Africa Regional Hub
African Universities Hub for Human Rights
The Africa Hub (AUH) was launched in 2023 by the Politics and Urban Governance Research Group (PUG) at the the University of the Western Cape (UWC), South Africa. The Hub seeks to support African universities to play a significant role in protecting human rights, focusing on how universities can support ‘protection’, both externally (of civil society activists and democratic freedoms) and internally (of staff and students). The Hub seeks to act as both an ‘ideas lab’ and a conduit between human rights work and academia thus expanding the HRD protection ecosystem.
Background
In many parts of Africa, shrinking civic and political space and democratic backsliding are threatening the freedom and autonomy of academics, students, and activists. Located within a university (UWC), the Africa Hub provides an ideal space for the incubation of ideas and reflection on various political contexts by HRDs, students and academics. It draws inspiration from UWC and other African universities’ rich history of protest and activism, including their roles in anti-apartheid and anti-colonial struggles. These universities also educate many of those who become key role players in the state and in civil society.
Human Rights Defenders Summer School
The Africa Hub hosts an annual summer school for HRDs, comprising a diverse group of scholars, students, and activists selected from across Africa. The summer school creates a space for defenders of human rights and democracy to reflect, learn, share knowledge and network.
Human Rights Defenders Protective Programme
This three-month, non-academic Fellowship Programme provides human rights defenders working in stressful environments with a safe space to rest, recharge, reflect on their work, and take advantage of opportunities to acquire new skills and knowledge at the University of the Western Cape.