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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

News Archive

New taxi rank opens at UFS
2008-10-29

 
Map (Pdf format)

A new taxi rank, that cost R2,2-million to construct, will begin operating at the University of the Free State (UFS) on Monday, 3 November 2008.

The new taxi rank is a massive improvement on the old one, with many improvements for thousands of commuters who come on to the campus.

The new features include:
underfloor heating
radio broadcasts
rest rooms
anti-crime features
sufficient seating (inside and outside)

The new taxi rank is situated at the DF Malherbe Drive gate, close to the Agriculture Building and within walking distance of the Bloemgate shopping centre. From Monday taxis will no longer operate from the parking area at Odeion.

The new taxi rank is also closer to Thakaneng Bridge and will provide taxi commuters with much easier access to the rest of the campus.

Apart from the fact that the rank has been relocated, the rest of the service provided by the minibus-taxi operators will remain the same.

Media Release
Issued by: Mangaliso Radebe
Assistant Director: Media Liaison
Tel: 051 401 2828
Cell: 078 460 3320
E-mail: radebemt.stg@ufs.ac.za  
30 October 2008
 

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