UKZN Dance Lecturer Invited to 2016 National Arts Festival
FLATFOOT DANCE COMPANY performs: days like these.UKZN’s Dance Lecturer in the Drama and Performance Studies Programme in the School of Arts, Ms Lliane Loots, was awarded one of only four Grahamstown National Arts Festival (NAF) dance-related grants to present her choreographic work at the 2016 Festival.
The Festival is one of the country’s most prestigious arts and culture platforms with intense competition for the grants.
Loots’s 2015 dance theatre work, days like these, created with the FLATFOOT DANCE COMPANY, won the attention of the NAF arts committee due to its radical and ground-breaking interchange between dance, film, light and the spoken word.
Loots says days like these offers a tender dance journey into the sacred world of everyday memories. ‘I used verbatim theatre and documentary style theatre-making methods to create the work and it is, in the end, a type of personal zeitgeist that encounters the politics of the everyday of being a South African, with all our memories and history.’
Loots is overwhelmed and delighted by the invite: ‘It is a wonderful national recognition of my dance-making and creative work and the work of the FLATFOOT DANCE COMPANY. It remains deeply humbling to be able to share this work on a larger artistic platform.’
Loots and the FLATFOOT company travel to Grahamstown on Monday, 27 June to set up the show for performances on Thursday, 30 June (18h00) and Friday, 1 July (14h00 and 18h00).
While in Grahamstown, Loots will present a paper at the Arterial Network’s Conference on: “Women, Leadership and the Arts in Africa”.
Melissa Mungroo
author : .author email : .IFP Leader attends Premiere of Documentary at Film Festival
Inset Left: IFP leader Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi, Mr Colwyn Thomas and Mr Tristan Dickerson. Inset right: The imitation leopard skin on show at the documentary premiere.Inkatha Freedom Party leader Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi attended the premiere at the Durban Film Festival (DIFF) of the documentary To Skin a Cat in which he features.
The film was screened at the Elizabeth Sneddon Theatre on the Howard College campus.
The documentary, which took six years to complete, follows conservationist Tristan Dickerson, who is manager of Panthera’s Furs for Life Leopard Programme, on his mission to halt the alarming decline in leopard populations.
The film is the brain child of Directors Colwyn Thomas and Greg Lomas, who began following Dickerson in 2010.
Said Dickerson: ‘Traditionally, only Zulu royals have been allowed to wear leopard skins. However, in the last three decades the four million strong Shembe Church adopted the leopard furs into their ceremonial costume resulting in huge demand.’
As he attempts to find a workable solution, Dickerson explores the cultural significance of the leopard skin to the Zulu and the Shembe, and realises that the solution may lie in a collaborative approach. ‘If we went in fighting, things would collapse and even more leopards would be killed. We have to offer a viable solution,’ he said.
Dickerson’s solution is to design and create the perfect imitation leopard skin. His journey leads him across the world as he tries to pioneer a design process which is fraught with technical difficulties and setbacks. With insights from cultural leaders, politicians, conservationists and scientists, To Skin a Cat provides an “out the box” attempt to solve a complex problem.
Said Buthelezi: ‘I support Mr Dickerson’s efforts to protect our leopard population and lent my name to this cause in March 2013, when his team interviewed me for the documentary. As the traditional Prime Minister to the Zulu Monarch and Nation, I feel a compelling responsibility to promote knowledge that protects, preserves and promotes our natural heritage.’
A producer of the documentary, Mr Jacobus van Heerden, added: ‘We are incredibly grateful for all the support we have received and hope that the film will make everyone proud while having a massive impact on conservation and the way in which it is approached.’
Melissa Mungroo
author : .author email : .UKZN Academic Member of WHO Committee on Zika Vaccine
Professor Douglas Wassenaar.Professor Douglas Wassenaar of UKZN’s School of Applied Human Sciences has been appointed to a World Health Organization (WHO) Expert Committee to compile guidelines for the urgent development of a Zika vaccine.
