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29 March 2023
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Story Samkelo Fetile
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Photo Simba Matema
From left to right: Prof Jean Bernard Lekana-Douki, Director General at the CIRMF; Prof Francis Petersen, Rector and Vice-Chancellor of the UFS; and Prof Jean-Fabrice Yala, Scientific and Technical Director at the CIRMF.
The University of the Free State (UFS) recently welcomed senior members from the International Centre for Medical Research in Franceville (CIRMF), Gabon to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the two entities.
CIRMF is a non-profit medical research centre that was established in 1974. Its primary focus is on diagnosing infectious diseases that pose immediate problems in Gabon and the Central African sub-region. The centre is dedicated to improving public health through various initiatives, including the training of Gabonese health executives in doctoral and post-doctoral education.
“The signing of the MoU with CIRMF is a step in the right direction as the UFS continues to strengthen its footprint on the African Continent. This is seminal in driving the university’s internationalisation processes and opening an avenue to expanding research networks, especially in the African continent,” said Bonolo Makhalemele, Coordinator of strategic projects at the Office for International Affairs, UFS.
In the interest of developing broader research collaborations, the CIRMF delegation met with some UFS academics in a series of engagements, particularly in the Health Sciences Faculty and the Natural and Agricultural Sciences Faculty. “The integration of knowledge and practices that emanate from the continent provides opportunities for the co-creation of knowledge that can be shared with the rest of the world,” said Kagiso Ngake, Coordinator for Partnerships, Collaborative Degrees, and Outgoing Mobility at the Office for International Affairs, UFS.
A concrete roadmap was established to formalise the collaborations that resulted from these engagements and will commence as soon as April 2023. “We have laid a solid foundation and are on the way to a strong and rich partnership!” exclaimed Prof Jean Bernard Lekana-Douki, Director General at the CIRMF.
Prof Francis Petersen, Rector, and Vice-Chancellor of the UFS, further highlighted how the newly established partnership with the CIRMF aligns with the mandate of the UFS Vision 130 of expanding the UFS Africa research network.
OSM Camerata hosts concert as part of International Ictus Music Competition
2017-05-29
In 2015 the Odeion School of Music Camerata premiered the Hendrik Hofmeyr
Double Concerto for Recorder and Harpsichord with esteemed South African artists
Stefan Temmingh and Erik Dippenaar.
Photo: Supplied
The Odeion School of Music Camerata (OSMC) at the University of the Free State (UFS) will be celebrating its fifth birthday in style when it participates in the 2017 International Ictus Music Competition. The competition is an innovative new online competition for ensembles, orchestras and band/wind ensembles (middle school, high school, youth ensemble, community ensemble and college/conservatory/university) that compete through video submission.
Opportunity for fundraising
As part of the competition the OSMC will host a concert that will also serve as a fundraising opportunity. The concert takes place on 31 May 2017 in the Odeion on the Bloemfontein Campus. The OSMC was strategically founded in 2012 by Marius Coetzee as the Odeion School of Music’s flagship chamber ensemble with the main objective of creating a catalyst for excellence.
International exposure at stake
Substantial money prizes are at stake in the International Ictus Music Competition and ensembles will receive written feedback from a jury consisting of renowned maestri including Stilian Kirov, who was awarded 1st Prize in the Debut Berlin Competition on 18 May 2017. Top prize-winners will be interviewed by a representative from the competition. It will be broadcast internationally to enable them to share their hard work and passion for music with the world.
Over the past five years the OSMC has premiered 10 new works by South African composers specially commissioned for them. A highlight remains its participation in the 13th International Conservatory Festival in St Petersburg Russia, where the ensemble received a standing ovation during a gala concert in the Glazunov Concert Hall.
Date: 31 May 2017
Time: 19:30
Place: Odeion (Bloemfontein Campus)
Entry: R20