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23 September 2020
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Story Nitha Ramnath
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Photo Supplied
UFS students will be performing at the virtual ICDF on 24 September 2020.
On 24 September 2020, South Africa will be celebrating Heritage Day. For the 25th anniversary of this celebration, South Africans are encouraged to celebrate their culture and the diversity of their beliefs and traditions in the wider context of a country that belongs to all its people. Dr Chitja Twala, Vice-Dean: Faculty of the Humanities at the UFS, says: “The importance of the day is that we must celebrate who we are and learn from each other.” The University of the Free
State (UFS) has a long tradition of commemorating Heritage Day and the ideas underpinning it. One way in which the UFS celebrates and recognises the tapestry of diverse cultures represented on its campuses is through its International Cultural Diversity
Festival hosted by the Office for International Affairs. The purpose of the event is to highlight on Heritage Day that international cultural diversity is a central tenet of the UFS community.
Pursuant to the tremendous challenges caused by the COVID-19 pandemic globally, the International Cultural Diversity Festival will this year be celebrated in a virtual format. Even during this uncertain time, it is important to find time to celebrate
our uniqueness and to appreciate one another’s heritage and culture in the spirit of our humanity.
Date: 24 September 2020
Time: 10:00
No registration is required!
For the 2020 Heritage Month celebrations, let us share elements about ourselves that make us proud of who we are! The diverse contributions to the 2020 virtual International Cultural Diversity Festival activities will highlight the university’s commitment towards creating a diverse, challenging intellectual environment. As a research-led university, the UFS strives to provide an environment in which new ideas are incubated and debated, contributing to its transformation process and African unity.
For more information contact Bulelwa Moikwatlhai on MaloB@ufs.ac.za
Prof Solomon appointed to board of flagship journal of UNECA
2016-10-06
Prof Hussein Solomon, member of the Editorial
Board of the Afro-Arab Social and Economic
Review. He is also the author of Islamic State
and the Coming Global Confrontation.
Photo: Charl Devenish
“I cannot say I worked towards it – I just did my work, and I guess someone noticed.” These are the words of Prof Hussein Solomon from the Department of Political Studies and Governance at the University of the Free State (UFS), who was recently appointed to the Editorial Board of the Afro-Arab Social and Economic Review.
On an editorial board with people he quoted
This is the flagship journal of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA). The mandate of the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) is to promote the economic and social development of the states which are regarded as members of the United Nations (UN). Prof Solomon says the board consists of people that he used to quote when he was a student, and to serve alongside them is a privilege.
Book launched in Greece, Japan, and Indonesia
His book, Islamic State and the Coming Global Confrontation, was earlier published by Palgrave Macmillan in London and launched in Greece, Japan, and Indonesia in June and July 2016 respectively. It analyses the origins and organisational structure of the Islamic State (IS), ans examines its military triumphs and success in securing new recruits via social media.
Exploit of IS vulnerabilities to combat organisation
Prof Solomon says the IS makes use of the winning hearts and mind (WHAM) principle where they earn the trust of residents by providing basic services, and the only solution we have is to “exploit the Islamic State’s vulnerabilities and to highlight their atrocities.”
He mentions that a lot needs to be done to overcome the IS. It is vital to have boots on the ground and an acceptance that countries will splinter. An overarching strategy needs to be in place which allows for regional variations, good governance, and the countering of extremism.