The WHO expert group, which Wassenaar was invited to serve in as research ethics advisor, has produced a preliminary guide for commentary. The final version will be produced after a stakeholder consultation in Geneva this month.
According to Wassenaar, growing international concern about the risk of an international Zika virus epidemic has highlighted the need for the urgent development of a vaccine to prevent the disease. ‘The primary public health objective of vaccination in this scenario is prevention of prenatal ZIKV infection and associated microcephaly and other serious neurological anomalies in infants. Later phases will be aimed at producing population immunity to Zika,’ he explained.
This urgency has prompted WHO to convene an expert advisory group to develop product guidelines for potential vaccine developers, to ensure that important safety, scientific and ethical standards are fulfilled by any party aiming to test a preventive Zika vaccine under emergency conditions. The guidelines will also be useful to health and regulatory authorities in countries hosting such important research.
‘There are many challenges in such research because of the growing evidence of foetal microcephaly and other emerging potential complications associated with Zika infection of the mother.
‘The urgent need for a preventive technology is an additional complication, requiring that a vaccine be tested in affected communities at high risk of infection, without compromising their safety. The populations at risk are vulnerable and are often in impoverished sectors of developing countries,’ said Wassenaar.
*Professor Douglas Wassenaar, based in Psychology in the School of Applied Social Sciences, has a long association with the UKZN HIV/ AIDS Vaccines Ethics Group (HAVEG) and is the Director of the transdisciplinary South African Research Ethics Training Initiative (SARETI) and is currently also Deputy Chair of the UKZN Biomedical Research Ethics Committee (BREC). He was formerly the lead investigator on the Ethics, Law, and Human Rights Working Group of the UNAIDS African AIDS Vaccines Programme.
Melissa Mungroo
author : .author email : .Engineering Master’s Student Aims for Miss Earth South Africa Title
Miss Earth South Africa hopeful, Engineering graduate Ms Mireesha Narsai (centre) with youngsters at the Ingani Yami Children’s Village.UKZN Civil Engineering graduate Ms Mireesha Narsai is taking part in the Miss Earth South Africa Pageant 2016 - a leadership programme that encourages young women to make a difference in their communities with entrants judged on activities they have completed to make a change.
Relevant activities are in areas such as planting trees and vegetables, recycling, and teaching communities about climate change which is something Narsai says led to her entering the contest.
‘It is not like any other pageant and that is what I love most about it,’ said Narsai. ‘You’re judged by the work you do in your community, which always says a lot about your commitment. I want to make a positive impact in someone’s life and I feel I can do that through this event.’
Although she is busy with her Master’s degree in Biofluid Mechanics, Narsai is still able to do community work. She was the driver of the Miss Earth South Africa #wastestopswithme project in which she organised a clean-up at Addington Beach in Durban helped by friends and colleagues.
She also got her hands dirty planting trees and vegetables at Ingani Yami Children’s Village in Shongweni which she really enjoyed and valued. ‘Interacting with the kids, there’s never a dull moment! We get dirty, plant trees together, play, sing and take selfies. It’s always heart-warming seeing the smiles on the children’s faces and just doing things together.
‘Another big part about planting vegetables at the children’s village is that the school will have vegetables they can use to cook for the youngsters or even sell them to the community so that they can make a bit of profit for themselves,’ said Narsai. ‘With this project, the schools will always be able to plant and harvest their own vegetables for the benefit of the learners.’
Narsai stressed how the Miss Earth South Africa pageant had really pushed her into doing more than she thought she could. ‘I really appreciate how the contest has helped me reach out to my community so that more people will know how and what we can do to help fight climate change,’ she said.
In a field that is mostly dominated by men, Narsai hopes that she will be able to inspire young girls to become engineers. ‘Engineering, just like many other fields, is not easy but young women should think long and hard about what they want to do and, most importantly, have the courage to pursue their goals.’
The finals for Miss Earth South Africa are on 9 September.
