StFX University and Coady International Name 2018 Coady Chair in Social Justice
/Skilled Leader and Coady Graduate from South Africa Returns to Share Experience
Mfalatsane Pricillah (“Sadi”) Motsuenyane, former Chief Director of Sustainable Livelihoods with the Department of Social Development for the Government of South Africa, has been named the 2018 Coady Chair in Social Justice. A member of Coady’s Advisory body and a graduate of Coady’s Asset-based and Citizen-led Development (ABCD) and Livelihoods and Markets certificates, Motsuenyane has a longstanding relationship with StFX University and Coady International Institute.
“It is an honour to welcome Sadi as the 2018 Coady Chair in Social Justice,” Dr. June Webber, St. Francis Xavier University Vice President and head of Coady International Institute and Extension Department says. "Sadi’s longstanding history of community leadership and development through apartheid to post-apartheid reconstruction and development in South Africa will be an invaluable source of learning and inspiration for all at StFX, Coady, and in the greater community.”
In a manner that is consistent with the principles of the Antigonish Movement, Motsuenyane has been helping people in her own country study their social and economic situation. This has allowed residents to improve their livelihoods collectively, to earn more income, and to take more control of the local economy. By facilitating restorative justice dialogues in strife-torn communities, Motsuenyane has created a platform for collective discovery, recovery, and utilization of human and material assets with newly found mutual dignity and respect.
“Social justice, equity, and the rights of South Africans has been central to my community development work during the years of fighting for the end of Apartheid in South Africa,” Motsuentane says.
Born on a farm into a family of entrepreneurs and community developers, Motsuenyane now has more than 50 years of community development experience.
“My community development work has been influenced largely by my family’s livelihood strategies which were strongly asset-based, and later in my career by the Coady International Institute’s asset-based community development approach, inspired by the late Dr. Rev. Moses Coady.”
Motsuenyane holds a Master’s in Public Administration and Development Management from the University of Stellenbosch. Her previous work experience includes roles with Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), Agricultural Research Council, and Agricor. Since her retirement in December 2017, she has been completing her PhD at the University of the Western Cape, including her thesis titled, “Exploring the impact of asset-based thinking as an alternative approach to unleash the generative capacity of social grants in South Africa.”
The Coady Chair in Social Justice was created in 2012 to honour the spirit of Rev. Dr. Moses Coady and the leaders of the Antigonish Movement by bridging local and global concerns, involving the community, and encouraging an interdisciplinary approach to issues. The Chair is an important means to deepen StFX’s commitment to its service to society's mission, to develop students’ understanding and sense of social responsibility, and to support Coady as a centre for global citizen leadership and social justice at StFX. Key elements of the Chair’s tenure include public presentations, classroom seminars, and workshops that bring students, faculty, community members and citizen-leaders together for shared learning.
The 2018 Coady Chair in Social Justice will reside on the campus of StFX from September 17 – November 16, 2018.
