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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.
Discussion on mass violence and genocide in Africa
2013-09-25
25 September 2013
Africa’s contested pasts have frequently been characterised by violence. The manner of the continent’s subjugation to colonial rule; processes of indigenous resistance and accommodation; patterns of dispossession and accumulation; the construction and reconstruction of gendered identities; liberation movement dynamics; and the postcolonial politics of patronage have all shaped African experiences of violence and antagonisms.
To this list could be added past and present manifestations of xenophobia; the struggle for scarce resources in conditions of extreme inequality and climate change; and many more.
Looking at the above, the Institute for Reconciliation and Social Justice will host a colloquium on Mass Violence and genocide in Africa: Colonial and postcolonial perspectives on 26 September 2013.
The aim of the colloquium is to account, through a mixture of historical case studies and over-arching contemporary thematic and conceptual analyses, for a spectrum encompassing individual trauma, mass violence and genocide.
Time: 08:00-16:45
Place: Institute for Reconciliation and Social Justice (DF Malherbe House and the Centenary Complex)
RSVP: DemanA@ufs.ac.za