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22 September 2021
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Story Michelle Nöthling
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Photo Supplied
Annemarie Le Roux.
“I love working with children.” This is one of the first things Annemarie le Roux mentions when asked to describe herself. This love for children propelled Annemarie into the field of education and she graduated in 2006 with a BEd in Foundation Phase at the UFS. Annemarie immediately immersed herself in the Deaf community, enriching the lives of children at the Thiboloha School for the Deaf in Qwaqwa and the De la Bat School for the Deaf in Worcester.
The academic world enticed Annemarie back to the University of the Free State (UFS) and she was appointed as a junior lecturer in the Department of South African Sign Language (SASL) and Deaf Studies in 2013. Going from strength to strength, Annemarie completed her master’s degree in SASL in 2019, and published an
article earlier this year that she co-wrote with Marga Stander. In this article, they found that SASL “has become an increasingly popular language that hearing university students want to learn as a second language” and subsequently explored different teaching methods used for this emerging group of interested students.
Although now firmly established in academia, Annemarie is still committed to the practical application of SASL. “I am closely involved in student and community engagement through the
SIGNALS Sign Language student association that helps empower the Deaf community and South African Sign Language.” She also interprets for the Deaf community whenever she gets an opportunity, as well as for Deaf students in class and meetings.
On the importance of Sign Language and the recognition of the Deaf community in South Africa, Annemarie believes it will open greater opportunities for development. “More people will be able to learn SASL, and it might even become a subject in school for hearing children.”
World mourns giant of African literature
2013-03-25
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UFS joins the world in commiserating the passing of the novelist, poet and literary critic, Chinua Achebe.
Photo credit: Mike Cohea/Brown University
25 March 2013 |
The staff and students of the University of the Free State (UFS) are saddened by the passing of Chinua Achebe on 21 March 2013 at the age of 82 in Boston in the United States.
Prof Achebe is widely regarded as one of Africa's greatest authors, gaining world-wide acclaim especially for his 1954 novel, Things Fall Apart. Prof Achebe’s other major works include Arrow of God, A Man of the People, Anthills of the Savannah, as well as his famous critique of Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness, namely An image of Africa: racism in Conrad's "Heart of darkness."
Prof Jonathan Jansen, Vice-Chancellor and Rector of the UFS, said he was privileged to attend three lectures by Achebe. "A giant in African literature has fallen. Go softly, Chinua Achebe. As a young student, I still remember sitting in awe of your wisdom and insight," he said.