03 February 2022
|
Story NONSINDISO QWABE
|
Photo UFS Photo Archive
Prof Rodwell Makombe, Associate Professor in the Department of English on the Qwaqwa Campus.
Each year, the programme hosts more than 180 academics from different universities in Africa for a five-month fellowship, providing academics with access to the university’s research libraries and facilities, on-campus housing, health insurance, and a stipend to cover living expenses.
Fellowship an opportunity for collaboration and career growth
The fellowship comes at just the right time for Prof Makombe, who said he is looking forward to mentorship for his growth and career development in a new environment and atmosphere. “I am very excited about this opportunity, which I think has come at the right time. It will expose me to a broad network of scholars, which I need for collaboration purposes, and it will also give me an opportunity to share my research and learn from the experiences of other scholars from different parts of the world. Given that I will be working closely with a faculty member of the university for the duration of the fellowship, the programme will also provide me with the mentorship that I need for my growth and career development.”
Apart from the exposure to broad academic and research scholars, he said he was looking forward to having the time and resources to finish writing his second book.
“I have just published my first book in October 2021, and I have already started doing research for my second book. The fellowship will give me time and space to focus on writing the book without the usual interruptions associated with my teaching responsibilities. The book focuses on cultures of resistance in post-Mugabe Zimbabwe. It is a sequel to my recent book,
Cultural texts of resistance in Zimbabwe: Music, Memes, Media, which explores discursive resistance in Zimbabwe in the context of crisis.”