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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

Spring graduation ceremony

2006-09-15

A three-year old boy from Welkom, Kearabetswe Mokoena, stole the show at the spring graduation ceremony of the University of the Free State (UFS) in Bloemfontein. He was dressed in an exact replica of the academic outfit worn by his father, Mr Ketseletso Mokoena, who obtained his LLB degree from the UFS. The outfit was made by Kearabetswe’s mother Mrs Ennie Mokoena. From the left are Mr Mokoena, his son Kearabetswe, and Prof Frederick Fourie, Rector and Vice-Chancellor of the UFS.
Photo: Lacea Loader

Prof Mos Thulare (acting Rector and Vice-Chancellor of the Central University of Technology) obtained his LL.B. degree during the spring graduation ceremony of the University of the Free State (UFS) in Bloemfontein. On the photo, he is congratulated by Prof Frederick Fourie (Rector and Vice-Chancellor of the UFS).
Photo: Stephen Collett

Altogether five master's degrees in Physics were awarded during the University of the Free State's (UFS) spring graduation ceremony in Bloemfontein. It is the biggest group of master's degrees in the history of the UFS Department of Physics awarded during a graduation ceremony. From the left are: Richard Harris, Puleng Ramoshebi, Prof Hendrik Swart (Head of the UFS Department of Physics), Lisa Coetsee and Etienne Wurth. One of the students, Gerhard Olivier, was absent when the photo was taken.
Photo: Lacea Loader

Altogether 29 doctorates were awarded during the University of the Free State's (UFS) spring graduation ceremony in Bloemfontein. Some of the doctorandi are from the left: Drs Nicholas Mtshali (Chemistry), Candice Jansen van Rensburg (Zoology), Ina Claassens (Physics), Martin Ntwaeaborwa (Physics) and Vicki Tolmay (Plant Breeding).
Photo: Lacea Loader

A great number of students from Africa were among the 29 students who received their doctorates during the University of the Free State's (UFS) spring graduation ceremony in Bloemfontein. From the left are: Drs Amaha Kassahun (Grassland Science) and Tolessa Debele (Soil Science), both are from Ethiopia.

A number of doctorates were awarded to students across the world during the University of the Free State's (UFS) spring graduation ceremony held in Bloemfontein. From the left are: Drs Eli Kohn (from Israel who received a doctorate in Near Eastern Studies), Prof Philip Nel (UFS Department of Afro-asiatic. Studies, Sign Language and Language Practice), Prof Annette Wilkinson (Centre for Higher Education Studies and Development at the UFS) and Dr Padmanabhan Nair (from India who received a doctorate in Higher Education Studies). Prof Nel was Dr Kohn's co-promoter and Prof Wilkinson was Dr Nair's promoter.
Photo: Stephen Collett

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