To help Narsai raise money phone Miss Earth South Africa on 011-680 6650, or follow her on Twitter and Instagram @Mireesha, or follow Miss Earth South Africa on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.
Basetsana Mogashoa
author : .author email : .Law Graduate Awarded Emma Smith Scholarship
Ms Priyanka Naidoo.Master of Laws student Ms Priyanka Naidoo has been awarded the Emma Smith Overseas Scholarship which she will use to pursue a master’s degree at either Harvard University in the United States or at the University of Cambridge in England.
‘I am currently reading for a Master’s in International Criminal Law and hope to pursue my second master’s at Harvard or Cambridge because they both offer flexible LLM degrees,’ said Naidoo. ‘I would like to use a combination of various courses to study criminal justice from a constitutional perspective, particularly focusing on the role of the victim in the trial process.’
Naidoo’s other achievements include winning the the 2015 Ellie Newman Moot Competition and receiving 18 Certificates of Merit for being in the top three of the best performing students in various modules throughout her LLB degree before graduating summa cum laude in April.
For someone who was torn between studying study Law or Engineering, choosing to go the legal route is proving to be one of the best ever career choices for her!
‘I initially had no great desire to pursue Law,’ said Naidoo. ‘It was only in my second year of study that the passion for Law fully gripped me. What I enjoyed most about it was that there were always two sets of opposing arguments that could be made before a court – sometimes both competing for persuasiveness and reasonableness. Persuading the court to find in your client’s favour can be an intellectually challenging process of which I really want to be a part,’ she said.
Thandiwe Jumo
author : .author email : .Economics PhD candidate awarded UKZN Doctoral Research Scholarship
Mr Adebayo Kutu.School of Accounting, Economics and Finance PhD candidate, Mr Adebayo Kutu, has won the 2016 UKZN Doctoral Research Scholarship.
The Scholarship is awarded to one PhD candidate in each College who is in the top five percent in the categories of intellectual strength, research aptitude and purposefulness as motivated by evidence.
Kutu obtained his BSc degree in Economics from the University of Ilorin-Nigeria and furthered his qualifications in 2011 by obtaining a BCom Honours degree at the University of Limpopo where he received an award for being the second best student sponsored by Economic Research Southern Africa.
Then in 2013, he graduated with his Masters of Commerce degree at UKZN.
His doctoral research supervised by Dr Harold Ngalawa focuses on the Monetary Policy Shocks and Industrial Output in Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, a group of emerging market economies (EMEs) with similar interests generally referred to as BRICS.
‘This is cutting-edge research work with a strategic importance in boosting the growth of the industrial sector and employment generations,’ explained Kutu.
Kutu has presented his research in this area at several international conferences, including the recent International Journal of Arts & Sciences Conference held at Harvard University in the United States and locally at the South African Reserve Bank and the School’s postgraduate research seminars.
He has also published several journal articles while others are currently under review by ISI accredited journals.
Kutu said being awarded the scholarship would financially empower him to improve the quality of his research.
‘I am not only happy because the award comes with a number of zeroes but I am also happy that UKZN created the leverage for me to compete with my peers. I would like to advise young students to push hard in their studies, no matter how difficult things are and seize all the opportunities available to them,’ he said.
Thandiwe Jumo
author : .author email : .MACE Regional Workshop at UKZN
UKZN hosted delegates from Mangosuthu University of Technology, Varsity College and University of Zululand at the KZN Regional Workshop recently.The changing landscape of Higher Education (HE) and its implications for stakeholders was the subject of a presentation delivered by the CEO of UKZN’s Extended Learning Division, Mr Simon Tankard, at MACE’s regional workshop.
UKZN hosted the event which attracted 28 delegates from various educational institutions in KwaZulu-Natal.
MACE (Marketing, Advancement and Communication in Education) is a body that fulfils a leadership role in the HE and Further Education and Training (FET) sectors within Southern Africa, bringing together practitioners in Marketing and Communication through programmes, partnerships and transformation, and by promoting best practices.
