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20 May 2022 | Story Rulanzen Martin

The Africa Day Memorial Lecture has always been a platform for scholars to critically reflect on and engage with subject matter pertaining to Africa and her people. This year’s lecture will be no different when Prof Bagele Chilisa, post-colonial scholar from the University of Botswana, will deliver this year’s lecture on the topic: Research and knowledge production: Africa and the call for a fifth research paradigm.  

“In this lecture, Kwame Nkrumah’s call for Africa-centred knowledge, Claude Ake’s promotion of endogenous knowledge, and Ngungi wa Thiongo’s decolonisation of the mind recall Africa’s innovations in the COVID-19 crisis, celebrate Africa’s unity of mind, and claim Africa’s space in the global knowledge production,” writes Prof Chilisa.

The lecture is hosted annually by the Centre for Gender and Africa Studies at the University of the Free State (UFS). Previous speakers include, among others, Dr Rahul Rao, Prof Alcinda Honwana, and Prof Walter D Mignolo, who delivered the 2021 memorial lecture. 

Premiere at 19:00 on YouTube to join the lecture click on video below. 

Time: 19:00


For more information, please contact Portia Khate at KhatePB@ufs.ac.za

Click to view documentVisit the dedicated #AfricaMonth webpage here 



About the speaker: 
Prof Chilisa is a renowned post-colonial scholar, researcher, author, educator, and an important African thought leader. Some of the courses she has been facilitating for more than 30 years include research design, policy design, and measurement and evaluation courses, among others. As a full Professor at the University of Botswana, she has supervised more than 50 master’s dissertations and PhD theses with diverse academic discourse and has served as external examiner for PhD theses in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region. 

Her interest in community-based research has driven her to write extensively on indigenous knowledge, as well as to publish a book titled Indigenous Research Methodologies – a book that has sparked international discourse on the importance of indigenous methodologies, especially in Africa.  With more than 80 publications, Prof Chilisa was recognised as the Researcher of the Year and awarded UB Research Team Leadership at the University Research Awards Ceremony in 2019.

Other UFS events celebrating #AfricaMonth 

2022 Africa Week: ‘African Higher Education – Celebrating African Education’

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.

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; please RSVP on the links below for attendance (attendance is limited). In the meantime, save the date and the links below. 


Opening Ceremony: South Campus
Date: 23 May 2022
Venue: Open space outside the cafeteria
Time: 13:00-15:00
RSVP link: https://events.ufs.ac.za/event/1534/  


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: B11 EMS 
Time: 12:30-15:00

For more information, please contact Bhekumusa Zikhali at ZikhaliBN@ufs.ac.za 

News Archive

Lots of inspiration at Autumn Graduation Ceremony
2013-04-18

 

Graduates celebrate the results of years of study at the graduation ceremony on the Bloemfontein Campus.
Photo: Hannes Pieterse
17 April 2013

Live streaming of ceremonies available from 16 April - 19 April 2013: http://www.ufs.ac.za/ufslivestreaming/

Joshua Johnson YouTube video

The university’s Autumn Graduation Ceremony got off to a vibrant start with energetic performances and inspiring messages for graduates.

Joshua Johnson, an American student who uses his talent for tap-dancing to fund his tertiary education, mesmerised the audience on the first of the four-day graduation ceremony with his story of hope and perseverance. The student from Penn State University travels five hours by bus to New York every weekend where he tap-dances on the subway trains to earn money for his tuition fees.

Delivering a keynote address, Joshua told graduates that, in order to achieve their goals, they have to understand and work diligently with the 24 hours they get to live daily. “Start with a bang and end with a bang,” he said, encouraging the audience in the nearly-packed Callie Human Centre to join him in a rhythmic tap-dancing beat.

“Don’t follow in the footsteps of someone else. Take the beat of life, but add your rhythm to it," his wise words resonating with the exhilarated graduates.

Joshua will be the guest speaker at the ceremonies on 16, 17 and 19 April 2013 and will deliver a dance item during each occasion.

Dr Khotso Mokhele, Chancellor of the University, echoed Joshua‘s message, telling graduates not to be discouraged by life’s difficulties.

“Take what you have learned over the last three or four years and use that knowledge to reach your goal,” he advised.

Prof Jonathan Jansen, Rector and Vice-Chancellor, encouraged them to continue to study. “To break the cycle of poverty, get an education, get a degree.” He told them that as graduates they are ten times more likely to get a job, with the odds rising as they continue their postgraduate studies.

Well-known radio host and Idols South Africa judge, Gareth Cliff, will be the guest speaker at two ceremonies on 18 April 2013. He will be joined by Vicus Visser, the South African YouTube singing sensation. Dubbed Bloemfontein’s Justin Bieber, Vicus and his brother Vincent will perform during these two ceremonies.

The programme for the respective ceremonies is:

Wednesday 17 April

09:30 Diplomas and certificates up to and including honours degrees in the Faculty of Education.
14:30 Diplomas and certificates up to and including honours degrees in the Faculties of Health Sciences, Law and Theology.

Thursday 18 April

09:30 Diplomas and certificates up to and including honours degrees in the Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences: only Agricultural Sciences and Architecture.
14:30 Diplomas and certificates up to and including honours degrees in the Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences: only Natural Sciences.

Friday 19 April

09:30 Diplomas and certificates up to and including honours degrees in the Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences: all diplomas and degrees in the Faculty, except BCom and BComHons.
14:30 Diplomas and certificates up to and including honours degrees in the Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences: only BCom and BComHons.

The Qwaqwa Campus’ graduation ceremony will take place on 8 June 2013. Diplomas/certificates up to and including doctorates will be awarded at this ceremony.

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