FRIDAY, 5 AUGUST, 10AM - 1PM

The Diakonia Council of Churches’ ethos was once to provide an environment for people and organisations committed to social transformation. Through internal politics, a pandemic and economic crunches, Diakonia now operates more predominantly as a conference centre. The symbolism of structures and power - how they sometimes fail, or come to a natural end - will inform much of the reflective conversations guests engage in on the final day.

The reflecteur will weave together the strands of all that transpires over the preceding days, facilitating a process of introspection, and enabling the co-creation of a cohesive conception of power - how it looks, feels and operates - in Durban’s cultural landscape. The reflecteur will additionally offer space for the review, revision, rejection of exposed power positionalities, systems, relationships, and dynamics, so that Power Talks participants walk away with renewed insight once the programme is concluded. The reflecteur’s role will be to ascertain whether there exists a common purpose, or to engender acceptance of the lack of one. Ultimately, the reflecteur will be tasked with facilitating a collective debrief, a careful unpacking of the Durban Power Talks programme.