Tankard facilitated a snapshot discussion on the reality, perceptions and relationships between institutes of higher learning and prospective students in view of the economic stresses facing the country.
According to Tankard, the number of people entering Higher Education to acquire special skills is growing globally. Discussing drivers that will transform South African institutes and allow them to thrive within the global market, Tankard said research-led capacity building would have a positive effect on the University business model. ‘We need to operate from a perspective of “business unusual” if we are to advance in this 4.5 trillion dollar sector,’ he said.
Delegates supported Tankard’s rationale, with the general opinion being that naturally aligning the Higher Education landscape to high performance would produce higher calibre graduates to compete within the global market.
Deputy Chairperson of MACE and Director: University Relations at UKZN, Ms Normah Zondo, thanked participants and congratulated the newly elected KZN Reginal Structure.
‘MACE congratulates Kevin Johnson: National Stakeholder Manager at Varsity College, who was appointed Regional Chair; the Director of the Marketing and Communications Department at Mangosuthu University of Technology, Len Mzimela, who was appointed KZN Deputy Regional Chair, and Rakshika Sibran of UKZN Public Relations, who was elected Secretary,’ said Zondo.
Rakshika Sibran
author : .author email : .Campus Talks Provide Information on Cultures of Other Countries
Mr Sombe Joel Yondo performing during International Culture Community (ICC) talks.UKZN students from Russia, Somalia and the Democratic Republic of the Congo each gave presentations on their countries during International Culture Community (ICC) talks on the Westville campus.
International Culture Community talks and conversations are semester gatherings during which intercultural discussions take place based on select cultural topics, using guided conversational questions.
ICC Secretary General, Mr Joël Yondo, said this was a unique opportunity for local and international students to hear about other cultures and other countries. He said the ICC organisation aimed to promote international student culture at the University.
‘These cultural talks are a great opportunity for international students to share information on their home country’s culture and for the campus community to learn about different countries and cuisines of the world.’
Each of the three presenters spoke about their culture, official languages, tourist attractions, and education facilities.
Yondo spoke about the current political situation in the DRC, urging students to pray for his country.
Presentations were opened with each country’s national anthem.
Sithembile Shabangu
author : .author email : .Leading French University Explores Collaboration with UKZN
Dr Mabutho Sibanda (first left) and Dr Suren Pillay (third left) with academics from the University of Auvergne.Insights and collaboration in the development of the Accounting field were shared at a recent meeting between academics of the School of Accounting, Economics and Finance and their colleagues from the University of Auvergne in France.
University of Auvergne academics Professor Mercia Mathot and Mr Francke Mathot met with the School’s Acting Dean, Dr Mabutho Sibanda, and Accounting Programme Co-ordinator, Dr Suren Pillay, to discuss collaborations in student and staff exchange programmes and postgraduate teaching in Accounting.
These included the establishment of a Master’s in Accountancy programme at UKZN mirroring University of Auvergne’s Master of Science in Accountancy and Finance as well as the possibility of University of Auvergne accounting staff teaching in the Master of Accountancy programme at UKZN and assisting in supervision.
‘Such collaborations are in line with the University’s quest for international presence and recognition,’ said Sibanda. ‘It will also enhance development and skilling of individuals in the niche area of Accounting for the international job market.’
The successful outcomes of the meeting are expected to be implemented next year.
The University of Auvergne was founded in 1519 and is ranked as one of the leading academic institutes in France.
Thandiwe Jumo
author : .author email : .New Director for UKZN’s Centre for Rural Health
Dr Inge Petersen.NRF B-rated researcher and Professor in Psychology, Professor Inge Petersen, has been appointed as the new Director of the Centre for Rural Health at the College of Health Sciences.
Petersen was seconded to the School of Nursing and Public Health from the Discipline of Psychology at the School of Applied Human Sciences.
