By Zenoyise John

The North-West University’s (NWU’s) Faculty of Humanities will host Facing Race Week (FRW) 2022, a mixture of virtual and in-person activities in which race and race-related issues will be discussed, from 11-14 April 2022.

The annual forum will kick off with a music performance, followed by a presentation on technology and reproduction of colonial histories presented by Divine Fur, director of the Centre for African Studies at the University of Cape Town. A postcard intervention launch will follow the presentations.

Other speakers scheduled to deliver presentations include Mbali Khoza, Roxanne Mathobie, Kelly Gilespie, Crain Soudien and a panel of NWU staff.

Topics that will be tackled in the four-day event include experiences of remote learning and teaching, race, art and decolonisation in higher education, Covid-19 and changing challenges to student lives, Covid-19 and changing student agency, and pandemic impact on higher education transformation, among others.

A highlight of the event will be an art exhibition curated by Oupa Sibeko, an interdisciplinary artist. His work moves between theatrical, gallery, scholarly and other public contexts, overtly dealing with matter and politics of the body as a site of contested works.

Dr André Goodrich, FRW 2022 spokesperson and director of the School of Social Sciences, says the event aims to seriously reflect on concerns that affect the NWU as a community.

“FRW will tackle issues associated with the legacies of racism and white supremacy globally and in South Africa, including the disproportionate impact of Covid-19 on black people and how the pandemic has heightened public consciousness of race inequality. This is a great opportunity for community members to reflect on race issues that concern them,” says Dr Goodrich.

He adds that the conversation remains crucial as an intellectual and social engagement in the NWU’s pursuit of being a leading university known for an ethic of care.

“At the NWU we take transformation issues seriously. As we strive to nurture tomorrow’s leaders, we recognise the need for constant reflection on and engagement with the histories of racism in our institution, and how those histories continue to shape the communities we participate in,” he explains.

For more information about Facing Race week, please click here

Interested parties are also welcome to contact:

Dr André Goodrich at 018 299 4334 or Andre.Goodrich@nwu.ac.za

or

Jani Van Der Vyver at 016 910 3499  or Jani.VanDerVyver@nwu.ac.za.