#HACKTHECONSTITUTION

The South African Constitution is one of the most beautiful legal documents in the world, enshrining in the supreme law of the land that past injustices cannot and will not happen again. So why aren’t South Africans as proud of it as US citizens are of theirs, and why isn’t it taught in schools as part of citizenship classes.

Partly, we think, it’s because in the past the Constitution has been difficult to access and treated as an abstract document. Increasingly, politicians and institution heads have taken to describing it as a mere guideline, rather than the fundamental source of our rights.

We want to change that. And we need your help.

Join Hacks/Hackers Johannesburg, TEDxJohannesburg and Design, Share, Party as we create an interactive version of the South African Constitution which will serve to explain all the technical detail, highlight often used clauses and bring to the fore examples of where Constitutional law has been used to make people’s lives better.

We need developers, UX specialists, writers, lawyers, artists – anyone who can help develop a working prototype of an online app (mobile friendly) that can help people access the Constitution and tell the story of how it’s changed their lives.

This is a long term project which we hope will become an essential tool for teachers, activists, journalists and even lawyers who want to know more about the Constitution and ConCourt processes. Help us get it underway on August 26th.

Event will be held on the 26th of August, check event listing for more details and booking.