‘Plans for the Centre include working with the School and Discipline to build on the existing substantive body of work in rural health and expand the Centre into a fully-fledged research hub and centre of excellence in implementation science,’ said Petersen.
Petersen’s research work in the field of public mental health has many synergies with current research in the School of Nursing and Public Health.
For the past 20 years, her work has focused on how best to integrate mental health into primary health care as a means to close the treatment gap for mental disorders in South Africa. To further this, Petersen works in collaboration with two multinational research consortiums in lower middle income countries, including; Uganda, Nigeria, Ethiopia, India and Nepal.
Petersen is also running two cluster pragmatic randomised control trials on integrating mental health into the integrated chronic disease platform in South Africa. She recently acquired funding from the Centre for Disease Control (CDC) in collaboration with the national Department of Health and ITECH linked to the University of Washington to scale up this work in North West, KwaZulu-Natal and Mpumalanga.
Durban-born Petersen is married with one daughter. For stress relief she runs with her dogs and also enjoys paddle skiing in her spare time - she loves the ocean. ‘Vacations are also very important for my mental health.’
Nombuso Dlamini
author : .author email : .Developmental Lecturer Programme Highly Successful in College of Health Sciences
From left: Dr Wendy Mphatswe, Mr Musawenkosi Xaba and Mr Ntsikelelo Pefile.The Graduate Development Programme launched at UKZN in 2014 has been a great success with notable progress made at the College of Health Sciences (CHS).
The promramme was introduced with the aim of raising the profile of UKZN as an institution of choice by developing young candidates with an interest in becoming Developmental Lecturers (DLs).
The CHS prioritised the project and it has resulted in high performing staff leading in various research projects.
Since the inception of the project in the CHS, two Developmental Lecturers have been appointed as permanent full lecturers. They are Dr Lihle Qulu and Dr Phikelelani Ngubane both of the School of Laboratory Medicine and Medical Sciences.
A further two lecturers have credentialed with PhDs and the CHS expects more DLs to graduate with their doctorates in April next year.
Obstetrics and Gynaecology Developmental Lecturer Dr Wendy Dhlomo Mphatswe said the position had given her the opportunity and support to take her research career forward. ‘The flexibility has allowed me to strike the difficult balance between clinical work and research activities which would be difficult had it not been for this position,’ she said
Mphatswe is currently working on a health systems improvement project with the Centre for Rural Health and the Africa Centre. ‘I am also at the early stages of my PhD work which is in collaboration with two researchers from the HIV Pathogenesis Programme and CAPRISA on identifying the underlying immune factors that drive treatment outcomes in patients with HPV and pre-cancerous lesions of the cervix,’ said Mphatswe.
Biokinetics, Exercise and Leisure Science’s Developmental Lecturer Mr Musawenkosi Joe Xaba has been in the position for a year, ‘This has been a good learning experience and I am still in the process of establishing how everything works in Higher Education since I come from a basic education background,’ he said.
According to Xaba, the position has provided him with more time to work towards his PhD. Xaba’s research interest includes physical education with a focus on the increasing levels of obesity among schoolchildren.
Xaba appreciates the support he has received from the college and students.
Another Developmental Lecturer in the Physiotherapy Discipline at the School of Health Sciences, Mr Ntsikelelo Pefile, said the position had been most exciting, ‘I could not have asked for better colleagues. There are great opportunities and support for Black academics.’
Pefile is currently working on his study on developing a model to guide employment among people living with spinal cord injuries in KwaZulu-Natal. ‘Phase one of the study is nearly complete and there are two more to go,’ he said.
He said the College Dean of Research, Professor Moses Chimbari; Professor Sabiha Essack and Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Head of College, Professor Rob Slotow, had given him support way beyond his expectations. He was also grateful to his supervisor, Dr Saloshni Naidoo.
Slotow expressed his excitement with the progress made by the DLs, ‘Our Developmental Lecturers have been given the full support of the College and have made huge strides both in the process of developing as academics but also by making significant contributions to the research productivity of the College. Some of their projects are novel with the potential to contribute to health policies and this is in line with our goal to enrich the health research agenda thereby enhancing healthcare and the delivery of services, especially within our own KZN community.’
