IBSC Southern Africa Conference

March 10 – 11, 2022
Rondebosch Boys’ Schools
Cape Town, South Africa

The Elephant in the Room

Speakers

Shaun Fuchs 

Sexuality and South African Boys’ Schools 

Author, educator, entrepreneur, speaker, and world traveller, Shaun Fuchs shares his journey in his new book, Fush, a story that encourages a world of greater diversity and more inclusive environments, where everyone has space to be themselves, no matter what their cultural, ethnic, religious or sexual backgrounds are. Fuchs was the managing director of Reddam House Schools, Gauteng, and Kwa-Zulu-Natal. Prior to that he was general manager of Crawford Schools and the Centurus Colleges Group. He was previously the headmaster at Crawford College Lonehill. 

Dominic Gaobepe 

Racism and Inclusivity in South African Boys’ Schools

Dynamic speaker, trainer, and facilitator Dominic Gaobepe is also the author of the upcoming book, Change Your Story, Change Your Life: Unlock Your Full Potential and Achieve Real-world Success. He now applies his expertise as a professional speaker, trainer, consultant, and program director, covering topics including entrepreneurship, leadership development, diversifying leadership for multinationals, diversity and inclusion, nation building, and transformation. 

Conrad Koch 

Featured Entertainer at the Gala Dinner

Double International Emmy nominated comedian Conrad Koch is South Africa’s top comedy ventriloquist—and possibly the only one. His most famous puppet, Chester Missing, has won numerous awards in his own right, including being the first recipient of the Ahmed Kathrada Foundation’s Anti-Racism Award. Chester Missing has interviewed most of South Africa’s political elite and has held a number of regular radio and TV slots—he even wrote an award-winning book. Koch’s live shows have received wide political acclaim and are a regular feature at arts and comedy festivals, including at the prestigious Just for Laughs Comedy Festival in Montreal. The truth is, with a master’s degree in social anthropology, talking to puppets was his only career option. 

Handspring Puppet Company

Founded in 1981, the Handspring Puppet Company has grown under the leadership of Artistic Director Adrian Kohler and Executive Producer Basil Jones for 30 years. Based in Cape Town, the company provides an artistic home and professional base for a core group of performers, designers, theater artists, and technicians. Handspring’s work has been presented in more than 30 countries around the world. As the company’s international profile has grown, it has developed works with top directors and creative partners from Europe, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

Hlonipha Mokoena

WITS Institute for Social and Economic Research Associate Associate Professor Hlonipha Mokoena is the author of Magema Fuze: The Making of a Kholwa Intellectual. A multitalented public intellectual, she is well known for her work in many parts of the world, including the Anthropology Department at Columbia University. With compelling research interest in South African intellectual history, Mokoena is ideally situated to write and speak strongly about the complex entanglements, as well as the striking differences, between South African and U.S. cultures. 

Michael Kimmel

Michael Kimmel is the author of Angry White Men and a distinguished scholar of men and masculinity. As a sociologist, Kimmel is a leading researcher and writer on men and masculinity. He is the executive director of the Center for the Study of Men and Masculinities at Stony Brook University, where he is also a professor of sociology and gender studies. Kimmel has authored many other books, including Manhood in America and the bestseller Guyland: The Perilous World Where Boys Become Men. An activist for gender equality for more than 30 years, Kimmel was recently called "the world's preeminent male feminist" by The Guardian.

Chaeli Mycroft

Global ambassador and University of Cape Town graduate Chaeli Mycroft holds a B Soc Sci (Hons) and M Phil (Human Rights Law) and is currently reading for an M Phil (Public Law).

An internationally recognized ability activist, she has garnered myriad awards, including the International Children’s Peace Prize, the Medal for Social Activism from the Nobel Peace Laureates, the World of Children Youth Award, the Turner Social Change Prize, and the World of Children Hero Award. In 2018, she was welcomed as an Obama Foundation #AfricanLeader and Global Changemaker. In 2019, she was appointed to the Global Board of Generation Unlimited.

On September 3, 2015, Mycroft became the first female quadriplegic to summit Mt. Kilimanjaro. She competes in wheelchair dancing on the international stage and is the first wheelchair athlete in 95 years to finish the iconic 89km Comrades Marathon. Mycroft has completed five Cape Town Cycle Tours as Team Beastie, in a buggy with her cycling partners. She serves as a member of the Board for The Chaeli Campaign, Chaeli Sports & Recreation Club, Chaeli Foundation, and Inclusive Arts Collective. Mycroft is also the Global Ambassador for the Chaeli group of nonprofit organizations.