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23 September 2022 | Story NONSINDISO QWABE | Photo UFS Photo Archive
Intercultural
The 2022 International Diversity Festival focused on cultural competencies in higher education institutions.

Intercultural competencies encompass the ability to effectively interact within different cultural settings, create awareness of the interconnectedness of global issues, consider different perspectives, and understand the dynamics of multicultural settings to work and communicate more effectively. 

With great fanfare, colour, song, and spoken word, the UFS Office for International Affairs celebrated Heritage Month with its annual International Diversity Festival, focusing on cultural competencies in higher education institutions. 

Two festival dialogues took place on the Qwaqwa and Bloemfontein Campuses – also marking a first-of-its-kind for the former.

The 2022 UFS Sing-Off winners BEYKGISTA serenaded the audience with artistic renditions, and the International Offices’ Simba Matema closed the festival off with a solo performance to remember.
 
Creating rich spaces for intercultural competency development

The first leg of the festival took place on the Qwaqwa Campus on 19 September 2022, with the dialogue addressing the principles of intercultural education in higher education institutions and the importance of driving the understanding and teaching of intercultural skills and competencies in institutions of higher learning.

Bringing a student perspective, two Qwaqwa-based students also shared their thoughts on the significance of intercultural education on our campuses.

The audience was treated to the lovely traditional sounds of the Qwaqwa Campus gospel and diversity choir.
The second leg took place on the Bloemfontein Campus on 22 September 2022, where the focus was on key drivers of cultural awareness at an institution of higher learning, as well as intercultural competencies as key enablers for growth and success in society.

Wrapping up the festival, Dr Cornelius Hagenmeier, Director of the International Office, said it was crucial for staff and students to work towards creating opportunities for intercultural competency and exposure. 

“We have opportunities to learn inside and outside the classroom, but it is our choice whether we take that up. We need to be intentional about creating opportunities and building rich spaces for intercultural exchanges on campuses, but it is for every student and colleague to decide to take this initiative and participate.”

To catch the festivals, follow this link for the Qwaqwa Campus:

For the Bloemfontein Campus click here.

News Archive

2014 Winter Graduation
2014-06-27

 
It is time for the 2014 Winter Graduation on our Bloemfontein Campus. From 2 – 4 July 2014 Masters and Doctoral degrees will be bestowed on graduates from across all seven faculties as well as the School of Open Learning. These include the conferral of Medicine degrees on the South African Cuban trainees.

Wednesday 2 July 2014 at 14:30: School of Open Learning
The School of Open Learning will confer a total of 609 degrees this year – almost double compared to the 320 of last year.

Thursday 3 July 2014 at 09:30: Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences
Prof Magdalena Blum will receive an Honorary Doctorat, DPhil honoris causa, at this event. Prof Blum is an Extension Systems Officer in Rome. She works for a specialised agency of the United Nations called the Food and Agriculture Organization. This organisation’s mandate is:
• to improve nutrition,
• increase agricultural productivity,
• raise the standard of living in rural populations and
• contribute to global economic growth.

Her position serves to modernise and strengthen rural advisory services, their systems and networks worldwide. She has filled this position for almost nine years.

Prof Blum is driven by a passion for development, humanitarian work and female upliftment, but most of all, to enable people to help themselves.

Blum’s life has taken her from a small German village to Africa, Asia and Europe – and she has made an impact wherever she went.

Thursday 3 July 2014 at 14:30: Faculties of Economic and Management Sciences, Humanities, Education, Health Sciences, Law and Theology
At this ceremony, Faculty of the Humanities will award an Honorary Doctorate, DPhil honoris causa, on Prof Laura Mulvey. She is a feminist film theorist and worked at the British Film Institute for many years. She is currently a professor at Film and Media Studies at Birkbeck, University of London.

Prof Mulvey was prominent as an avant-garde filmmaker in the 1970s and ‘80s. In collaboration with her husband, Peter Wollen, she co-wrote and co-directed:
• Penthesilea: Queen of the Amazons (1974),
• Riddles of the Sphinx (1977, perhaps their most influential film),
• AMY! (1980),
• Crystal Gazing (1982),
• Frida Kahlo and Tina Modotti (1982), and
• The Bad Sister.

In 1991, she returned to filmmaking with Disgraced Monuments, which she co-directed with Mark Lewis.

Friday 4 July 2014 at 10:30: Special Graduation Ceremony
Conferral of Medicine Degrees on the South African Cuban trainees at the UFS

Live streaming will be available on: http://www.ufs.ac.za/ufslivestreaming/

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