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30 July 2019 | Story Rulanzen Martin | Photo Columbia University
Prof Jack Halberstam
Prof Jack Halberstam is a trailblazer in Queer Studies around the globe.

The Centre for Gender and Africa Studies has invited Prof Jack Halberstam to deliver the Biennial Humanities and Gendered Worlds Lecture on 7 August 2019 at 18:00 in the Equitas Auditorium on the Bloemfontein Campus of the University of the Free State (UFS).

The title of the lecture is Exit Routes: After Feminism, After Gender. The lecture promises to reflect the critical complexity surrounding gender, feminism and sexuality. It is a wonderful opportunity for the UFS community engaged in issues of transformation and social justice to be exposed to such a globally recognised and influential scholar in Gender and Queer Studies. 

“Prof Halberstam’s visit was made possible through the initiative of Dr Nadine Lake, Gender Studies Programme Director in the CGAS, who is an expert on gender and sexuality and is fully aware what a great achievement it is to bring someone of Prof Halberstam’s stature to the UFS,” says Dr Stephanie Cawood, CGAS Director.

She adds: “The purpose of the lecture is to firmly shine a light on critical debates regarding gender and its impact, not only on humanity as a whole, but in the way that scholars study the human condition and its gender dynamics.”

Prof Halberstam is a visiting professor of Gender Studies and English and the Director of the Institute for Research on Women, Gender and Sexuality at Columbia University in New York. He is a renowned Gender and Queer Studies scholar who has written numerous books including titles such as Female Masculinity, In a Queer Time and Place, and the acclaimed Gaga Feminism: Sex, Gender and the End of Normal.

Some of his previous lecture topics include queer failure, sex and media, subcultures, visual culture, and gender variance among others.

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Drama students awarded National Arts Council bursaries
2016-05-04

Description: Drama students awarded National Arts Council bursaries  Tags: Drama students awarded National Arts Council bursaries

The National Arts Council (NAC) has awarded R100 000 to 10 Drama students at the University of the Free State (UFS). Eight years after its establishment in 2005, the NAC has partnered our university in funding academically-deserving students needing assistance with tuition. To date, our undergraduate students have benefitted from more than R800 000.

Prof Nico Luwes, Head of the Department of Drama and Theatre Arts, who applies to the NAC at the end of each year on behalf of students, welcomes the funds: “Quite a lot of our students would not have been able to complete their studies without assistance from the bursary scheme.”

As a result of this financial injection, South African schools also gain. “Some students then enrol for a higher education diploma, and they then teach Arts and Culture at schools. Hence, there is a whole new generation of Arts and Culture teachers who are now entering the school system,” said Prof Luwes.

Mbuyiselo Nqodi, a second-year BA Drama and Theatre Arts student, would not have been able to enrol at the university in 2015, had it not been for the NAC.  “Without the bursary, I would not have been admitted into the university. It helped a lot because R10 000 can go a long way.”

Pursuing its mandate to support and develop South Africa’s arts, culture and heritage sector, the NAC awarded 117 bursaries to arts students and tertiary institutions for the year.  A total of R5 million has been allocated for 2016, a 10% increase on the previous financial year.

According to the NAC Chief Executive Officer, Rosemary Mangope, one of the aims of the NAC is to provide support to students who will contribute to the arts and culture industry in a meaningful and sustainable manner.

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