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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

Kovsies Wayde van Niekerk wins gold at the IAAF World Championship

2015-08-27

Wayde van Niekerk has done it! He ran the men’s 400m race in a sensational 43.48 seconds. First over the finishing line, he left the former world champion, LaShawn Merritt, and reigning Olympic champion, Kirani James, well behind.

They were competing at the IAAF World Championship in Beijing, China, on Wednesday 26 August 2015.

This glorious achievement makes him the fourth-fastest athlete in the history of the event, with only Michael Johnson, Butch Reynolds, and Jeremy Wariner bettering Van Niekerk’s time. He is also South Africa’s first world sprint champion.

Back at home, the entire university community backed him with each stride. With his race broadcast live on big screens in the Callie Human Centre, shouts of encouragement reverberated across the Bloemfontein Campus.

Prof Jonathan Jansen, Vice-Chancellor and Rector of the UFS, said: "The community of the University of the Free State is so incredibly proud of our student, Wayde van Niekerk, who is now the World Champion over 400m! This is an astounding accomplishment of an exceptionally talented Gold Medalist, who has remained humble, friendly, and decent in his value system, despite rising to the top of the world. The celebrations here in Kovsieland will go on for many weeks to come, and we cannot wait for him to come home."

Facebook video of Kovsie staff and students watching the race on big screen.
YouTube video of the race.

Other articles about Wayde:
http://www.ufs.ac.za/templates/news-archive-item?news=6415
http://www.ufs.ac.za/templates/news-archive-item?news=6402
http://www.ufs.ac.za/templates/news-archive-item?news=6391
http://www.ufs.ac.za/templates/news-archive-item?news=6373

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