has come.”
Serageldin pointed out that justice also encompasses freedom, equality and social inclusion, and defends freedom which entails the ability to chose and make a decision. He also stressed that participation is the core of any healthy society, for it promotes transparency, accountability and good governance, and combats corruption.
Please click here to view the lecture, and here to read the lecture in PDF format.