By: TRAJECTS African Hub
From 06 – 10 October 2025, TRAJECTS hosted its second Global Academy in Cape Town, South Africa. This year’s Global Academy centred on student-led research conducted by TRAJECTS scholarship holders and its broader partner network. The theme of the Global Academy “Reimagining Climate Change Technocratic Responses: Pathways Towards Regenerative Futures invited critical engagement with dominant climate change approaches while imagining alternatives rooted in justice, care, and transformation.
Group picture of participants of the 2nd TRAJECTS Global Academy taken outside Art Gallery 16 on Lerotholi Street in Langa, Cape Town. Photography ©TRAJECTS/Oscar Gutierrez
And So It Begins!
On Sunday, 5 October, we gathered at the stunning Art Gallery 16 on Lerotholi Street, located in the heart of Langa, Cape Town's oldest township, to officially welcome participants for the 2025 Global Academy.
The afternoon was lively, with upbeat music by the Imbewu Marimba Community that had everyone dancing in the streets. While waiting for lunch, attendees took the opportunity to connect, explore, converse, and soak up the vibrant Langa atmosphere.
The event's highlight was the soulful Afro-jazz rhythms performed by the Bongani Sotshononda Quartet. Bongani is a renowned chromatic marimba and percussionist and composer. A heartfelt thanks goes to Koko Kalashe, a prominent Cape Town jazz event organiser, for arranging this memorable gathering.
Day 1: Centering Justice in Climate Mitigation, Ancestral Wisdom and Climate resilience in Foodways
A gentle and deliberate first day began at the Krotoa Memorial, Castle of Good Hope, to acknowledge the complex colonial histories of land, water, and peoples in both South Africa and Colombia. It was a moment to honour and express gratitude to our ancestors, diverse communities, and the non-human worlds, both living and non-living, that sustain a living and breathing earth for all life.
Group picture on the steps of the Kat Balcony & "Kings of the Castle" at the Castle of Good Hope, Cape Town. Photography ©TRAJECTS/Oscar Gutierrez
An opening roundtable focusing on justice, restoration, and collective well-being in climate mitigation, especially energy transitions, highlighted the need for localised, community-participatory approaches.
The session on ancestral practices and traditional knowledge in the water-energy-food nexus recognised the importance of cross-continent food stories, indigenous foodways of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, and intercultural agri-food approaches to support climate resilience and enhance biodiversity in the Andean region and Misak and Ampiuile indigenous communities in Colombia.
The food we ate was to be ethically and intentionally sourced from small-scale producers and the wilds, creating space for transnational food solidarity. Additionally, the first was also the start of collecting all our organic food waste for the duration of our Global Academy. The day reminded us that true resilience is rooted in restoration, sharing, and collective well-being.
For a full scope of images, please visit our LinkedIn page.
TRAJECTS Global Academy aims to engage career practitioners and academics in a knowledge exchange discussion. This allows for the provision of crucial insights from TRAJECTS' work, serving to develop and disseminate locally embedded, yet globally aware expertise while providing further networking opportunities.