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04 September 2019 | Story Xolisa Mnukwa | Photo Xolisa Mnukwa
Koffie Yinkah
“I believe the Hesselbein Global Academy annual fellowship programme was vital for me as a potential public servant of South Africa to serve the people of this country in government one day.” – Kofi Yinkah

University of the Free State (UFS) third-year BAdmin student, Kofi Annan Yinkah, formed part of the Hesselbein Global Academy annual fellowship programme, hosted by the University of Pittsburgh in the United States of America (USA). Originally from the East Rand in Johannesburg, Kofi represented the UFS as one of the top-50 students who were selected out of 450 global applicants.

The Hesselbein Global Academy annual fellowship programme aims to connect young leaders from all over the world with well-equipped professionals who are leaders in the fields of business, government, and education. This programme was established for the purpose of cultivating and producing cadres who will become experienced ethical leaders, armed and qualified enough to address and solicit solutions for critical issues experienced by diverse societies throughout the world.

“The fellowship covered topics that have helped to broaden my critical thought processes and concerns about societal issues in our country and all over the world. It has also emphasised the importance of implementing change through effective governing-policy development and establishment,” Kofi says.

He describes his experience at the fellowship as “out of the ordinary,” and believes that it has had a progressive influence on his life. He explains how it has unlocked his mind through enlightened engagement with student leaders from various countries in the world, including Nigeria, England, Canada, Chile, Trinidad and Tobago, Vietnam, China, United States of America, and Ireland.

One of the most important tools he believes his experience has equipped him with, is understanding the significance of employing a solution-driven approach to various situations. He is confident that this will give him the necessary skills and knowledge to work effectively in teams.

Kofi explains that he found out about the fellowship programme via social media. He encourages UFS students to use online platforms to source information about opportunities that can offer them meaningful experiences for learning and growing. 

News Archive

UFS an institution of choice for the most gifted academics
2013-12-05

 
Prof Rob Gordon

Two lecturers at the University of the Free State’s (UFS) Department of Anthropology proved once again that the UFS is indeed an institution of choice for some of the most talented and gifted academics in the country.

Prof Rob Gordon was co-author of the book “Recreating first contact,” which explores how adventure travel, which emerged during the early twentieth century, influenced popular views of anthropology.

It was in this period that new transport and recording technologies, particularly the airplane and automobile and small, portable, still and motion-picture cameras, were used in various expeditions to document the last untouched places of the globe and bring them home to eager audiences.

These expeditions were frequently presented as first contact encounters and enchanted popular imagination. The book further explores the effects – both positive and negative – of such expeditions on the discipline of anthropology itself.

Dr Riana Steyn was co-author of the first Afrikaans play by Athol Fugard, “Die Laaste Karretjiegraf.”

The play focuses on the Karretjie people, itinerant sheepshearers in the Karoo who are direct descendants of South Africa’s first inhabitants. Doing research on the Karretjie people, he came across a master’s thesis in Anthropology by Dr Steyn, who gave him access to her work and eventually co-wrote the play with him.

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