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21 June 2019 | Story Rulanzen Martin | Photo Tania Allen
Jerry Mofokeng, Prof Francis Petersen and Prof Nico Luwes
Dr Jerry Mofokeng Wa Makhetha, Prof Francis Petersen and Prof Nico Luwes at a luncheon hosted by the UFS Chancellor, Dr Khotso Mokhele.

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Dr Jerrry Mofokeng Wa Makhetha received an honorary Doctor of Letters (DLitt) degree for his commitment to scholarship and his service to humanity, from the University of the Free State (UFS) on 28 June 2019, during the second last ceremony of the 2019 June Graduations.

“This award will bring credit and honour to the university and endorse his exceptional dedication to the promotion of art, the values and reputation he exhibited in his outstanding career as both a creative artist and as an arts manager,” says Prof Nico Luwes, Head of the UFS Department of Drama and Theatre Arts. 


Fugard’s The Island a ‘thank you’

For this exceptional honour, Dr Mofokeng, together with Master’s student Charl Henning, agreed to direct and produce Athol Fugard’s play The Island for the Department of Drama and Theatre Arts. “As a sign of goodwill from his side, he decided to offer his talents and direct the play with our department,” says Prof Luwes. 

“Is there a way of linking the theme of The Island with the ethos of the UFS? For me the one aspect that stands out, is the celebration of languages,” says Dr Mofokeng. The play is in the three primary languages of the Free State: English, Sesotho and Afrikaans. Only graduates from the department will be cast, which according to Mofokeng, will “give a professional credence to the training of the department”. 

The play was performed on 27 June 2019 in the Scaena Theatre on the UFS Bloemfontein Campus, and on 1,2 and 6 July 2019 during the Free State Arts Festival also in the kykNet-Scaena Theatre.

Acclaimed actor, academic and writer 

Dr Mofokeng is a world-renowned, respected television and theatre actor. He is also a film writer, academic, and National Arts Administrator. He studied drama at the University of the Witwatersrand and obtained a Master’s Degree in theatre directing at Columbia University in the US. Mofokeng has also starred in a slew of movies and television shows   most notably in the 2005 Academy Award winner for Best Foreign Film, Tsotsi. He is currently appearing  on the small screen as Neo Mokgethi (Bra Moscow) in e.tv’s Scandal. 





News Archive

Political scientist address Maritime Security Africa 2009 Conference
2009-10-29

 
Prof. Theo Neethling from the Department of Political Science was recently invited to address the Maritime Security Africa 2009 Conference on the issues of piracy on the eastern coast of Africa held in Cape Town on 13 and 14 October 2009. The event brought together maritime professionals, naval personnel and academics from all over the international community.

Prof. Neethling’s paper was entitled Piracy on the eastern coast of Africa: A Political Science perspective. His paper examined the fact that growing activities of piracy in the Gulf of Aden and off the Horn of Africa have increasingly threatened maritime security on the eastern coast of Africa. Prof. Neethling pointed out that, considering the fact that a very high volume of the world’s global trade moves by water, piracy is corrosive to political and social development in Africa and further afield. To this end, he explored several maritime endeavours that were launched in recent times by relevant governmental, intergovernmental and nongovernmental role players in the context of global governance. Prof. Neethling argued that piracy should be tackled in a way that combines naval action against the pirates at sea with measures to restore law and order, political processes and economic activity in Somalia. Generally, piracy often occurs when there is poverty and a weak or non-existent government. After all, insecurity on land eventually causes maritime insecurity – as is clear from the case of Somalia.
Photo: Supplied

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