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20 May 2024

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

Click to view documentClick here to RSVP before 22 June 2024

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. 
Read more about the event here and Join us for an afternoon celebrating artistic expression and social dialogue! 

News Archive

Researchers receive study grant for research into Congo Fever
2015-03-10

UFS researchers will be contributing significantly to the search for a vaccine against the deadly tick-borne disease known as Congo Fever.

Prof Felicity Burt from the Department of Medical Microbiology and Virology was recently awarded a research grant by the National Health Laboratory Service (NHLS) to study candidate vaccines for Crimean-Congo heamorrhagic fever (CCHF) virus and other arboviruses.

Arboviruses are viruses transmitted by mosquitoes, ticks, or other arthropods.

Prof Burt is an internationally-recognised expert on the Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever (CCHF). The Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever (CCHF) virus is a tick-borne virus that is associated with severe haemorrhagic disease in South Africa and other parts of Africa, Asia, and eastern Europe. Her interests focus on medically significant viruses that are transmitted by ticks and mosquitoes. Her research group is involved in determining the immune responses that are induced by different viral proteins.

Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever (CCHF) virus, a tick- borne virus found in Africa, Asia, the Balkans, and eastern Europe, causes severe viral haemorrhagic fever outbreaks.

Although a number of tick species are capable of becoming infected with CCHF virus, ticks of the genus Hyalomma, commonly referred to in SA as the “bont-legged ticks”, are the principal vector. The ticks have distinctive brown and white bands on their legs.

In February 1981, the first case of CCHF was recognised in South Africa (SA). To date, there have been nearly 200 cases of CCHF infection in SA with a 20% fatality rate. The majority of cases occurring in SA were in patients from the Northern Cape and Free State provinces.

“The funding that has been awarded will be used to profile immune responses against CCHF viral proteins, and investigate mechanisms and strategies to enhance these immune responses. We hope that the study will contribute knowledge towards the development of a vaccine against this medically significant virus.”

For more information or enquiries contact news@ufs.ac.za.

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