Opinion article by Dr Sunday Paul C. Onwuegbuchulam, Centre for Gender and Africa Studies, University of the Free State[i] Nigeria, Africa most populous country has, since the first week of October 2020, seen series of protests to end perceived police brutality under the banner #EndSARS. In this opinion piece, I argue that these protests reflect the general frustration among Nigerians concerning the sorry state of affairs in the country’s socioeconomic and political space in recent times. The #EndSARS protests called for drastic police reform in the country and specifically the disbandment of a police unit called Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS).... Continue Reading
The Corona virus continues to claim lives and wreak havoc across the globe. Our lives as children have been negatively affected in many ways by the presence of this menace. Education and our social lives have been disturbed causing a dent on the normal development processes of every child all over the world. It is for these reasons that children, as future leaders, should join in the fight against the deadly disease.
Opinion article by Dr Ina Gouws, University of the Free State – The President of the Republic of South Africa made another address to the country on Thursday 23 April 2020, indicating that the country will enter a phased approach out of lockdown in the coming months. This announcement was met with positive feedback not only nationally, but internationally. It was clear that the President consulted with many experts and also with opposition parties, which indicated that an ‘all-hands-on-deck’ approach was followed across party lines and varied interests. The plan seemed rational, well thought through, and clear: Support for... Continue Reading
OPINION ARTICLE BY PROFESSOR HUSSEIN SOLOMON, UNIVERSITY OF THE FREE STATEIn April 1994, the heinous apartheid regime in my country, South Africa, came to an end as its citizens celebrated its first democratic elections. April 1994 was also the beginning of the Rwandan genocide with almost a million Tutsis killed – a stark reminder of the dangers of ethnocentric nationalism. The demise of apartheid South Africa, more than anything else, was a demonstration of global solidarity in action. Anti-apartheid movements existed across the globe and put pressure on their respective governments, which in turn sanctioned the apartheid pariah. At one... Continue Reading
OPINION ARTICLE BY DR CHITJA TWALA, UNIVERSITY OF THE FREE STATE The much-anticipated annual commemoration of 27 April as National Freedom Day has been compromised by the outbreak of the Coronavirus in 2020. The lockdown imposed by the South African government provides an opportunity to think about liberation studies/history differently. In the broader historiography of the liberation struggle, the emphasis is on the collective, at the expense of the role played by individuals. The latter’s ‘neglect’ downplays the significance of ‘writing history from below’. Therefore, it is within this context that the experiences of the disciples are interrogated. Tragically, their ‘voices’... Continue Reading
