Latest News Archive

Please select Category, Year, and then Month to display items
Categories
UFS News Media Release Research
Years
2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024
Months
January February March April May June July August September October November December
Previous Archive
28 December 2020 | Story Xolisa Mnukwa | Photo Supplied
Simple stories band members - CJ van Wyk, Naledi Mohapi, and Samuel Akach
The Simple Stories band, consisting of three members – CJ van Wyk, Samuel Akach, and Naledi Mohapi – is enthusiastic about their love of music and serving the world through their melodies of hope.

The band reflected on their study careers at the University of the Free State (UFS), describing it as an amazing experience. “We really made sure that we took advantage of the opportunities presented to us by the university.” 
They described the cultural offering at the UFS as the highlight of their varsity careers, with Mohapi’s inclusion in the Vishuis Ser team helping the team to beat Veritas in the competition for the first time in years.

Akach and Van Wyk were also no strangers to victory, as they were both part of the Veritas team that won the National Serenade competition. 

Akach, a former House Kagiso’s Residence Committee member for Culture, was a well-known soccer player on the UFS Bloemfontein Campus. Van Wyk played first-team hockey and was involved in a number of theatre productions, in addition to being a dedicated Accounting student with a rigorous study programme.

“Our biggest achievements and most memorable moments are all linked to becoming Simple Stories and being recognised by the university for the quality of our work,” remarked Van Wyk.

“Music serves as our escape from the harsh realities of the world that we live in today. Today’s youth look at music, and the entertainment industry as a whole, as a form of education and a means of expression, and through this we are able to serve the world as all musicians do – through music,” Van Wyk added.

The band said they are honoured and grateful for the opportunities presented to them as musicians and are blessed to travel the country to spread messages of hope to the South African population. 

News Archive

There’s more to media freedom than the Secrecy Bill
2012-05-04

4 May 2012

 “Media freedom is a universal human right. It cannot be abolished, but it should be managed.” The freedom of the media is protected by numerous formal documents, including the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the South African Constitution, and is commemorated annually with the celebration of World Press Freedom Day.

 “As long as those in power have something to hide, media freedom will be under threat. This is a war that takes place on many fronts,” says Ms Willemien Marais, a journalism lecturer at the Department of Communication Science at the University of the Free State (UFS).

“On the one hand we have to take a stand against institutional threats such as the proposed Protection of State Information Bill. This is diametrically opposed to everything that media freedom and freedom of expression encapsulates.

“But on the other hand we also need to educate and transform our society. It is not only up to journalists to defend media freedom. Newspaper reports on the public hearings on this Bill earlier this year proved that ignorance concerning media freedom is a big threat. The lack of resistance against the Secrecy Bill from the general population clearly illustrates that people aren’t aware of what they are about to lose.”

 Ms Marais says the rise of social media and the accompanying awareness of individual freedom of expression have paved the way for more people to exercise this right. “The role of social media in the Arab Spring has been highlighted numerous times. The power of social media is undeniable – but alas, so is the lack of access to especially social media. We can only increase media literacy if we increase people’s access to the media – new and traditional.”

A high level of media literacy is also vital following last month’s recommendation by the Press Freedom Commission of a system of independent co-regulation for South Africa’s print media. This system proposes replacing government regulation with a panel consisting of representatives from the print industry as well as members of the general public. “It is abundantly clear that this system can only work if those members of the general public are media literate and understand the role of media freedom in protecting democracy.”

“The media is not a sentient being – it consists of and is run by people, and human beings are fallible. Protecting media freedom does not only mean fighting institutional threats. It also means increasing media literacy by educating people. And it means owning up to your mistakes, and correcting it.” 

We use cookies to make interactions with our websites and services easy and meaningful. To better understand how they are used, read more about the UFS cookie policy. By continuing to use this site you are giving us your consent to do this.

Accept