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UFS arts triumph at Vrystaat Arts Festival

01 July 2019 | Story Rulanzen Martin | Photo Rulanzen Martin

Michelle Joubert and Jane Mpholo will be seen in The Island which is directed by Dr Jerry Mofokeng Wa Makhetha and Charl Henning, a Master's student.

The arts are one of the most important building blocks of any country or organisation, and it is also an important aspect at the University of the Free State (UFS). Therefore, the partnership between these two Free State institutions is important for the promotion of the arts in the province.

The Vrystaat Arts Festival is taking place on the Bloemfontein Campus of the UFS from 1 to 7 July 2019. Various UFS departments are involved in the programme, as well as in the technical and artistic planning of the festival.

UFS Drama and Theatre Arts make big contribution

“I was involved in the planning committee and as artistic selector from the beginning of the festival, and in recent years also as member of the festival board,” says Prof Nico Luwes, Head of the Department of Drama and Theatre Arts.

This department makes almost the biggest contribution to the festival, with various plays, such as The Island, which is directed by award-winning theatre maestro Jerry Mofokeng and Charl Henning, and two former students, Michelle Joubert and Jane Mamotse Mpholo in the cast, as well as technical assistance from staff and students. “Without the expertise of Thys Heydenrych as technical organiser and Brandon Hewitson as technical manager, the festival would not be possible,” says Prof Luwes.

“Our theatres are world-class, and the work of our students as technical and theatre personnel is described as outstanding by all theatre artists.”

Thought-Leader Series, Sol Plaatje lecture, and several book conversations

Since 2018, the UFS has also been involved in the annual UFS Thought-Leader Series, which was launched by Prof Francis Petersen, the UFS Rector and Vice-Chancellor. The panel discussions deal with contemporary issues; this year’s topic is Economic Growth and Entrepreneurship for a Growing South Africa. The UFS will also present the Sol Plaatje lecture, which will be delivered by Diana Ferrus. Prof Petersen will also be part of a panel discussion with Prof Adam Habib, Vice-Chancellor of the University of the Witwatersrand, and Wandile Ngcaweni, about #FeesMustFall; the discussion will be facilitated by Ruda Landman.

The book by Prof Jan Coetzee of the Department of Sociology and Dr Asta Rau, from the Centre for Health Systems Research and Research, Narrating the Everyday, will also be discussed during the festival. So also, the book by Charl-Pierre Naude, research fellow in the Department of Afrikaans and Dutch, German and French, Die ongelooflike onskuld van Dirkie Verwey.

News Archive

International organised crime expert speaks at our university

2011-07-25

Prof. Johann Henning, Dean of our Faculty of Law and Prof. Barry Rider.
Photo: Leonie Bolleurs

Prof. Barry Rider, respected amongst others for the vital role he is playing in the struggle to combat money laundering and organised and economic crime delivered a lecture, Stewardship in Islamic Financial Law, at our university as part of the Faculty of Law’s Prestige Series of seminars.

He has taught mainly at Cambridge and London Universities and has delivered a valuable contribution as an academic in various fields of law. He has read papers and taught at more than 300 universities and conferences in more than 63 countries. He has also authored more than 35 legal handbooks and has made a substantial contribution to several more specialist publications. He is editor of, amongst others, The Company Lawyer, the International and Comparative Corporate Law Journal and the Journal of Financial Crime. His main areas of research are in financial law and the control of economic crime.

Prof. Rider has a relationship of more than twenty years with our university. In this time, he received the Doctor Legum (honoris causa) for his involvement with the drafting of money laundering and insider trading legislation. The university has also appointed him as Professor Honorarius in the Faculty of Law (only the second in its more than hundred-year history) for his vast and pivotal role in international law reform as an academic law reformer.

As part of his appointment as Honorary Professor in the Faculty of Law, Prof. Rider often delivers lectures in the faculty. During his recent visit, Prof. Rider’s lecture on Islamic Financial Law shed light on the importance of this topic in today’s economy, as money generated from Islamic businesses make up $750 billion to $trillion of the world’s economy. After 9/11, the West wanted to understand more about Islamic Financial Law.

The Islamic Financial Law system is determined by the Koran. For instance, Muslim business people cannot allow any payment of interest, as it is forbidden by the Koran.

Prof. Rider’s lecture on this very relevant topic was very insightful. As consultant to the Islamic Financial Services Board (IFSB) he spoke with authority on the topic. He is the only British academic lawyer assisting this body.

Prof. Rider currently serves in an advisory capacity at the international law firm Bryan Cave LLP. Apart from the IFSB, he is also consultant to the Asian Development Bank.

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