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SASL Star: Lerato Sheila Thamahane

22 September 2021 | Story Michelle Nöthling | Photo Supplied

Lerato Thamahane may be able to speak and understand all nine of South Africa’s official African languages, but it is a tenth language she is devoting her life to: South African Sign Language (SASL).

With nearly ten years’ experience as a SASL interpreter in several settings – ranging from the medical and mental-health fields to that of conferences and Deafblind interpreting – Lerato is living her life’s purpose. “I regard myself as a member of the Deaf community and a servant at the same time.”

Lerato lives by the principle that the more perspectives she gains on the world, the better service as an interpreter she can provide. This is also part of the reason why Lerato decided to take on the role of student again to study BA Language Practice to provide her with an even broader perspective on the field.

But why does Lerato feel so strongly about SASL? It is only through Sign Language, Lerato explains, that one can bridge the divide between the world of the hearing and that of the Deaf. “SASL is the only way for the minority Deaf group to receive and transfer information,” Lerato emphasises. “Deaf people cannot communicate in any other way.” Now, consider for a moment the plight of a Deaf child in South Africa. To receive education in SASL, most Deaf children have to move far away from home at a very young age in order to attend a school for the Deaf. For many years, schools for the Deaf did not include other languages as subjects, which prevented Deaf school-leavers from entering higher education. Although this situation has largely changed, Deaf students are still fighting an uphill battle when entering higher education institutions where prejudice and ignorance still persist. This is where the work of the Centre for Universal Access and Disability Support (CUADS) and the Department of South African Sign Language (SASL) and Deaf Studies makes such a crucial difference.

“I firmly believe,” Lerato says, “that only Sign Language can open opportunities for all groups of the Deaf community – from Deaf children to adults, and from the uneducated to the most educated Deaf people.” It is for this reason, Lerato argues, that our constitution needs to recognise SASL in order to give Deaf people full and equal access to information, to education, and ultimately, to all the opportunities South Africa has to offer.

News Archive

A struggle without documentation is no struggle – exhibition by internationally acclaimed Dr Peter Magubane

2014-08-06

The latest exhibition of one of South Africa’s most internationally acclaimed photographers, Dr Peter Magubane, has arrived on our Bloemfontein Campus. The exhibition features photographs taken by Dr Peter Magubane from 1954 – 1994. From the township streets to the hallways of power, Dr Magubane has spent more than half a century photographing the struggle against apartheid and significant social issues.

The Johannes Stegmann Art Gallery, in association with Absa, are hosting the exhibition called ‘A struggle without documentation is no struggle’ from 13 August to 12 September 2014. The photographs are displayed in the Centenary as well as the Johannes Stegmann Galleries on the Bloemfontein Campus.

Dr Magubane has received numerous accolades for his dedication and outstanding contribution to the world of photography. These include:
• the Mother Jones-Leica Lifetime Achievement Award,
• the Martin Luther King Luthuli Award,
• a Fellowship from the Tom Hopkinson School of Journalism; and
• four Honorary Doctorates from various South African universities.

In the period from June 1969 to 1971, Dr Magubane spent a total of 586 days in solitary confinement and was later banned as a photographer in South Africa for five years. From the 1980s, he worked for Time magazine. In 1990 he was selected as Nelson Mandela’s official photographer to chronicle South Africa’s transition to a new political dispensation.

Today, Dr Magubane mainly focuses his lens on the diverse traditions and cultural practices of South Africans.

Dr Magubane gave a presentation on 14 August 2014 in the Johannes Stegmann Art Gallery.

For more information, please contact Angela de Jesus at dejesusav@ufs.ac.za or +27(0)51 401 2706.

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