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2022 Africa Week

07 April 2022 | Story Bhekumusa N. Zikhali

Celebrating Africa Month – call for contributions

The University of the Free State Office for International Affairs, in collaboration with the Unit for Institutional Change and Social Justice, will be hosting its fifth annual Africa Day commemoration. The 2022 commemoration will be hosted across all three campuses in a marathon we call Africa Week, which unifies the activities through cross-campus collaboration speaking in one voice for one institution. The activities will be three-tiered, starting with an opening ceremony for Africa Week on the South Campus, a celebratory dialogue on the Bloemfontein Campus, and lastly, the closing ceremony of Africa Week on the Qwaqwa Campus. All three activities will be embodied under the theme ‘African Higher Education – Celebrating African Education’, which will embrace artistic expressions, music, dance, and meaningful dialogue that will provide an element for teaching and learning. You are all cordially invited to tune in.

In accordance with COVID-19 protocols/rules, the different activities will have limited capacity for attendance, but live streaming will be made available to the rest of us. This may change at any given time according to circumstances as determined by the relevant departments of the institution.

You are all cordially invited to tune in; be on the lookout for the RSVP link for attendance. In the meantime, save the date and the links below.

Livestream link: https://livestream.ufs.ac.za/

Opening Ceremony South Campus
Date: 23 May 2022
Venue: Open space outside the cafeteria
Time: 13:00 – 15:00

Celebratory Dialogue Bloemfontein Campus
Date: 25 May 2022
Venue: Centenary Complex
Time: 16:00 – 19:00

Closing Ceremony Qwaqwa Campus
Date: 27 May 2022
Venue: VIP Hall
Time: 12:30 – 15:00

News Archive

Academics receive award from SA Academy for Science and Art

2009-07-02

The South African Academy for Science and Art recently celebrated its centenary year on the Main Campus of the University of the Free State (UFS) in Bloemfontein. Academics involved with the UFS received awards during the academy’s recent awards ceremony. A Centenary Medal was awarded to Prof. François Retief, former Rector and Vice-Chancellor of the UFS, for his achievement in the medical sciences over an extended period. The NT Steyn Medal was awarded to Prof. Andries Stulting from the Department of Ophthalmology at the UFS for achievements in the Technical and Natural Sciences and Prof. Albie van Schalkwyk, formerly from the UFS’s Department of Music, received the Huberte Rupert Prize for Classical Music.

According to Prof. Hennie van Coller, Head of the Department of Afrikaans and Dutch, German and French at the UFS and also Chairperson of the Academy, the centenary celebrations were a highlight in the existence of the academy. “For the first time in years there was a mood of optimism that could not be restrained by any differences between the attendees. Political hatchets were buried and members from different racial groups took hands for the road ahead. The continuous themes were that of excellence, which may not be sacrificed,” he said.

In his address as Chairman, Prof. van Coller emphasised that the specific niche of the Academy (the development of the higher function of Afrikaans) should not limit the organisation to also be involved in Afrikaans at grassroots level (especially rural brown people and suburban white people) who often had to deal with poverty and illiteracy and who battled for survival. The Academy had to act as facilitator and offer its expertise to people like those.

At the awards ceremony of the South African Academy for Science and Art were, from the left: Mr Jaco Jacobs, who received the Elsabe Steenberg Prize for translated Children’s and Youth Literature in Afrikaans, Prof. Hennie van Coller and Prof. François Retief.
Photo: Stephen Collett

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