For the last session in our four-part online reading group, we discussed the extractive practices of intellectual property rights and patenting of natural resources and indigenous knowledge systems, which, to quote Vandana Shiva, is “at the heart of the new colonialism”. Increasingly, global biotechnology and pharmaceutical giants are exploring traditional medicinal plants and knowledges, researching rainforests for the next superdrug. In the midst of a pandemic and a global search for a vaccine, we wanted to take a critical look at the colonial and extractive nature of these practices. We watched ‘Imbizo Ka Mafavuke (Mafavuke’s Tribunal)’ (2017), an experimental documentary by artist Uriel Orlow which is set at the edge of a nature reserve in Johannesburg, South-Africa, and follows the preparations of a people’s tribunal, where traditional healers, activists and lawyers come together to discuss indigenous knowledge and bioprospecting. After this, we read Vandana Shiva’s essay “Biodiversity, Intellectual Property Rights, and Globalization” (2007).
This reading session took place on: Tuesday, 8 September 2020, 16.00-18.00 (GMT+7)
Materials for this group:
Screening: ‘Imbizo Ka Mafavuke (Mafavuke’s Tribunal)’ (28’, 2017, SA/UK), a film by Uriel Orlow
Read more about the film and Uriel Orlow’s work here: https://urielorlow.net/work/imbizo-ka-mafavuke/
Reading: ‘Biodiversity, Intellectual Property Rights, and Globalization’ (2007), by Vandana Shiva
Read more about Vandana Shiva and her work here: http://vandanashiva.com
