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10 September 2019 | Story Leonie Bolleurs | Photo Leonie Bolleurs
student dialogue
Dialogues presented by the Office for International Affairs provide a safe space for people to voice their opinions, to learn, and to engage. Here are, from the left: Montsi Ramonaheng, third-year BSc student majoring in Biochemistry and Genetics; Lebohang Lesenyeno, third-year LLB student; Motsaathebe Serekoane, Lecturer in Anthropology; and Bulelwa Moikwatlhai from the Office for International Affairs.
Will the creation of one African country solve the problem of xenophobia? 

This was the question raised at a recent dialogue session on the University of the Free State Bloemfontein Campus.

Most attendees believed the concept of ‘one Africa’ implied that only one language and one dominant culture would be needed – resulting in the spirit of multiculturalism ceasing to exist. When one speaks of a united Africa, it means that the continent recognises the diversity of its cultures and embraces these diversities. It was concluded that one Africa was not a solution to ending xenophobia.

Awareness of xenophobia from a human rights perspective

The Office for International Affairs hosted the two-dialogue series aimed at addressing an array of social issues such as xenophobia, cultural appropriation, and xenocentrism. They wanted to demonstrate the influence these issues have – not only on the mindsets of individuals, but also on how it can contribute towards the development of an unjust society devoid of embracing difference.

The first session was titled: Burn the Phobia, with the theme: ‘We are all foreigners somewhere’. The aim of this dialogue was to create awareness of xenophobia from a human rights perspective. 

Recently, a second dialogue session was presented, with the theme ‘Appropriation vs Xenocentrism’. According to Bulelwa Moikwatlhai, Officer in the Office for International Affairs, the purpose of this session was to encourage people to appreciate their own cultures and to respect other peoples’ cultures.

“We wanted to critically discuss cultural appropriation versus xenocentrism in an attempt to find a human response that is inclusive in nature,” says Moikwatlhai.

Direct outflow of UFS Integrated Transformation Plan

The lecture was presented by Motsaathebe Serekoane, Lecturer in the Department of Anthropology at the UFS, who urged attendees to always keep it authentic. He also stated that, as boundaries between the North and the South collapsed and knowledge flowed in and out, knowledge from the South was not taken seriously. 

“We lost ourselves within what happened in the North. We want to be appropriate and we want what they have, because it is more beautiful than what we have. We need to find something in Africa that will define us as African,” he says. 

These dialogues are a build-up to the International Cultural Diversity Festival that will take place at the Thakaneng Bridge on 13 September 2019 from 12:00 to 14:00.

The dialogue is a direct outflow of the university’s Integrated Transformation Plan. “We strive to cultivate a culture where everyone feels welcome and comfortable. We want to create common ground for international and South African students to get together and to collaboratively discuss issues from both parties in order to find innovative solutions to student challenges,” indicates Moikwatlhai.

Much of what is learnt in these sessions is used for reflection in order to improve the overall student experience. According to Miokwatlhai, it is essential to ensure that all processes related to students are structured to be socially just and inclusive. 

“As an institution of higher learning, we need to continuously create such platforms so that we have rich engagements about pertinent issues that affect the UFS community, and find human solutions to overcome barriers,” she concludes.

News Archive

Department of English changed to empower students
2017-07-05

Description:Department of English Tags: Department of English

Lecturers from the Department of English at the University of the Free State have been working
hard to create a robust learning environment for students through continuous assessment.
Photo: Sonia Small


A new curriculum, exciting third-year seminars, and a transition to continuous assessment. These are some of the changes made by the Department of English at the University of the Free State (UFS) over the past few years. The department, which also boasts four National Research Foundation (NRF) researchers, did this to tailor the curriculum towards the needs of its students and to foster a better culture of engagement.

According to Prof Helene Strauss, Head of the Department, the advantages of these changes are clear. “Staff have noted a significant improvement in both the basic writing and critical deliberation skills of our students, and in the responsibility they are taking for their own learning.” The new curriculum empowers students to take a position in relation to the knowledge they encounter in the classroom, thereby strengthening their own critical voice.

Taking continuous responsibility

One of the most significant changes for students was the fact that they have to take responsibility all the time. Prof Strauss says continuous assessment changed “last-minute cramming to near-daily, student-centred activities of reading, writing, and critical discovery.”

Because students have to prepare for lectures and reflect on materials, they are in a better position to internalise difficult debates and critical concepts. “Rather than telling students what to think, we help them develop flexible, critical tools to make sense of a changing world.”

Third-year seminars are another way of including forms of instruction that concentrate on the links between education and democracy, but still improve students’ ability to speak and write English accurately. Every semester, students can choose seminars from a range of topics such as ‘Witchcraft’ (Prof Margaret Raftery) and ‘The Art of Dying’ (Dr Mariza Brooks).

Research and associates around the world

Dr Marthinus Conradie, Dr Rodwell Makombe, Prof Irikidzayi Manase, and Prof Strauss are all NRF-rated researchers in the department.

The department also has affiliated research associates from countries including Zimbabwe, the USA, and Canada. Dr Kudzayi Ngara currently holds a competitive NRF grant for a project on Southern African urbanity, and Dr Philip Aghoghovwia recently received the prestigious African Humanities Programme Fellowship.

Under the guidance of Dr Ngara, the department has been able to roll out a new Honours programme on the Qwaqwa Campus. The campus now also offers students the opportunity to pursue MA and PhD studies.

Other highlights:
• Hosted the international Institute of the Association for Cultural Studies in 2015.
• Books published: Dr Susan Brokensha (with Burgert Senekal). Surfers van die Tsunami: Navorsing en Inligtingstegnologie binne die Geesteswetenskappe (SUN MeDIA, 2014); Prof Iri Manase. White Narratives: The depiction of post-2000 land invasions in Zimbabwe (UNISA Press, 2016); as well as co-edited volumes with Cambridge Scholars Publishing (Dr Oliver Nyambi) and Routledge (Prof Helene Strauss).
• Publications include three special journal issues (of ISI journals Critical Arts: South-North Cultural and Media Studies; Safundi: The Journal of South African and American Studies; Interventions: International Journal of Postcolonial Studies).

 



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