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UFS Qwaqwa Campus celebrates Africa Day with a multicultural fanfare

28 June 2023 | Story Nonsindiso Qwabe | Photo Supplied

The UFS Qwaqwa Campus Africa Day event celebrates African heritage and diversity.

The University of the Free State (UFS) Qwaqwa Campus concluded Africa Month with a multicultural array of performances at their Africa Day Celebration event on 27 May 2023.

The Qwaqwa Campus is renowned for its traditional flair, and each of the 17 performers captivated the audience with cultural ingenuity, creating an atmosphere of excitement and energy in the campus’ Mandela Hall. Students came together to honour Africa’s rich cultural heritage through traditional music, dance, poetry, cuisine, and fashion. The Department of Student Affairs and the Office for International Affairs collaborated to make the celebrations a resounding success.

According to the campus’ Student Life Senior Officer, Simbongile Jojo, the event served a greater purpose beyond artistic expression. “The celebration allowed students to share their rich cultures and heritage. It also encouraged students to take an interest in expanding their knowledge of other cultures, fostering a sense of multicultural solidarity and unity.”

Celebrating and embracing cultures outside one’s own

In addition to the music, dance, and spoken word, external fashion designers were given a platform to showcase their garments, adding an extra flair to diversity and artistic expression.

The Director of Student Affairs on the campus, Zoleka Dotwana, said her division prioritised student cohesion and celebrating and embracing cultures outside their own. “What a fantastic arts and culture event. Amid the freezing weather conditions, I haven’t seen such enthusiasm and social cohesion among students since the first-year welcoming week. The event was about celebrating Africa as a collective of citizens from various corners and doing so with pride. Our partnership with the International Office came in handy as well. I would like to highlight that Qwaqwa students are exceptionally talented. How I wished we had more time for them to enjoy themselves.

The Qwaqwa Campus introduced colleges for on- and off-campus students in 2023, and Dotwana said the model was already bearing fruit in bringing the student community together. “It was encouraging to see the participation of off-campus students and witness how proud students were in parading their cultures. I was surprised to find out that we have Tsonga students on the campus.”

News Archive

Democracy and traditional leadership in rural areas explored

2017-09-22

Prof Lungisile Ntsebeza, recipient of the NRF Hamilton
Naki Award
Photo: Supplied

The Free State Centre for Human Rights held a presentation by Prof Lungisile Ntsebeza on 7 September 2017 at the University of the Free State (UFS) Bloemfontein Campus on the topic of democracy and traditional leadership in rural areas. Prof Ntsebeza is the holder of the AC Jordan Chair in African Studies at the University of Cape Town and the holder of the National Research Foundation (NRF) Research Chair in Land Reform and Democracy in South Africa.

Conflict between democracy and traditional rule
The topic of democracy and traditional leadership in the rural areas is an example of the tension between democracy and customary law governing the appointment of traditional leaders (headmen) that is currently at play in many parts of the country. Prof Ntsebeza made reference to a court case in the Eastern Cape, where a community successfully challenged the appointment of a headman by the royal family of the area. The contention was whether royal families could appoint headmen in rural communities or if those communities ought to democratically elect their own leaders. He argued that in this specific case, the democratic imperatives of the Constitution did not conflict with customary law because of the particular communal practice of electing leaders.

The Constitution and customary law
The Constitution of South Africa recognises customary law provisions which are not in conflict with its fundamental values. Difficult legitimacy problems may arise where customary practices are different from those governing this particular case. Ultimately the Constitutional Court would be called upon to resolve inherent tensions and develop customary law in line with the direction foreseen in the Constitution.

Student engagement as a vehicle for change
The event was attended by UFS staff and fourth-year LLB students in the Faculty of Law, and was funded by the Free State Centre for Human Rights at UFS. The programme is one of several that the centre seeks to utilise in engaging students with researchers and scholars in the field of law and human rights. Prof Ntsebeza has given academic presentations on various related and trending topics in the current academic climate, such as decolonising the curriculum, Cecil John Rhodes and others. He was recently awarded the Hamilton Naki Award at the 2017 National Research Foundation Awards.

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