Nombuso Dlamini
author : .author email : .Abafundi Bezobuhlengikazi Bagqugquzela Ezempilo Kwabangenamakhaya
Abafundi bonyaka wesibili besemkhankasweni wasePhoyinti.Click here for English version
Abafundi ebenza unyaka wesibili weziqu zobuHlengikazi e-UKZN bethule umdlalo weshashalazi ohambisana nohlelo olubaxhumanisa nabantu abangenamakhaya abahlala ePhoyinti eThekwini, lapho bebegcizelela ukubaluleka kwenhlanzeko yomuntu nobungozi bocansi olungavikelekile nokusetshenziswa kwezidakamizwa.
Abafundi abangama-22 abafundela ukuba abahlengikazi abebeholwa uMnu Nhlanhla Ngubane babe nomcimbi njengengxenye yomsebenzi wokusebenzisana nomphakathi endlini yesonto eku-Point Road.
UNkz Ntombizine Dazela uthe basungula lolu hlelo lwabangenamakhaya emva kokuhlola umphakathi bebheka okushodayo nokuyizidingo zawo.
‘Emva kokubhekisisa isimo nokuxoxisana nobuholi bomphakathi sabalula okuthathu kwenhlalo okwakudinga ukuthi sibhekane nakho ngokushesha: inhlanzeko, izidakamizwa, nokusabalala kwengculazi ebantwini abangenamakhaya,’ kusho uDazela.
Umdlalo weshashalazi bewumayelana nenhlanzeko, ubungozi botshwala nokuthi bungaholela ocansini olungavikelekile. Umdlalo ubukhombisa ukuthi utshwala nezidakamizwa kuholela kanjani ekuthatheni izinqumo ezingalungile nokungqubuzana emindenini.
Emva komdlalo weshashalazi kube nokuxoxisana komuntu ngamunye phakathi kwabangenamakhaya nabafundi ezikhumulweni ezintathu ebezihleliwe.
Esikhumulweni ebesibhekene nenhlanzeko, abantu bebefundiswa ngokubaluleka kokuzithanda nenhlanzeko. Babuye batshelwa nangokubaluleka kokugqoka izimpahla ezihlanzekile nokugeza izinwele nezandla nsukuzonke ukuze bagweme isifo sesikhumba nezintwala.
Esikhumelweni sengculazi bafundiswe ngokusetshenziswa kwamakhondomu nokuzivikela. UNkz Thandokuhle Ntshangase uthe:’ ingculazi isabalele kwabangenamakhaya ePhoyinti ngenxa youthengisa ngomzimba.
Ukisetshenziswa kwezidakamizwa kubhekwane nakho esikhumulweni sesithathu. UNkz Zanele Ngcamu uthe uMphathi Wamaphoyisa Esiteshini sasePhoyinti ubatshele ukuthi izidakamizwa ziyinkinga enkulu endaweni ikakhulukazi utshwala. ‘Iningi labangenamakhaya basebenzisa iwhoonga,’ usho kanje.
UNgcamu unethemba lokuthi lo msebenzi wabo uzowenza umehluko ezimpilweni zabantu abangenamakhaya
Abantu bakuthokozele kakhulu ebesikwenza futhi bakhulume ngokukhululeka mayelana nezizathu zabo zokusebenzisa izidakamizwa notshwala, ‘Ngiphuza kakhulu. Angicabangi ukuthi utshwala buyinkinga. Bungisiza ukuthi ngikhohlwe,’ kusho oyedwa wabesilisa. ‘Kungcono ngoba angiyisebenzisi i-cocaine!’
‘Ngiyazi ukuthi ucansi olungavikelekile luyingozi kodwa singenzenjani? Uma uya emtolampilo bayakuxosha ngezinye izikhathi, ‘ kusho omunye wabesifazane.
