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UFS’ Prof Hussein Solomon fosters cross-cultural dialogue in India

04 October 2024 | Story Dr Nitha Ramnath | Photo Supplied

International Young Scholars Conference 2024 — International Young Scholars Conference.

The University of the Free State (UFS) continues to advance its global academic collaborations, as evidenced by the recent keynote address delivered by Prof Hussein Solomon at the prestigious International Young Scholars Conference at Jawaharlal Nehru University on 3 October 2024. In addition to his keynote, Professor Solomon presented a thought-provoking lecture titled "India’s Contribution in Ensuring Africa’s Security" at Jamia Millia Islamia on 4 October 2024, highlighting India’s significant role in the African security landscape.

Throughout his visit to India, Prof Solomon actively participated in multiple conferences at various universities and institutions, reinforcing the importance of academic dialogue between the two regions. His engagements reflect UFS’s unwavering commitment to fostering international knowledge exchange and collaborative partnerships.

A notable outcome of this visit is the pending finalisation of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Delhi University. This agreement aims to expand the current partnership with Jawaharlal Nehru University from a faculty-level agreement to a comprehensive, institution-wide collaboration across multiple disciplines beyond the humanities. This development will facilitate joint research initiatives, collaborative PhD supervision, and joint funding proposals, marking a significant step forward for both institutions.

Reflecting on the potential of these partnerships, Prof Solomon remarked, “The Indian academic landscape is incredibly dynamic. With India poised to become the world’s largest economy by 2050, strengthening ties with Indian institutions provides the UFS with immense strategic opportunities.”

Prof Solomon’s academic contributions extend beyond administrative agreements. He is co-editing a forthcoming book on BRICS and climate change with Prof Bashabi Gupta from the Department of Geography at Delhi University. This work aligns with the upcoming BRICS Summit in Kazan, Russia, later this month. Moreover, plans are underway for a second volume, as well as a new book focused on feminist decoloniality from African and Asian perspectives, which seeks to amplify marginalised voices in global scholarship.

In line with the UFS’s dedication to expanding its international reach, Prof Solomon continues to build on existing relationships and pursue new collaborations with Indian scholars, particularly within the BRICS and BRICS Plus frameworks. These efforts will enhance academic exchange and research opportunities, further positioning UFS as a key player in global academic discourse.

As UFS broadens its global footprint, such initiatives not only elevate the institution’s reputation but also enrich the academic experiences of its students and researchers, promoting a more interconnected academic landscape.

News Archive

KovsieTennis wins gold at USSA – again

2014-12-10

The annual University Sport South Africa (USSA) tournament was hosted by the KovsieTennis Club from 1 – 5 December 2014 in Bloemfontein.

This year was the first time that KovsieTennis entered two teams in the tournament. Our first team played in section A, while our second team competed in section B. Both sections were divided into two pools with round robin matches during the first three days. Thursday presented the cross-over with the finals taking place on that Friday.

During the round robin phase, our first team beat Rhodes University, University of Witwatersrand and University of Pretoria. On the Thursday, they met North West University (Pukke) in the semi-final and beat them 8-5 in matches. The last match was not played, since Kovsies already won the semi-final. For the third year in a row, Kovsies faced Stellenbosch University (Maties) in the final. After some brilliant tennis in sweltering heat, Kovsies found themselves 7-5 down in matches with the last two mixed doubles still to be played.

Janine Erasmus and Duke Munro, as number one couple, and Arne Nel and Heidi Murray, as number two couple, played outstanding mix doubles to win both matches, tying the score on 7-7. Due to the fact that Kovsies lost three of their matches in three sets they were crowned champions, winning with 17-14 on sets.

It is the eighth year in a row that the Kovsie club managed to win gold during USSA. We are also the only team that has won the tournament since the format changed to combined teams from 2010.

After the tournament Arne Nel, Duke Munro and Christi Potgieter were included in the squad from which a team will be selected, should tennis feature at the World Student Games in Korea during July 2015. Janine de Kock , KovsieTennis manager, was also appointed as manager of the SA Student team and Marnus Kleinhans from Kovsies will be their coach.

The second team beat Tshwane University of Technology, University of Kwa-Zulu- Natal and University of Cape Town during the round robin and in the semi-finals they won against University of Pretoria. Unfortunately they lost in the final against the North West University, but the club is extremely proud of the players since it was the first time all of them played in a USSA tournament. They gained a lot of experience that will greatly contribute to the value they will add to the team next year.

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