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The Vice-Chancellor and Principal of the University of the Free State, Prof Francis Petersen, is pleased to invite you to the launch of the Artists in Residency Programme. This event marks the exciting start of a new initiative at the university.
We are honored to have Mike van Graan, a distinguished independent artist and playwright, as our inaugural artist and playwright in residence. Van Graan boasts an impressive career, having authored 36 plays and contributing significantly to the cultural landscape. His expertise extends beyond playwriting, encompassing cultural policy, artist network development (both locally and across Africa), and advocacy work. Notably, he held leadership positions within esteemed organisations such as Arterial Network, the African Arts Institute, and the STAND Foundation. Van Graan's dedication to cultural activism and artistic creation is widely recognised.
Please join us for this momentous occasion:
Date: Thursday 27 June 2024
Time: 15:00-17:00 (followed by a cocktail reception)
Venue: Scaena Theatre, UFS Bloemfontein Campus
For further information, contact Alicia Pienaar at pienaaran1@ufs.ac.za.
Programme highlights include:
- Staged Reading: An excerpt from Return of the Ancestors, a play that pays homage to the satirical South African political play, Woza Albert, explores themes of democracy and sacrifice through the return of figures such as Steve Biko and Neil Aggett.
- Closed Premiere: The Good White, set against the backdrop of the 2015/16 student protests in South Africa, delves into contemporary issues such as race, social justice, and the complexities of human relationships.
Land a fertile field for historians
2017-12-25
Dr Admire Mseba, historian and researcher in the International Studies Group (ISG).
Photo: Charl Devenish
The use of land and the economics of Southern Africa at present is a contentious subject at almost every level of society. A historian and researcher who revels in happenings in these two areas, is Dr Admire Mseba, a postdoctoral research fellow in the International Studies Group (ISG) at the UFS.
Dr Mseba grew up in the Mberengwa region in southern Zimbabwe, known for cattle farming and mineral mining. While at the University of Zimbabwe, he became interested in economic history and archaeology, and completed his PhD at the University of Iowa in the USA. During his time there, Dr Mseba also became passionate about environmental history.
A historian's ability to think and engage critically on diverse subjects drew Dr Mseba to his field. Currently, he is busy with three research projects. Firstly, he is working on a book on social relations, about access to land in Zimbabwe. He is also examining regional and national efforts to control migratory pests during the 20th century, in particular, the red locust. In collaboration with a colleague at the ISG, Dr Mseba is also researching monetary systems in central Africa, covering the present-day countries of Zimbabwe, Malawi, and Zambia.
Dr Mseba believes future research opportunities in the domains of economic and environmental history abound. For one, the land question has been very topical in Zimbabwe for more than a decade—as it is now in South Africa—and needs more scrutiny. Regarding agrarian pestilences, he indicates the recent phenomenon of armyworm invasion. “There are so many opportunities for historians to investigate. There are so many ways to think about these things and trying to put it in perspective.”