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UFS Reflection Series webinar: The quality of our democracies under COVID-19

04 August 2020 | Story Dr Nitha Ramnath

Apart from its devastating impact on people’s lives and livelihoods, the COVID-19 pandemic has also affected the nature and quality of our democracies – democracy read in its widest sense here as collective and individual self-determination. Formal, institutional democracy has beencurtailed through the imposition of states of emergency or disaster and the logistical difficulties associated with social distancing. Extra-institutional democratic work, such as protest and social-movement activity, has suffered from prohibitions imposed by law and through state suppression related to ‘lockdown’. The nature (and perhaps democratic quality) of public conversation has changed – for better or worse – from increasing reliance on ‘science’ and ‘scientists’ to justify public choices. The crisis has brought to the fore already existing characteristics of our democracies, such as the prevalence and power of special-interest bargaining, the extreme inequality of our societies, and chauvinist nationalisms that force us to ask whether we have ever had democracy at all. What will be the long-term effects of these impacts of the crisis on our democracies? What will democracy look like post-COVID? What does the crisis teach us about what our democracies have always been?

Join us for a discussion of these and other democracy-related issues in these troubled times by a panel of four hailing from Colombia, India, South Africa, and the USA.

Date: Thursday, 13 August

Time: 14:00-16:00 (South African Standard Time – GMT +2)

Please RSVP to Mamello Serasengwe at serasengwemsm@ufs.ac.za no later than 12 August 2020 upon which you will receive a Skype for Business meeting invite and link to access the webinar

Panel

Prof Natalia Angel Cabo (University of Los Andes, Bogota, Colombia)

Dr Quaraysha Ismail-Sooliman (University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa)

Dr Usha Ramanathan Independent Law Researcher (Delhi, India)

Prof Katie Young (Boston College, Boston, USA)

Moderator

Prof Danie Brand (Free State Centre for Human Rights, University of the Free State, Bloemfontein, South Africa)

News Archive

It’s time for Stagedoor again!

2013-03-12

12 March 2013

It’s time for Stagedoor again! Mounting excitement is spreading across the Bloemfontein Campus in anticipation for this annual art and culture event.

Stagedoor is a fun-filled musical theatre competition between campus and city residences. This year's theme is ‘LIKE A BOSS’ and residences will battling it out in the rotations on 12 and 13 March 2013. Finals will take place on Saturday 16 March.

“This year we're excited to welcome two new residences, Outeniqua and ConLaurês, to the competition,” says Tonderai Chiyindiko, Senior Officer: Arts and Culture: Student Life and Leadership.

“We've also aligned the rotations in line with our Colleges format system. So what that means is in each college three residences were randomly chosen by all the Residence Committee members for Arts and Culture to be the main host venues for each particular college.”

The number of finalists has also been increased to seven female and six male residences.

Rotations Venues

West College: Conlaures, Outeniqua, Vishuis
South College: Emily Hobhouse, Armentum
North College: Vergeet-My-Nie, Madelief, Tswelopele
East College: Khayalami, Roosmaryn
Central College: Soetdoring, Karee

Tickets for the final on 16 March: R30 Students; R50 Non-students.
Venue: Kovsie Church
Tickets are available in office 46 in the SRC Building.

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