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22 May 2018 Photo Rulanzen Martin
UFSAfricaWeek - Focus on Dr Tariro Kamuti
Dr Tariro Kamuti, postdoctoral fellow in Africa Studies.
“Africa is a continent endowed with vast natural resources and the ways through which these resources are governed for the development of the continent and the upliftment of its people are critical.” These are the words of Dr Tariro Kamuti a postdoctoral fellow at the Centre for Gender and Africa Studies at the University of the Free State. 

Believer of advancing Africa and African scholarship
Dr Kamuti said it was important to celebrate Africa Week because “as a continent, we have come a long way through so much sacrifice to be where we are today”. 

He said Africans needed to celebrate their achievements attained so far by remembering where they had come from while embracing change and focusing on the future with hope. 

“Pausing to reflect on the issues facing the continent in order to chart the way forward through celebrating African Week is a good thing to do,” he said.

Dr Kamuti supports the notion of growing African scholarship on the continent to “to turn the tide and reflect on what really transpires”. 
“It is incumbent upon us to own and tell the African story,” he said.

Personal experience attributed to interest in Africa Studies
Dr Kamuti’s experiences and roots as a child of peasant farmers shaped his world view and drove his passion towards a career in Africa Studies as a scholar and researcher.

“My research work seeks to offer a fresh perspective on the policy processes surrounding the governance of the private wildlife ranching sector in South Africa,” he said. “It is an interesting research angle when considering the role of wildlife ranching in shaping the agricultural and environmental policies and land-use patterns in a situation where the land question itself is highly contested from various perspectives.

“Issues relating to wildlife ranching can be used as a lens to analyse challenges facing democratic South Africa,” Dr Kamuti said.

News Archive

Art on Disasters to heal communities
2014-05-27

 
Fadzai Nyamusamba showing interest in the work: "Working on fire". This artwork was painted and donated by Mariette Pretorius, a professional artist from Bloemfontein. This art piece will be displayed at the South African National Disaster Management Centre in Pretoria.
Photo: Supplied
The Disaster Management Training and Education Centre for Africa (DiMTEC) at our university, recently launched its Art on Disasters initiative at the Gallery on Leviseur in Bloemfontein. 

Disasters have a devastating effect on societies and are accompanied by fear, uncertainties and often post-traumatic stress disorders. The creative arts have the ability to comfort survivors and those affected by tragedy. Amid disaster, art serves as a memorial, aids in the healing process and helps these communities to interpret their emotions. 

This is precisely the main focus of the Art on Disasters project. It aims to develop paintings, sculptures, dramas, theatre productions, poetry and music in collaboration with artists. These productions will then be presented to communities at risk of, or affected by, disasters, to create awareness and foster healing. 

Furthermore, the initiative will conduct research on art as a form of therapy and co-ordinate rehabilitation experts to assist the relevant communities. The artworks collected by the project, will be sold or auctioned to help raise funds. The proceeds will then be donated to a worthy cause as part of DiMTEC’s commitment to community service. 

The project will help console and heal communities and aspire to generate greater resilience to trauma. It will also give humanitarian workers the opportunity to advocate for disaster risk reduction and offer them an opportunity for psychological debriefing after attending to affected communities. 

“We will collect different categories of art related to all forms of disasters. These include paintings, photography, sculptures, poetry, music, theatre productions and short stories,” said Dr Andries Jordaan, Director of DiMTEC. “Stephanie Peters, Thomas Hart Benton, Tania Kovats and Medhi Naimi are just a few of the many artists that paint on man-made and natural disasters. They are artists that believe in art therapy as a form of self-expression, well-being and recovery,” he added. 

For more information about this initiative, or to possibly contribute as an artist, please contact Olivia Kunguma from DiMTEC on +27(0)51 401 9699 or kungumao@ufs.ac.za .

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