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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

Our 2014/15 male and female Rag finalists announced
2014-11-10

More than 100 applied. Only 20 remain.

From the ranks of the semi-finalists – who managed to raise an astonishing R250 000.00 for the Kovsie Rag CS (Receive and Give Community Service) – we now have the names of our 20 finalists.

The Brutal Fruit UFS Rag CS Queen finalists are:

  • Ansunel Schutte
  • Carla de Bruyn
  • Chante Marais
  • Charissa Venter
  • Diederi Venter
  • Erne van Wyk
  • Karen Janse van Rensburg
  • Mia van Rensburg
  • Selebogo Lekalake
  • Stephanie Enslin

The Brutal Fruit UFS Mr Rag CS finalists are:

  • Marcques Fourie
  • Americo Lottering
  • Brandon van Wyk
  • Danzel Rademan
  • Kabelo Mashabe
  • Ludwig Dohne
  • Marius Croucamp
  • Thomas Kolathu
  • Spurgeon Pijoos
  • Wilmar van Niekerk

These 20 finalists had to choose a charity or organization for which they will continue to raise funds. With the support of the public and business sector, these young men and women will be able to continue to make a difference in our community.

With a current turnover of about R5.5 million, we are today reckoned as the largest Rag CS per capita in South Africa. Goods and/or money to the value of R2 million were distributed by Kovsie Rag CS during the 2013/14 book year – to the benefit of numerous charities.

The annual Brutal Fruit UFS Rag CS Coronation Ball has become a highlight on the Free State’s social calendar. The UFS RAG CS Queen and UFS Mr RAG CS 2015 will be crowned at this lustrous event on 13 February 2015.

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