ProBono.Org hosted students and delegates from the Ohio State University on a tour of two provinces rich with historical sites about the journey of democracy in South Africa.
Along with their two lecturers, Haley Duschinski & Larry Hayman, the students spent time in Cape Town exploring the various historical sites. Their excursions included visiting Robben Island, Parliament, the District Six Museum & Iziko Slave Lodge, to name just a few. One student, Zachary Donaldson, posted LinkedIn, “This trip has reaffirmed my dedication to contributing to public service in any way I can, and underscored both the importance and necessity of a robust human rights agenda”.
They spent their second week in Johannesburg where they visited Constitution Hill, the Apartheid Museum, Soweto, Ponte City and Soweto. ProBono. Org’s National Director, Shafie Ameermia, invited them to a lecture on Transformative Justice and the Truth and Reconciliation Commission presented by Ilan Lax and Candice Pillay, members of ProBono.Org’s board. Later in the day they attended a screening of One Humanity (celebrating Nelson Mandela’s 70th birthday in a concert in London). This experience was designed to share the sacrifices of South African freedom fighters in obtaining the democracy we are enjoying today.
The visit ended with a Moot Court hosted by Norton Rose Fulbright SA Inc. where the students argued various legal topics related to the South African Constitution. The Moot was exceptional. The students were able to debate and argue the law using the relevant sources used in the South African legal context and used international law when necessary. They set an excellent standard and ProBono.Org would be honoured to host another delegation.
