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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

2015 Varsity Cup Rugby gets going at UFS

2015-02-09

Kovsies! Are you ready?

It’s that time of the year again when Mondays mean rugby that rocks!

On Monday 9 February, the UFS Bloemfontein Campus will again be bustling with supporters as our Shimlas kick off their 2015 Varsity Cup rugby campaign against the University of Pretoria Tuks.

Students have already been made aware of Varsity Cup excitement during an activation event held at the Thakaneng Bridge on the Bloemfontein Campus on Wednesday 4 February. During this event, the Shimlas captain, AJ Coertzen, introduced his team while KovsieSport held promotional competitions.

New Shimlas coach, Franco Smith, is hoping to transfer his European coaching experience to the UFS first team as he heads into his debut Varsity Cup season. Smith previously held the head coach position at the Pro12 club, Benetton Treviso, between 2007 and 2013.

On the other hand, Tuks are likely to be very determined to bounce back in this year’s Varsity Cup season after missing out on the play-offs as defending champions in 2014.

Therefore, the Shimlas’ debut Varsity Cup match this year should be packed with excitement, thrills, and good old-fashioned running rugby to entertain the student population. Speaking of entertainment, there should be loads more of that happening next to the field during the half-time and strategy breaks.

So Kovsies, don’t miss the first of many great upcoming Shimlas home matches on Monday 9 February at 18:30, only at Shimla Park.

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