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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.
Second book by UFS alumnus celebrates his mother
2016-06-06
Twice an author: Ace Moloi,
author of Holding My Breath.
Photo: Eugene Seegers
Ace Moloi, author of Holding My Breath, describes his memoir as a graveside conversation with his late mother. In the book, he lays bare the intimate details of his life from childhood to his journey as a student at the University of the Free State (UFS).
“It is a letter to my mother that I wrote to celebrate her but also to tell my story. So you will find that it speaks about the strength of motherhood and at the same time it talks about the life struggles of a young black South African,” said the second time author.
The UFS alumnus’ first book - a fable entitled In Her Fall Rose a Nation - was published in 2013 while he was still a final-year Communication Science student at the university. Moloi’s second volume was launched on 3 June 2016 at the Bloemfontein Campus.
Growing up in the small village of Sekgutlong in Qwaqwa, Moloi dreamt of being many things - a radio presenter, a soccer player, and a writer. The writer in him soon took precedence over the sportsman and radio anchor. Because his mother did not live to see her son reach his many milestones, Moloi has dedicated Holding My Breath to her memory and as a belated Mother’s Day present.
Moloi’s writing accomplishments include winning the Young Writers SOMAFCO (Solomon Mahlangu Freedom College) Trust National Essay-Writing Competition in 2012, being selected as a runner-up in the Beyers Naudé essay writing competition in the same year, and being nominated for the Top 10 Human Rights Desk Essay Competition in 2014. Now he can add being published by BlackBird Books, an imprint of Jacana Media.
The young author said to have been “humbled” by the reception his book received at its official launch on 1 May 2016 at the Kingsmead Book Fair in Johannesburg.