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28 February 2019 | Story Leonie Bolleurs
Student Affairs Dialogue
Long-term goals of the Dialogues Programme are to have students trained as strategic facilitators who can facilitate dialogue. Pictured here with students is Shawn Stützner.

A word can start a war, it is said; but it could also build peace. The Student Affairs Dialogue Programme at the University of the Free State aims to create a framework for peacebuilding dialogue between students – both on and off campus. This project relates to Social Inclusion, Social Cohesion, and Critical Diversity as part of the larger UFS Integrated Transformation Plan (ITP). “We deeply care about and commit ourselves to create a campus climate that is socially just,” explains Shawn Stützner from the UFS Dialogue Programme.

Movement on a mission

The long-term goals of the Dialogues Programme are to have students trained as strategic facilitators who can facilitate dialogue. The vigorous training that these facilitators go through, also gives them incredible graduate skills, Stützner explains. For example, critical thinking, problem solving, teamwork, communication skills, self-awareness, emotional intelligence, peacebuilding and conflict analysis. Such skills will not only benefit the students and their workplace, but also the community in which they serve.

Training to take the lead

“Currently, we are in the middle of our training process of about 25 strategic facilitators, and the participation has remained consistent. Our students are eager to be part of meaningful and engaging projects. This pilot project is aligned with the Institute for Reconciliation and Social Justice, exposing students to practical opportunities as part of their training,” says Stützner.

 

Through this dialogue initiative, the team hopes to eradicate all forms of unearned power and privilege, internalised oppression, internalised domination, and discrimination.

Get involved

“We encourage students to look out for the advertising of the Campus-Wide Dialogues, and for all to participate,” Stützner urges. “We will be having a build-up to the Campus-Wide Dialogues Day, with interaction in demarcated areas on campus culminating toward the Campus-Wide Dialogue in the Centenary Hall. With this first dialogue session, we also hope to close the gap between the co-curricular activities of residence students and off-campus students.”

News Archive

Q and A with Prof Hussein Solomon on ‘Terrorism and Counter-Terrorism in Africa’
2015-05-29

 

Political Science lecturer, Prof Hussein Solomon, has launched his latest book, Terrorism and Counter-Terrorism in Africa: fighting insurgency from Al Shabaab, Ansar Dine and Boko Haram, on Wednesday 26 May 2015 at the UFS.

In his book, Solomon talks about the growing terrorist threat in Africa, with the likes of Al Shabaab, Ansar Dine, and Boko Haram exploiting Africa's vulnerabilities to expand their operations. Explaining both the limitations of current counter-terrorist strategies and possible future improvements, this timely study can be appreciated by scholars and practitioners alike.

Q: If you speak of Al Shabaab, Ansar Dine, and Boko Haram expanding operations, do you see possibilities for their expansion even into South Africa, or is expansion mainly focused on northern African countries?
 
A: All three movements are operating out of their respective countries. Al Shabaab has attacked Kenya and Uganda and tried to attack the 2010 Soccer World Cup in South Africa. So yes, there is a danger that they are here and, more importantly, newer groups like ISIS are recruiting in SA already.
 
Q: If the traditional military response is ineffective, what would be a better approach then?
 
A: What is important is that the force of arms needs to complement the force of ideas. What is being waged is an ideological battle, and, just as the West defeated Communism ideologically in the Cold War, we need to defeat radical Islamism ideologically. In addition, the military response needs to complement the governance and development responses.
 
Q: External players like the US have insufficient knowledge of the context, what would be the knowledge about context necessary for anyone concerned about the terror problem in Africa?
 
A: Allow me to give you some examples. The US trains African militaries to fight terrorist groups, but, when they return to their countries, they stage a coup and topple the civilian government. The US does not seem to understand that arming a predatory military and training them makes them more predatory and brutal, which results in civilians being recruited by terrorists, as happened in Mali. Similarly, the US sent arms to the Somali government, and members of that government sold those arms to Al Shabaab terrorists, the very people they were supposed to fight. So the Americans do not understand the criminalisation of the African state, which undermines good governance and promotes terrorism.

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