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30 October 2018
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Story Rulanzen Martin
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Photo Peet van Aardt
Some of the student writers who contributed to the anthology that tells their stories in Sesotho, isiXhosa, isiZulu, English and Afrikaans.
How do you transform the higher education curriculum? You involve the exact people the curriculum is intended for. The book, Initiative for Creative African Narratives (iCAN,) illustrates how decolonisation can be achieved through literature for students by students.
iCAN is an initiative by the Centre for Teaching and Learning (CTL) at the University of the Free State (UFS) to mentor students in creative and narrative writing. Under the mentorship of Dr Peet van Aardt, project coordinator, and Ace Moloi, author and UFS alumnus, iCAN Volume 1 was recently launched with 47 short stories written by UFS students.
“The project is a response from the centre for the ever-increasing need for decolonised curricula, steeped in the local cultural perspective of ubuntu,” said Dr Van Aardt.
“This book is an example for how decolonisation can be implemented,” said Prof Francois Stydrom, Senior Director of CTL. The overall aim of the iCAN project is to have the content that materialised from it to be included in the curriculum of first-year students at UFS in the near future.
Book provides multiple voices
Starting in May 2018, CTL presented a series of creative writing workshops on all three of the UFS campuses. “It’s a medium that allows a diverse range of students to express their views and develop their voices as writers,” said Prof Strydom.
It is a form of empowerment, to pass the baton to students to improve the UFS curriculum by writing and publishing their own stories, thereby contributing to larger bodies of knowledge through their lived experiences.
“I believe we as a university need to enable students so that they move away from just being users to becoming contributors to the curriculum,” Dr van Aardt concluded.
UFS bids Dr Franklin Sonn farewell
2010-06-01
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Attending the Chancellor's Dinner were, from the left: Judge Ian van der Merwe, Chairperson of the UFS Council; Dr Franklin Sonn, former Chancellor of the UFS; and Judge Faan Hancke, former Chairperson of the UFS Council.
Photo: Stephen Collett |
The University of the Free State (UFS) bade its former Chancellor, Dr Franklin Sonn farewell during the Chancellor’s Dinner that was hosted on the Main Campus in Bloemfontein recently.
Dr Sonn held this office from 2002 and retired as Chancellor of the UFS on 31 December
2009.
“Dr Sonn lent dignity and stature to the position of Chancellor and to the UFS. Although this position is mainly ceremonial, he made deciding contributions to important decisions by the UFS and the strategic direction of the institution. We thank him for this,” Judge Ian van der Merwe, Chairperson of the UFS Council said.
In a tribute to Dr Sonn, Judge Faan Hancke, former Chairperson of the UFS Council said that he was a remarkable person. “His versatility is clear from the fact that he is currently the chairperson of seven listed companies. He is, amongst others, the patron of the Klein Karoo National Arts Festival, trustee of the Desmond Tutu Freedom Trust and former South African Ambassador to the USA.”
Dr Sonn holds 12 honorary doctorates; has been nominated by the Afrikaanse Handelsinstituut (AHI) as community leader of the year for 1999; received the national award from President Thabo Mbeki known as the “National Order Counsellor of the Baobab Silver” in 2008, as well as the award “International Salute Award in Honour of Dr Martin Luther King Jnr” – “For working to Keep the Dream Alive” – in January 1996. He was the Rector of the Peninsula Technikon and is also a former President of the AHI, Chairperson of the “United States – South African Leadership Exchange” and former member of the SABC Board.
Judge Hancke said that Dr Soon lent new prestige and status to the office of Chancellor and as such showed unbelievable loyalty towards the UFS. “He was a role model for all. Our best wishes accompany him and his wife, Joan,” he said.
The UFS Council will appoint a new Chancellor on Friday, 4 June 2010.
Media Release
Issued by: Lacea Loader
Director: Strategic Communication (acting)
Tel: 051 401 2584
Cell: 083 645 2454
E-mail: loaderl@ufs.ac.za
1 June 2010