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The Africa we want

27 June 2023 | Story Valentino Ndaba | Photo Charl Devenish

“The Africa we want can only be achieved by promoting good governance, democracy, respect for human rights, justice and the rule of law, a peaceful and secure Africa with a strong cultural identity, common heritage, values, and ethics,” said Shelton Makore, Senior Law Lecturer in the University of the Free State Department of Mercantile Law.

He further remarked that, “Such an approach will enable Africa to have economic, political, and social development that is people-driven, relying on the potential offered by the people of Africa, especially its women and youth, caring for children, and an Africa that is strong, united, resilient, and an influential global player and partner.”

Makore's statement encapsulated a concise summary of the dialogue he moderated, which took place during Africa Month and was organised by the Faculty of Law. The main purpose of the dialogue was to delve into the African Union's Agenda 2063, titled ‘The Africa we want’, with a specific focus on advancing justice in Africa to achieve sustainable development. The discussions revolved around the idea of fostering a politically united and integrated continent that embraces the principles of Pan-Africanism and the vision of African Renaissance.

Looking back on Africa Month

The Faculty of Law hosted a two-tier Africa Day event on the Bloemfontein Campus on 25 May 2023. It included a round-table dialogue on 'Advancing Justice with a View of the Future: The 2063 Agenda for Sustainable Development' and a cultural exhibition titled: 'Appreciating Knowledge through Culture'.

Prof Danie Brand, Director of the Free State Centre for Human Rights at the UFS, Ntando Sindane, Lecturer in the Department of Private Law, and Dr Isolde de Villiers, Senior Lecturer in the Department of Mercantile Law, were part of the panel of experts who facilitated a discussion that looked through the lens of seven aspirational themes:

A prosperous Africa, based on inclusive growth and sustainable development
An integrated continent, politically united and based on the ideals of Pan-Africanism and the vision of African Renaissance
An Africa of good governance, democracy, respect for human rights, justice, and the rule of law
A peaceful and secure Africa
Africa with a strong cultural identity, common heritage, values, and ethics
An Africa whose development is people-driven, relying on the potential offered by African people, especially its women and youth, and caring for children
An Africa as a strong, united, resilient, and influential global player and partner

Africa’s futureEnvisioning

During the discussion, Prof Brand underscored the importance of fostering cultural diversity as a means to achieve inclusivity and a sustainable future. On the other hand, Sindane highlighted the necessity of engaging in self-reflection and adapting to the challenges posed by neoliberal and neo-colonial economic structures, aiming to address poverty, hunger, and deprivation in Africa. The panellists delved into a comprehensive exploration of the Sustainable Development Goals and their significant role in shaping the desired future for Africa. Dr De Villiers highlighted the impact of spatial injustice on people's lives, emphasising the need for fair and equitable distribution of resources and opportunities within cities and towns.

The dialogue generated valuable insights on repositioning Africa as a beacon of hope, inclusivity, justice, and prosperity, aligning with the UFS Vision 130 strategic plan. Additionally, the exhibition added to the dialogue's impact, featuring impressive displays of cultural attire, food, and artefacts by students representing diverse African countries.

News Archive

NRF researcher addresses racial debates in classrooms

2017-03-24

Description: Dr Marthinus Conradie Tags: Dr Marthinus Conradie

Dr Marthinus Conradie, senior lecturer in the
Department of English, is one of 31 newly-rated National
Research Foundation researchers at the University of
the Free State.
Photo: Rulanzen Martin

Exploring numerous norms and assumptions that impede the investigation of racism and racial inequalities in university classrooms, was central to the scope of the research conducted by Dr Marthinus Conradie, a newly Y-rated National Research Foundation (NRF) researcher.

Support from various colleagues
He is one of 31 newly-rated researchers at the University of the Free State (UFS) and joins the 150 plus researchers at the university who have been rated by the NRF. Dr Conradie specialises in sociolinguistics and cultural studies in the UFS Department of English. “Most of the publications that earned the NRF rating are aimed to contributing a critical race theoretic angle to longstanding debates about how questions surrounding race and racism are raised in classroom contexts,” he said.

Dr Conradie says he is grateful for the support from his colleagues in the Department of English, as well as other members of the Faculty of the Humanities. “Although the NRF rating is assigned to a single person, it is undoubtedly the result of support from a wide range of colleagues, including co-authors Dr Susan Brokensha, Prof Angelique van Niekerk, and Dr Mariza Brooks, as well as our Head of Department, Prof Helene Strauss,” he said.

Should debate be free of emotion?
His ongoing research has not been assigned a title yet, as he and his co-author does not assign titles prior to drafting the final manuscript. “Most, but not all, of the publications included in my application to the NRF draw from discourse analysis of a Foucauldian branch, including discursive psychology,” Dr Conradie says. His research aims to suggest directions and methods for exploring issues about race, racism, and racial equality relating to classroom debates. One thread of this body of work deals with the assumption that classroom debates must exclude emotions. Squandering opportunities to investigate the nature and sources of the emotions provoked by critical literature, might obstruct the discussion of personal histories and experiences of discrimination. “Equally, the demand that educators should control conversations to avoid discomfort might prevent in-depth treatment of broader, structural inequalities that go beyond individual prejudice,” Dr Conradie said. A second stream of research speaks to media representations and cultural capital in advertising discourse. A key example examines the way art from European and American origins are used to imbue commercial brands with connotations of excellence and exclusivity, while references to Africa serve to invoke colonial images of unspoiled landscapes.

A hope to inspire further research
Dr Conradie is hopeful that fellow academics will refine and/or alter the methods he employed, and that they will expand, reinterpret, and challenge his findings with increasing relevance to contemporary concerns, such as the drive towards decolonisation. “When I initially launched the research project (with significant aid from highly accomplished co-authors), the catalogue of existing scholarly works lacked investigations along the particular avenues I aimed to address.”

Dr Conradie said that his future research projects will be shaped by the scholarly and wider social influences he looks to as signposts and from which he hopes to gain guidelines about specific issues in the South African society to which he can make a fruitful contribution.

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