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01 July 2022 | Story Marcus Maphile | Photo Supplied

The University of the Free State Library and Information Services (UFSLIS) hosted stakeholders from SABC Lesedi FM, the Free State Department of Sport, Arts, and Culture, the Pan South African Language Board (PanSALB), and delegates from the National Library for the launch of the first-ever African Languages University Press in South Africa and Africa.  The launch, which took place on 24 May, deliberately coincided with the Africa Month commemorations – as the UFS’ answer to the United Nations General Assembly (Resolution A/RES/74/135) proclamation of the period between 2022 and 2032 as the International Decade of Indigenous Languages.  

This proclamation aims to draw global attention to the critical situation of many indigenous languages, and to mobilise stakeholders and resources for their preservation, revitalisation, and promotion. The University of the Free State Department of African Languages aims to be a publisher of high-quality original African language monographs and research in order to promote access, preservation, and use of marginalised African languages.  

In his opening remarks, Marcus Maphile, Assistant Director: Library Services, said, “As a broad academic publisher, the African Languages Press will be working across a number of markets, all presenting challenges and opportunities for established and engaged university presses. One of the opportunities will be to challenge the mainstream book publishers to re-enter the indigenous language publishing market.” He further said that this was done to make writing and reading in African indigenous languages fashionable, for other nations to envy our rich multilingual cultural heritage. 

The guest speaker for the launch was the UFS honorary Doctor of Letters (DLitt) recipient, Dr Jerry Mofokeng wa Makhetha, who applauded the University of the Free State for taking such a bold step towards enriching and developing African indigenous languages. 

The launch offered the UFS the opportunity to reach out and engage the international community on potential partnerships and collaborations towards developing African languages. The Library Director, Ms Jeanette Molopyane, provided insight into the challenges faced by libraries due to the shortage of books in African languages, while positioning the University of the Free State Library as a trendsetter and a leader in the development of best practices in the field of libraries.  

News Archive

US Consul-General speaks at the UFS
2010-09-23

Mr Andy Passen, US Consul-General, and Mr Arthur Johnson from the Internationalisation Office at the UFS.
Photo: Leonie Bolleurs

The Consul-General of the United States of America, Mr Andy Passen, recently presented a public lecture at the University of the Free State (UFS). He focused on the importance of youth development in the current dispensation and introduced President Barack Obama's Young African Leaders Forum. In his presentation he pressed upon the young leaders that they possessed both the privilege and responsibility to shape the future of Africa for the next 50 years.

He also engaged the UFS as a potential host of the Brown vs Board of Education exhibition, namely Separate is not equal. The exhibition is hosted annually at various cities and higher education institutions in South Africa. The multimedia exhibition uses films, photographs, sound recordings and reconstructions to tell the history of segregation in the USA, the landmark supreme court ruling in Brown vs. Board of Education on 17 May 1954, and the subsequent decades of struggle for racial equality. The exhibition also highlights parallels to the South African experience.

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