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The Centre for Gender and Africa Studies (CGAS) and the UFS will host an Africa Day Webinar on the topic, Reflections on Africa amidst Covid-19, to be delivered by Prof. Sabelo J. Ndlovu-Gatsheni, renowned decolonial scholar. The title of his lecture is Revisiting the African idea of Africa during the moment of Covid-19 pandemic.
The crisis delivered by Coronavirus and Covid-19 invites Africans to rethink and even unthink the long-standing dependency on Europe and North America for help. What has dawned on Africa is the equally long-standing aspiration of self-reliance. What is emerging is a new African idea of Africa which takes responsibility for its own challenges. This new African idea of Africa challenges the Mudimbean idea of Africa embodied in the colonial library.
Thus this presentation reassesses how Africa has relied on its own historical experience, its own knowledge, and own people to confront Covid-19. What is of interest here is the proverbial wisdom of necessity being the source of invention. The presentation brings to the fore the decolonial turn as it gestures beyond crisis into post-Covid-19 world order. It ends with a call for decolonial love founded on new ethics of living together and new economies of care.
Bio of Prof Sabelo J. Ndlovu-Gatshen
Date: Tuesday, 26 May, 2020
Time: 14:00
Duration: 90 min max (45 min talk, 45 min Q&A)
The webinar can be accessed via one of the following links:
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Madelief Residence bursts into colour
2014-03-12
You’ll be forgiven for thinking that your eyes are deceiving you when turning into the main entrance to the Bloemfontein Campus. Yet, it is still the graceful old lady of a building called Madelief. This 50-year-old female residence has donned a sparkling new ‘dress’, brandishing a trendy new look.
After extensive renovations kicked off during October last year, the long-awaited revamp left residents and Kovsies astonished. The makeover transformed the building into a sparkling gem, glistening in the Free State sun. Luminescent contra-vision windows, a remodelled veranda and a new façade propel this residence into modernity. A unique twist to the use of the façade is that it is reflective during both the day and night. During the daytime, the light reflects towards the residence and during the night it mirrors the entrance of the university. This feature lends an innovative and vibrant impression to the residence’s appearance.
“I’m so happy for my residence. It’s now the hub of attraction – everyone wants to visit and come have a look. Thanks to our Residence Head, the constructors and designers who came up with this concept and Housing and Residence Affairs. We look 50 years younger indeed and more vibrant,” Mamnosi Tshabalala, a senior resident at Madelief, beamed.
In celebration of this new phase of their residence, students plunged into a festival of colour – power paint exploding into rainbows over anyone who came near. Top management that attended the celebration could not escape the excitement. Profs Jansen and Morgan, Dr Wahl, Mr Koetaan and Rudi Buys were swept into the good cheer, snapping photos and making fantastic memories.