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UFS hosts Heads of Diplomatic Mission breakfast in South Africa

17 June 2022 | Story Dr Nitha Ramnath | Photo Vivid Images

Heads of Mission to South Africa — Representatives of Heads of Diplomatic Mission in South Africa

The Rector and Vice-Chancellor of the University of the Free State (UFS), Prof Francis Petersen, hosted the Heads of Diplomatic Mission breakfast in South Africa on 9 June in Pretoria.

Fifteen foreign missions attended the event, with representation from Argentina, Belgium, Egypt, the European Union, Italy, Japan, Kenya, Lesotho, Namibia, the Netherlands, Nigeria, Spain, Switzerland, the United States, and Zimbabwe. The programme included a presentation by the Rector, followed by an engagement session.

Prof Francis Petersen’s overarching message during his presentation was that the UFS is ready to engage, co-create, and collaborate in the international arena, and that it produces graduates who are holistically developed to engage the world of work in their respective areas of specialisation. “We cannot underestimate the value of co-creation and collaboration between the Global North and Global South institutions of higher learning as equal partners. The UFS has an array of expertise that we deem as core drivers of partnerships, which has the potential to offer immense value through collaboration,” said Prof Petersen.

The event offered the UFS the opportunity to reach out and engage the international community on potential partnerships and collaborations. The Rector provided insight into the UFS, while positioning the university as well as current and potential collaborations with institutions of higher learning and other sectors in the respective heads of mission countries.

The Heads of Diplomatic Mission Breakfast was a collaboration between the Department of Communication and Marketing, the Office for International Affairs, and Institutional Advancement.

News Archive

Trauma, Forgiveness, and Reconciliation Studies attracts global attention

2016-06-27

Description: Lerato Machetela Tags: Lerato Machetela

Lerato Machetela is on her way to
Ghent University in Belgium where
she will spend 10 months working
alongside experts in the field of
historical trauma.
Photo: Eugene Seegers

Research excellence is one of the major driving forces at the core of the University of the Free State (UFS). This striving for academic distinction has found embodiment within Trauma, Forgiveness, and Reconciliation (TFR) Studies. Headed by Research Fellow and Senior Research Professor Pumla Gobodo-Madikizela, the research unit is raking in achievements consistently.

Cornell University Distinguished African Scholar Award
Leading by example, Prof Gobodo-Madikizela received the prestigious 2016 Distinguished African Scholar Award from Cornell University recently. Being honoured with this award affirms an unusual depth of knowledge and experience in a field related to the recipient’s own work. Through this award, Prof Gobodo-Madikizela is now also affiliated with the Institute for African Development and the Psychology Department at Cornell University.

Ghent University fellowship in historical trauma
Another member of TFR has caught international attention. Lerato Machetela – a PhD student at the research unit – received an invitation from scholars at Ghent University in Belgium. Machetela will leave in September, where she will spend ten months in Ghent with experts in the field of historical trauma. She will be affiliated to their university’s Cultural Memory Studies Initiative and the Psychology Department. When Machetela submitted her PhD proposal on transgenerational transmisison of trauma among the youth in Jagersfontein to the UFS Psychology Department panel, “it was hailed as a unique project, and a first for the department,” Prof Gobodo-Madikizela says.

Description: Naleli Morojele Tags: Naleli Morojele

Naleli Morojele conducting the research
in Rwanda that has formed the basis of
her new book, Women Political Leaders
in Rwanda and South Africa: Narratives
of Triumph and Loss.

Book explores triumph and loss of female political leaders
TFR cultivates thriving authors actively, the latest being Naleli Morojele, who is pursuing a PhD in the field of Political Studies. Soon, Morojele will be launching her book, Women Political Leaders in Rwanda and South Africa: Narratives of Triumph and Loss. Through the stories of significant female Rwandan and South African leaders, the reader gains insight into these women’s early-life experiences, struggles, and successes. Perhaps even more pertinently, Morojele’s book also exposes the ways in which gender inequality still works to smother their roles as citizens and politicians.

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