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29 May 2018 | Story Rulanzen Martin | Photo Charl Devenish
Africa Day Memorial Lecture explores future of statues
From the left are: Dr Stephanie Cawood, Acting Director of the CGAS; Prof Heidi Hudson, Dean of the Faculty of the Humanities; Prof Prakash Naidoo, Vice-Rector: Operations; and Dr Rahul Rao.
Read Lectures here

Drawing from different international perspectives on the topic of historical statues, the importance of debate surrounding the future of these symbols resounded at the 10th Annual Africa Day Memorial Lecture. 

The lecture was hosted on 23 May 2018 by the newly renamed Centre for Gender and Africa Studies and was presented by Dr Rahul Rao from the SOAS University of London, where he is a senior lecturer in Politics. 

“I am very excited about my trip to South Africa and to be here among you. This is my first trip to South Africa, and it is very exciting and also a little bit emotional for me, particularly because I got my first passport in 1984 when I was six years old, and it said – valid for travel to all countries except the Republic of South Africa. You know why that was the case.”

“I salute all of you for the transformation that has been affected in this country, and I think Africa Day is the perfect occasion to celebrate the transformation.”  

Student activism through #MustFall movements
“I first heard in March 2015 that students from the University of Cape Town have begun demonstrating to take down the statue of Cecil John Rhodes and have it removed from their campus, and a bit later, students from the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom followed suit. At first, I felt some guilt having been a Rhodes Scholar from 2001 to 2004, because you must embody the values of Cecil John Rhodes,” Dr Rao said.

“I have watched from afar the events that have taken place here, for example, the #RhodesMustFall Movement, and the reverberation of these events in other places; I mean, the way these events travel,” he said.

Students in Cape Town, Oxford, and Bloemfontein are doing something concrete and collective to dismantle the legacy of colonialism and Apartheid. “I feel connected to these events, even if I am far away.”

International perspective on historical statues
In both SA and the UK, the call for iconography decolonisation was accompanied and soon overtaken by different accounts. It also gives a broader and different perspective on how statues can be used to achieve racial or social dominance. 

One of the many examples he used, was the ambush against Confederate Statues in the American South. These statues are symbols of upholding a white supremacist ideology in the South. The Confederate States of America was the predecessor to the current United States of America.

He also spoke about the temporalities of statues, the decolonisation and recolonisation, as well as the aesthetics of statues, among other things. “Statues don't need permission to thrust itself upon us. They demand attention,” Dr Rao said. This is because statues are placed in the centre of public spaces but are also vulnerable and exposed. 

He left the audience with some questions on what to do with statues that are taken down, and who to erect new statues for.

News Archive

Getting out of the dark
2015-06-10

 

ESKOM is making daily announcements on the status of the power grid.

Anton Calitz, Electrical Engineer at University Estates, is in continuous contact with Eskom and Centlec in an effort to stay abreast of load shedding.

According to Anton, Eskom has recently - the week of 20 April - been focusing on the evening peak, and has announced STAGE 1 load shedding from 17:00-22:00; thus, the Bloemfontein Campus should be able to continue business as usual during the day, except for Thursdays from 18:00 and, possibly, Fridays from 17:00.

Where can I get more information about load shedding stages?

Apart from Eskom’s webpage, staff can also visit GRID WATCH. Click on "Search", then under "Schedules". Look for "Mangaung Local Municipality", and select "GROUP 4". Save this location. “This can even be loaded onto your mobile device.”

“The time slots can be seen for a couple of days in advance, to allow us to plan around the possibility of load shedding in our daily lives,” said Anton.

Please note: ESKOM can change the STAGE level at any time. Therefore, keep an eye on GRID WATCH and News24.

View the typical seven-day planner for the Bloemfontein Campus (Group 4), which indicates the STAGE 2 and 3 possibilities. Take note that, on some days, the STAGE 2 and 3 time slots are the same.

More load shedding tips: Your IT needs

The UFS Data Centre (Computer Room) is fully serviced by a generator facility, and can function without external power supply for a few days.

The generator servicing the UFS data centre does NOT provide power to the outlying facilities. This implies that all digital equipment at gates, booms, and access points will be shut down until the power is restored to these facilities. “We are now, in collaboration with Nico Janse van Rensburg, in a process to install UPS facilities at these points, which will ensure two to three hours of power supply at these points, even during load shedding,” said Dr Vic Coetzee, Senior Director: ICT Services.

No Wi-Fi will be available, as it is dependent on the power supply to the buildings where it is installed.

All servers are contained in the data centre, and will be kept running by our generators.

How to manage load shedding and your IT needs:

1. Get into the habit of saving your work regularly on computer so that you don’t lose your work/files during load shedding.
2. Back up important data. Keep to a schedule of regular back-up.  Make sure your computer back-ups are safe and recoverable.
3. Keep all electronic devices charged and ready to run on battery power. Keep your cellphone charged: some old-style Telkom landlines will still operate during power outages, but others won't.
4. Remember, when power supply is restored, it sometimes happens that a power surge is sent through the network, which will damage your computer.  Fortunately, laptop computers will not suffer this fate as their power is provided through an external power pack. Often, this power pack will be damaged, but not the laptop itself.
5. It makes good sense to reboot your computer daily, not only in terms of power shedding, but also in terms of updating the drivers, software, etc.
6. Switch off all computers and other electrical equipment at the wall plug overnight and on weekends.
7. Should your IT equipment not switch on after a power outage, log a call with the ICT Services. You can also call them at x2000.

More information, guidelines and contact numbers

 

 

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