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20 February 2023 | Story Gerda-Marié van Rooyen | Photo Supplied
Nthabiseng (JahRose) Jafta, a Publishing Coordinator at the University of the Free State (UFS), recently received the Silver Medal Award and other accolades at the Eurasian Literary Festival held in Egypt. She says writing is a way of life for her and she writes anywhere and anytime.

Nthabiseng (JahRose) Jafta, a Publishing Coordinator at African Languages Press in the Library and Information Services at the University of the Free State (UFS), recently received the Silver Medal Award and other accolades at the Eurasian Literary Festival held in Egypt. Jafta, an MA scholar (Creative Writing) at Rhodes University, describes herself as an international performing poet, artpreneur, teacher, festival curator, content developer, and creative strategist born in the Free State.

Being an introvert, she says her love for writing gives her a voice. “I can echo my thoughts and colour my grey sky,” she explains poetically. She feels writing is as natural to her as breathing. She is comfortable writing anywhere and anytime. “There’s no physical area needed. We type on WhatsApp in the taxi. We catch brainwaves whenever they appear.” Jafta's creative juices seem to be overflowing, as she confessed to even getting an idea while contemplating her love for writing. “Life throws you prompts from all spheres, but you have to be present to recognise its call. And sometimes the piece decides if it wants to be happy, erotic, or sad.”
 
Her literacy cap serves Jafta's career as a publisher and her creative writing when time allows. “I read and write. Publish what I read or write. I also happen to recite, read, and sing what I write. It’s all in alignment.” This Deputy President of the National Writers Association of South Africa and founder of the Poetic Blues Virtual Festival writes in her mother tongue, Sesotho, and English. She also has additional experience in the poetry industry, as she was previously the Curator of the Macufe Poetry Festival. She also attended the International Writing Centre at Beijing Normal University part time. Her poems have also been translated into Mandarin and published in Chinese literary magazines.

Jafta says besides the growing catalogue of more than 40 publications, she also has an upcoming multilingual poetry compilation featuring Spanish, Danish, Mandarin, Arabic, KiSwahili, IsiZulu, and Sesotho translations from English. This poet believes poetry is a gift that feeds lyrics to melodies. “And that song carries us to humanity's highs and lows. Prose is how we navigate that gift daily. They are rainbows on melting clouds, events plants rejoice on their rhythmic drops.”

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Institute hosts National Action Plan Discussions
2013-03-12

 

Attending the discussions were from left: Prof Andre Keet, Ms Yasmin Sooka, Dr Willy Nel, Ms Gugu Ncongwana, Director: Department of Justice and Constitutional Development, Ms Danaline Franzman, Chief Director: Social Justice and Participatory Democracy in the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development and Andile Mngxitama, columnist and political commentator.
Photo: Sibusiso Tshabalala
12 March 2013

The Institute for Reconciliation and Social Justice, together with the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development and the Foundation for Human Rights, hosted a workshop-style discussion with university and community role players on the National Action Plan (NAP) to Combat Racism, Xenophobia and related intolerances. As an obligation under the United Nations Declaration at the World Conference on Racism, Xenophobia and related intolerances held in Durban, 2001, the NAP was presented by Yasmin Sooka (Executive Director of the Foundation for Human Rights). Dr Willy Nel, from the Faculty of Education, was the respondent and Prof Andre Keet, Director of the Institute, facilitated the workshop.

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