Latest News Archive
Please select Category, Year, and then Month to display items
29 March 2023
|
Story Samkelo Fetile
|
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.
University of the Free State Choir mesmerises its audience
2011-10-31
 |
| Photo: Johan Roux |
The University of the Free State Choir enchanted its audience during a special performance on the Bloemfontein Campus recently. The choir, under the direction of Corné van Pletzen, performed works by, among others, Giacomo Puccini, Allen Pote and Ola Gjeilo. Songs in Sesotho, Setswana and Xhosa, arranged and conducted by Bonisile Gcisa, ensured that the evening had a well-rounded ending.
"The choir is a proud asset and valued component of what this treasured place of higher learning holds dear – the highest standards for human and academic endeavour. It projects in its membership and its repertoire those powerful messages of inclusion and embrace, of hope and healing, in our troubled land and it represents the highest standards of music in our country and beyond," said Prof. Jonathan Jansen, Vice-Chancellor and Rector of the UFS, after the performance. Prof. Jansen thanked Mr Van Pletzen and his team for their outstanding leadership as well as the students in the choir for understanding how important the choir is to Kovsies and its broader messages of excellence and embrace.
The Sentraal Secondary School choir performed a song with the University Choir which was composed by Mr Van Pletzen.