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Prof Rodwell Makombe on Qwaqwa migrants and their connection to home

22 February 2021 | Story Thabo Kessah | Photo Thabo Kessah

Prof Rodwell Makombe_web read more — Prof Rodwell Makombe’s literary research focuses on a Facebook page that ‘reconstructs home away from home’.

Home is a complex concept, as it is not a physical place. This is according to Prof Rodwell Makombe’s recently published research article titled, Online images and imaginings of home: The case of Qwaqwa Thaba Di Mahlwa Facebook page.

“The article looks at how migrants from Qwaqwa, now living in Johannesburg, Durban, Cape Town and elsewhere, imagine Qwaqwa as home. Because they spend a lot of time away from home, they always have a longing and a sense of loneliness, as they live in places that are not home. They also have to find ways of reminiscing about their homeland. This study is about how they reconstruct home away from home. There are two approaches towards the idea of home. Firstly, home can be conceptualised as a familiar place and a place of origin that offers stability. Secondly, home is within them and they carry it with them wherever they go,” said Prof Makombe.

‘Qwaqwa Thaba Di Mahlwa’

The study focused on a Facebook page created by Qwaqwa migrants, called ‘Qwaqwa thaba Di Mahlwa’. “We looked at the images that were posted on this page and how they seek to construct Qwaqwa as a home. When a person posts a picture from Qwaqwa, everyone from Qwaqwa associates with the picture and are reminded of certain things from home. Migrants make homes out of this Facebook page and the page becomes a place where all can rally together and construct their home,” he added.

The study is part of a broader book project titled Visual Cultures of the Afromontane, funded by the Afromontane Research Unit.

Prof Makombe is an Associate Professor in the Department of English on the Qwaqwa Campus. His areas of research include cultural studies, postcolonial literatures, and cultures of resistance. The article was co-written with Dr Oliver Nyambi.

LISTEN: Prof Rodwell Makombe on Qwaqwa migrants and their connection to home

University of the Free State · Prof Rodwell Makombe on Qwaqwa migrants and their connection to home

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Meet our new #KovsieCyberSta’s

2017-05-23

Description:KovsieCyberSta’s Tags: KovsieCyberSta’s

Amu Mathebula and Thuli Molebalwa are the new
ambassadors of the UFS digital platforms, and are
known as #KovsieCyberSta’s.
Photo: Johan Roux

Our new #KovsieCyberSta's have been announced, and we are delighted to introduce them to the Kovsie community.

Amu Mathebula and Thuli Molebalwa have been chosen by our students as the new #KovsieCyberSta’s, the official brand ambassadors for the University of the Free State’s (UFS) digital platforms.

The energetic duo had their first shoot on Saturday 13 May at the Open Day on the Bloemfontein Campus, and their video is available on the UFS Facebook page.

More about our ambassadors

Amu, a third-year Communication Science student from Krugersdorp in Gauteng, is an extroverted production manager at KovsieTV. “I am an extroverted soul who loves being an MC, is a lover of food, and any place that has water,” she said.

Thuli, a second-year Governance and Political Transformation student and former RC Academic at House Villa Bravado, loves meaningful conversations and is always game for sports. He also serves on the South College Council.

We look forward to journey with them and would also like to wish them the best of luck for their term as UFS brand ambassadors.

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