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The University of the Free State (UFS) will present the DF Malherbe Memorial Lecture on Thursday 15 May 2025 in celebration of 100 years of Afrikaans as an official language in South Africa. The lecture forms part of the national dialogue on Afrikaans as an official language – the celebration of which will be held on 8 May 2025.

The lecture will be a showcase of Afrikaans in its rich diversity and will provide an opportunity for a sincere dialectical reflection on the history of the language and its achievements.

The keynote speaker is Prof Joan Hambidge, the rejoinder is delivered by Prof Hein Willemse, and entertainment is provided by musician Frazer Barry, the UFS Department of Drama and Theatre Arts, and the Odeion String Quartet.

Prof Joan Hambidge is a well-known literary scholar, award-winning and prolific poet, distinguished academic and critic, and controversial public figure – known for her iconoclastic approach to Afrikaans literary traditions.

Prof Hein Willemse is an academic, literary critic, activist, and author, former head of the Department of Afrikaans at the University of Pretoria who has, among many achievements, co-authored the publication The Arabic Afrikaans Writing Tradition.

Frazer Barry is the front man of the klipkoprock band Tribal Echo, who plays several traditional instruments such as the blikkitaar, teaspoons or seebamboes, and whose highly acclaimed music is informed by his extensive research into the language and culture of his Khoi ancestry.

The DF Malherbe Memorial Lecture originated at the UFS as a way of expediently supporting the arts, as well as the academe. DF Malherbe was the first professor of Afrikaans in South Africa; beyond his literary career, he was also Rector of the UFS from 1929 to 1934 (and again in 1941).

The memorial lecture will be presented on 15 May 2025 at 17:30 in the Economic and Management Sciences Auditorium on the Bloemfontein Campus.

The presentation of the memorial lecture is coordinated by the UFS Department of Afrikaans and Dutch, German and French.

For more information: https://ufsweb.co/dfmml25