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24 May 2022


The Faculty of the Humanities will be hosting a round-table dialogue on ‘Humanistic Perspectives on Student Protests in South Africa’, an important discussion on a matter that is currently in the spotlight at the UFS and other institutions nationally. Both students and staff are invited to attend in-person or virtually.


The dialogue aims to discuss ‘humanistic perspectives’ on student protests and includes, among others, the following topics:

• Dynamics of student protests
• The relationship between politics and protests
• Why protests are a challenge for the higher education secto
• Possible responses to protests by universities.


Event details

In-person venue: Equitas Auditorium
Online platform: Microsoft Teams
Date: 30 May 2022
Time: 14:00-16:15


Moderator:
Dr Grey Magaiza
 
Panellists:
Prof Francis Petersen (Rector and Vice-Chancellor
Prof Sethulego Matebesi (Department of Sociology)
Prof Nyasha Mboti (Department of Communication Science)
Prof Joy Owen (Department of Anthropology)
Prof Colin Chasi (Unit for Institutional Change and Social Justice) 
Mr Motlogeloa Moema (Student Affairs)

Opening remarks: 
Prof Chitja Twala, Vice-Dean: Faculty of the Humanities 

Closing remarks:
Prof Heidi Hudson, Dean: Faculty of the Humanities 

News Archive

Tswelopele hosts first LGBTQI panel discussion
2016-10-05

Description: LGBTQI  Tags: LGBTQI

Tshepang Mahlatsi, Zane Thela, Dionne van
Reenen, Dr Thierry Luescher and Galeletsang
Soato, at the Brotherhood with no Limit panel
discussion held at Tswelopele residence on
the Bloemfontein Campus.
Photo: Supplied

Ignorance about issues relating to the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer and Intersex (LGBTQI) community is a threat to mankind. This is according to Tshepang Mahlatsi, former Prime of Tswelopele residence, regarding LGBTQI concerns at University of the Free State (UFS).

House Tswelopele on the Bloemfontein Campus hosted a panel discussion, Brotherhood with no Limit, on 19 September 2016 to discuss issues affecting the LGBTQI community, which has often been on the receiving end of criticism, hate speech and bigotry.

Academics take stance at LGBTQI discussion

The panel, which consisted of staff members and students, opened the discussion to everyone on campus. The panel comprised Zane Thela, Programme Coordinator: Gender and Sexual Equity Office: Student Affairs; Dionne van Reenen, Assistant Researcher; Dr Thierry Luescher, Assistant Director, Directorate for Institutional Research and Academic Planning, and Mahlatsi.

Creating a safer environment for LQBTQI dialogue

“The message that we were putting across was simple. We as a house cannot allow society to define our own brothers for us,” Mahlatsi said. The responsibility of students and student leaders was to stand in solidarity. He said it was not fair that in the 21st century people were still fighting to be recognised for who they were and what they identified themselves as. This issue had been discussed at Tswelopele before and it was not that much of an issue, Mahlatsi said. “However, this was the first formal one [discussion] where we had speakers who are more informed on the topic.”

The panel discussion also aimed to challenge other residences that still do not allow such talks to take place in a safe environment.

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