As part of its Africa Day celebrations the University of the Free State has introduced its #UFSAfricaWeek to engage with students and faculty on what it means to be an African.
Postdoctoral fellow at the Centre for Gender and Africa Studies at the University of the Free State, Dr Tariro Kamuti, says it was important to celebrate Africa Week because “as a continent, we have come a long way through so much sacrifice to be where we are today”.
He said Africans needed to celebrate their achievements attained so far by remembering where they had come from while embracing change and focusing on the future with hope. “Pausing to reflect on the issues facing the continent in order to chart the way forward through celebrating African Week is a good thing to do,” he added
Africa Day marks the independence of 28 African countries from European colonisers, and is celebrated annually on 25 May. Since the foundation of the Organisation of African Unity on 25 May 1963, the day has been renowned as Africa Day, celebrated widely across the world and particularly in Africa to signify Africa’s identity and unity.
While South Africa only became part of the original organisation in 1994, our country became the founding member of the African Union, officially launched in 2002. As part of the celebrations tertiary institutions in the city are doing their part on teaching the community about African consciousness.
Other activities at UFS include the Africa Day Book Launch, a collaborative effort between Library Services and the Department of English, which will see the debut public appearance of Abenea Ndago’s book, Voices. Under the theme: “Africans telling their own stories”, a panel will facilitate a discussion on the African authorship landscape on Thursday 24 May 2018, at 12:00 on Level 2 of the UFS Sasol Library, Bloemfontein Campus.
And on Friday at 10:30 students will drive the Africa Day commemorative dialogue at Reitz Hall, Centenary Complex, Bloemfontein Campus. A team of diverse intellectual panelists including UFS Rector and Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Francis Petersen, Richard Chemaly, JC van der Merwe and Pumla Mgobhozi, will share their ideologies, backgrounds and beliefs on topical issues.
The central university of technology is also taking part in the celebrations and will be hosting their own Public Lecture. The lecture will explore “What it means to be an African in the 21st Century”, and will be presented by Dr Johanes Amate Belle. The lecture will take place on Friday at the Japie van Lill Auditorium, 20 President Brand Street, CUT Bloemfontein Campus from 17:30.
SEITHATI SEMENOKANE
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