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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.”

News Archive

2014 Intravarsity – with a twist
2014-08-12

   

 

The battle of the campuses took place over the weekend of 8–10 August 2014 as our Bloemfontein Campus hosted our Qwaqwa counterparts for the 2014 Intravarsity.

This year the event provided some exhilarating twists to the usual competition. With the theme, ‘Made at Kovsies’, the programme made room for some new and innovative activities. The new setup may even become the format for future intra- and intervarsity events at Kovsies.

For those courageous of heart and daring of body, Vishuis offered the Gladiator games. This resulted in loads of competitive fun and entertainment. On a less physical level, this year also introduced the Kovsie Gaming League. The event presented an electronic sports tournament in which students could battle it out in a digital gaming environment.

The Ultimate Frisbee tournament guaranteed a host of awkward jumps, long stretches and hearts pumping furiously. In celebration of Women’s month, a Women’s Day Fun Run was also incorporated into the weekend.

It was not a case of out with the old, in with the new, though. The usual codes like soccer, volleyball, basketball, chess and table tennis still occupied their rightful places on the programme. But this time round, cultural activities also received a place in the limelight.

A Kovsie United Music Festival provided a safe social environment for students to enjoy themselves in – and scores of feet trampled into the Rag Farm . The two campuses also engaged in a healthy clash of words during the debating event.

Most will agree, though, that the best was kept for last. The Kovsie Sêr finals on Saturday night swept each and every one up in a wave of music and cheer. The Qwaqwa sêr group, Unspoken, made their mark during the evening as they delivered an inspired guest performance. 

The winners of the various events at the 2014 Intravarsity were:

  • Basketball – East College
  • Ultimate Frisbee – East College
  • Table Tennis – North College
  • Gladiators – South College (Ladies) and West College (Men)
  • Winners of Song – Central College
  • Winners of War Cry – Central College
  • Volleyball – South College (Men) and East College (Ladies)
  • Chess – West College and Qwaqwa
  • Soccer – South College (Men) and North College (Ladies)
  • Sêr – Veritas (Men) and Soetdoring (Ladies)

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