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04 August 2025 | Story Office for International Affairs | Photo Supplied
Friendship Day
The Umoja Buddy Programme, in collaboration with the SASUF student forum, celebrated International Friendship Day by spreading joy and connection across the UFS Bloemfontein Campus.

On July 30, the Bloemfontein Campus of the University of the Free State (UFS) came alive with vibrant energy, laughter, and heartfelt moments as students and staff gathered to celebrate the United Nations International Friendship Day. The event served as a joyful reminder of the importance of human connection, kindness, and our shared humanity. 
 
What began as a global observance was transformed into a lively campus celebration - a day to embrace and honour the friendships that enrich our lives. It was a colourful testament to the idea that beyond our titles, cultures, and backgrounds, we are all connected through our need for one another.  

Hosted by the Umoja Buddy Programme (UBP) in collaboration with the UFS South Africa-Sweden University Forum (SASUF) student structure, the celebration embraced the theme of “friendship through jellybeans” – a creative symbol of diversity, empathy, and connection. Jellybeans, each unique in colour and flavour, were used as metaphors for how our differences enrich our relationships and communities.  

As Prof Hester C. Klopper, Vice-Chancellor and Principal, reflected in her installation speech: “The irreplaceable heart of the UFS is our people. In an age of artificial intelligence and rapid change, fostering human connection is more vital than ever. Every initiative we undertake must serve the holistic development of our students, not only in technical skills, but in nurturing a sense of belonging, care, and community.”

One of the day’s highlights was the heartfelt reflections from the students who participated in the event.  

Lesego Moeleso, a second-year student in BA Governance and Political Transformation  and a SASUF member, shared:  
“Celebrating International Friendship Day helped me to grow as a person. It made me more comfortable interacting with fellow students on campus and brought joy to those who needed it. Seeing someone smile after our interaction – knowing I helped make their day better – was a great feeling. 

More events like this are needed. Many students are going through a lot and need a moment to reset and clear their minds. These initiatives allow us to connect with others and show them they’re not alone – we’re here for each other. 

Friendships are important to me because they help me grow. They give me people to fall back on, to relax with when I’m down, without the fear of being judged.” 

Orapeleng Lenkoane, a second-year Bachelor of Laws student, echoed these sentiments: 
“Friendship means having someone you can trust, lean on, and confide in – someone who’s always there. Trust is the foundation of any lasting friendship. 

I loved the idea that students had to share a pack of jellybeans rather than receiving individual ones. It encouraged interaction and created opportunities to reconnect and appreciate our friendships. These moments matter, especially since we rarely take time to celebrate the people who walk beside us.”

 

A sweet initiative with a deeper purpose 

The student’s words reflected the deeper impact of the initiative: small gestures that promote student well-being, resilience, and success -  all of which align with Sustainable Development Goals 3 (Good Health and Well-being) and 4(Quality Education). 

The celebration also showcased the university’s commitment to internationalisation through the work of the Office of International Affairs (OIA), which continues to champion intercultural exchange and foster global friendships across borders. 

As part of the celebration, students received jellybean packets adorned with uplifting messages, including: 

  • “A true friend is like a jellybean – colourful in spirit, and always there when you need a little sweetness.”
  • “Life is better with friends ... and a bag of jellybeans to laugh over.”
  • “Some friends are like red jellybeans – everyone’s favourite, always sweet, and hard to let go.”
  • “Your support for internationalisation is a reminder that universities can be places of peace, empathy, and friendship. Happy International Friendship Day from the OIA to the visionary Rectorate of the UFS!” 
Through this joyful event, the UBP and SASUF student forum reminded the university community that friendship is not only worth celebrating – it is essential for building an inclusive and compassionate campus where everyone belongs. 

News Archive

NRF researcher addresses racial debates in classrooms
2017-03-24

Description: Dr Marthinus Conradie Tags: Dr Marthinus Conradie

Dr Marthinus Conradie, senior lecturer in the
Department of English, is one of 31 newly-rated National
Research Foundation researchers at the University of
the Free State.
Photo: Rulanzen Martin

Exploring numerous norms and assumptions that impede the investigation of racism and racial inequalities in university classrooms, was central to the scope of the research conducted by Dr Marthinus Conradie, a newly Y-rated National Research Foundation (NRF) researcher.

Support from various colleagues
He is one of 31 newly-rated researchers at the University of the Free State (UFS) and joins the 150 plus researchers at the university who have been rated by the NRF. Dr Conradie specialises in sociolinguistics and cultural studies in the UFS Department of English. “Most of the publications that earned the NRF rating are aimed to contributing a critical race theoretic angle to longstanding debates about how questions surrounding race and racism are raised in classroom contexts,” he said.

Dr Conradie says he is grateful for the support from his colleagues in the Department of English, as well as other members of the Faculty of the Humanities. “Although the NRF rating is assigned to a single person, it is undoubtedly the result of support from a wide range of colleagues, including co-authors Dr Susan Brokensha, Prof Angelique van Niekerk, and Dr Mariza Brooks, as well as our Head of Department, Prof Helene Strauss,” he said.

Should debate be free of emotion?
His ongoing research has not been assigned a title yet, as he and his co-author does not assign titles prior to drafting the final manuscript. “Most, but not all, of the publications included in my application to the NRF draw from discourse analysis of a Foucauldian branch, including discursive psychology,” Dr Conradie says. His research aims to suggest directions and methods for exploring issues about race, racism, and racial equality relating to classroom debates. One thread of this body of work deals with the assumption that classroom debates must exclude emotions. Squandering opportunities to investigate the nature and sources of the emotions provoked by critical literature, might obstruct the discussion of personal histories and experiences of discrimination. “Equally, the demand that educators should control conversations to avoid discomfort might prevent in-depth treatment of broader, structural inequalities that go beyond individual prejudice,” Dr Conradie said. A second stream of research speaks to media representations and cultural capital in advertising discourse. A key example examines the way art from European and American origins are used to imbue commercial brands with connotations of excellence and exclusivity, while references to Africa serve to invoke colonial images of unspoiled landscapes.

A hope to inspire further research
Dr Conradie is hopeful that fellow academics will refine and/or alter the methods he employed, and that they will expand, reinterpret, and challenge his findings with increasing relevance to contemporary concerns, such as the drive towards decolonisation. “When I initially launched the research project (with significant aid from highly accomplished co-authors), the catalogue of existing scholarly works lacked investigations along the particular avenues I aimed to address.”

Dr Conradie said that his future research projects will be shaped by the scholarly and wider social influences he looks to as signposts and from which he hopes to gain guidelines about specific issues in the South African society to which he can make a fruitful contribution.

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