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05 April 2022 | Story Cornelius Hagenmeier
One africa

One Africa – Together Forever

Theme: Celebrating African education as a conduit for African unity

On 25 May 2022, Africa will celebrate the 59th anniversary of the Organisation of African Unity (OAU). Since the establishment of the OAU and with the subsequent formation of the African Union (AU), member States undertook to coordinate and intensify their cooperation and efforts to achieve a better life for the people of Africa. They did so in awareness of the fact that – as the Cultural Charter for Africa states – "any people has the inalienable right to organize its cultural life in full harmony with its political, economic, social, philosophical and spiritual ideas".

The African (Banjul) Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights, Article 17, recognises that every individual shall have the right to education, and associates the intended realisation of this right with enabling individuals to participate freely in the cultural life of their communities. Furthermore, Article 17 of the Charter on Human and People's Rights also links the quest for education for all with the promotion and protection of moral and traditional values as recognised by African communities and families.

Unsurprisingly, the AU – which is the successor to the OAU – is undertaking extensive work in education. Its initiatives include establishing the Pan African University and harmonising African higher education. In continuance of the UFS' long tradition of commemorating Africa Day and the ideas underpinning it, the UFS will once again celebrate Africa in 2022. The highlight of the celebrations will be the Africa Day memorial lecture, hosted by the university's Centre for Gender and Africa Studies on Wednesday 25 May 2022. The speaker is Prof Bagele Chilisa from the University of Botswana, a renowned post-colonial scholar, researcher, author, educator, and African thought leader. The title of her presentation is Research and Knowledge Production: Africa and the Call for a Fifth Research Paradigm. In this lecture, Prof Chilisa will make a clarion call for bringing in indigenous knowledges of the formerly colonised peoples of Africa and other knowledges from marginalised peoples of the world, to be recognised as knowledge systems fitting a unique paradigm on equal footing with Western paradigms, and not to be used as vignettes to decorate websites of global corporations.

Call for contributions

The 2022 UFS Africa Month commemorations will again take a hybrid format. Besides the Africa Day memorial lecture and various face-to-face functions on all three campuses, there will also be online content on a dedicated website. We are looking for contributions that engage with African education. Among others, UFS community members are invited to make contributions centred on

  • the potential of African educational systems to contribute towards the quest for African unity;
  • the different African educational systems;
  • indigenous knowledge and education in Africa;
  • initiatives and programmes advancing a harmonised African higher education system;
  • the importance of African education;
  • the national, regional, and global impact of African scholarship;
  • UFS collaborations/partnerships on the African continent; and
  • ·narratives of research and student excellence associated with African unity.

Contributions from the UFS community can include and are not limited to

  • recorded performing arts performances (e.g., solo music or poetry);
  • ·virtual visual art presentations;
  • written poetry;
  • songs;
  • short thought/opinion pieces, which can also be published in mainstream media;
  • topical academic writings;
  • face-to-face events; and
  • live-streamed events (with links to the Africa Month webpage).

Please share a brief written proposal explaining your planned contribution by 15 April 2022. The proposal should not exceed 300 words and should be emailed to Bulelwa Moikwatlhai at malob@ufs.ac.za / Africadaycommemoration@ufsacza.onmicrosoft.com.

News Archive

It takes a village to raise a child
2016-06-13

Description: Valentino_Student Bursary Fund Campaign Tags: Valentino_Student Bursary Fund Campaign

Valentino Ndaba
Photo: Sonia Small

(Click on CC for subtitles)

Video
Student Bursary Fund Campaign booklet (pdf)
Donate
Student Bursary Fund Campaign launched: #FundAFuture and make a difference
Motho ke motho ka batho. A person is a person through others
Want to make a difference in the world? Here is how

South Africa has one of the most spectacular coastlines in the world. Take the ribbon of golden beaches sweeping along the shores of KwaZulu-Natal, for instance. But just beyond the kiteboards dappling the ocean and fields of swaying sugarcane lies one of the largest informal settlements in the province: Amaoti. A place where barefoot children are skipping alongside poverty, and violent crime incinerates hope.

Nonetheless, that place could not keep Valentino Ndaba from graduating at the University of the Free State (UFS), and setting her sails for post-graduate studies.

A village
It takes a village to raise a child. This African proverb ripples across Valentino’s life story. “My gran always used to say education is your eternal bread. She still says it to this day. She has always instilled in me the importance of education,” Valentino smiles. Her grandmother has been but one of several champions in Valentino’s life.

Maalthee Dayaram – a teacher at Brookdale Secondary School that Valentino attended – noticed a budding talent in the young girl’s writing. With dedicated attention and ceaseless encouragement, Mrs Dayaram helped pave the way for this young writer. “You might be talented and have potential, but having someone actually believe in you and tell you that you have potential makes such a difference,” Valentino says. “I fell in love with writing, and had an idea that writing might be my future.” Dire economic circumstances threatened to snuff out any sparks of hope from that fragile future, though.

Aided by Lungisani Indlela (a non-profit organisation that provides children in the Amaoti area with school fees, uniforms, shoes, etc), Valentino clung to faith in the power of education. With unwavering single-mindedness, she consistently earned top grades.

Description: Valentino Ndaba 2 Tags: Valentino Ndaba 2

Photo: Sonia Small

Not if, but when
“Dreaming of my future, my gran would always say to me, ‘when you go to university’ or ‘when you have graduated’, this and that will follow.” Her gran’s words proved to be prophetic. As the final matric results were published in early January 2012, Valentino received a phone call that would change her life irrevocably.

That call came from the well-known South African humanitarian, Tich Smith. “Would you be willing to go to university in another province?” Smith asked. Never having travelled beyond her immediate surroundings, Valentino’s brave answer was: “Yes.”

A few days later, she walked onto the Bloemfontein Campus of the UFS.

Changing futures
Valentino proceeded to obtain a BA degree in Media Studies and Journalism in 2014. She has now set her sights on an honours degree, and envisions pursuing a Master’s degree in creative writing overseas.

“Without the support I received, I would have been stuck without a future,” she says. “University has shaped me into a better version of myself. I’ve grown intellectually, spiritually, and emotionally.”

You can bring about the same change for other students in need. By contributing to the UFS Student Bursary Fund Campaign, you can change the future not only of individuals, but of communities and of our country as well.

The impact of your financial support reaches far beyond its monetary value. It pulls families from poverty. It sends forth experts and visionaries into the world. It sets in motion a culture of giving.

Visit our Giving page for ways to contribute.

 

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