Emva komsebenzi abangenamakhaya baphiwe ukudla nesipho esiqukethe isixubho, ithawula lobuso, insipho, amakhondomu abesifazane, amakhondomu abesilisa nokokumanzisa okwakhiwe ngamanzi.
Abangenamakhaya bathembise ukuthi bazogeza baxubhe namazinyo abo.
‘Sithemba ukuthi lokhu kuzobakhuthaza ukuthi bashintshe izindlela zabo. Abanye babukeka sengathi bayathanda ukuguqula izimpilo zabo. Uguquko oluncane lungcono kunokungabi naguquko, kusho uNkz Michelle Mbayiwa.
UMbayiwa uthe bakhethe leli qembu labangenamakhaya emva kokuqokelwa ukusebenzela endaweni yasePhoyinti umfundisi wabo uDkt Mbali Mhlongo.
nguNombuso Dlamini
author : .author email : .DIFF Opening Night a Great Success
At the Film Festival opening night are from left: Sipho Mpongo, Sean Metelerkamp and Wikus de Wet.There was praise all round for the opening night of the 37th Durban International Film Festival (DIFF) which featured the world premiere screening of the highly anticipated South African documentary, The Journeymen - the latest instalment in the Twenty Journey project.
DIFF is hosted by the Centre for Creative Arts (CCA) within UKZN’s College of Humanities.
The Journeymen is set in 2014, the year in which South Africa celebrated 20 years of democracy and mourned Nelson Mandela’s death.
The film chronicles the free-wheeling journey through South Africa of three photographers - Sean Metelerkamp, Sipho Mpongo and Wikus de Wet - to explore the current state of South Africa with GoPro cameras strapped to their chests.
At the screening, Director Metelerkamp said: ‘The film is made with technology that is widely accessible and is also a vibrant call to arms for new modes of filmmaking and fresh approaches to narrative. We hope that this collaboration kickstarts conversations and interactions.
‘Our film also features a chance encounter with Sam Nzima, who photographed Hector Pietersen. We can’t think of a better way to honour Youth Day than to share our film with the country.’
DIFF Acting Director Mr Peter Machen said: ‘For the 40th anniversary of June 16, we are thrilled to be screening The Journeymen because it showcases an honest, loving portrait of South Africa.’
eThekwini Councillor Mr Logie Naidoo added: ‘The Film Festival has grown in leaps and bounds and I am happy to see The Journeymen and the other movies selected that actually reflect South Africa.’
The Durban International Film Festival, which runs until 26 June, includes nearly 200 theatrical screenings as well as the Wavescape Film Festival and various industry initiatives, including the 9th Talents Durban programme in co-operation with the Berlin Talent Campus, and the 7th Durban FilmMart co-production market in partnership with the Durban Film Office.
For more information go to www.durbanfilmfestival.co.za or follow our social media pages on #DIFF2016 @DIFFest
Melissa Mungroo
author : .author email : .Alumni Lunch at Richards Bay
UKZN representatives with KwaZulu-Natal North Coast-based alumni.UKZN alumni on the KwaZulu-Natal North Coast re-connected with their alma mater and fellow past students at a lunch at the Protea Hotel Waterfront in Richards Bay recently.
The lunch was organised by the Alumni Relations Office of the Corporate Relations Division as a reunion, networking and information sharing event for alumni and friends of the University.
Promoting UKZN’s ongoing interventions, developments and achievements, Vice-Chancellor and Principal Dr Albert van Jaarsveld updated guests on the latest developments taking place at the University.
Van Jaarsveld spoke about the many activities and projects being undertaken to promote relationships and highlighted numerous achievements, including the current international ranking the University enjoys.
Alumni enjoyed the opportunity to meet and engage with the Vice-Chancellor.
Executive Director of the UKZN Foundation Professor Anesh Singh addressed the gathering on the various options available for alumni to give back to the University and encouraged all graduates to consider contributing financially.
Dr Rosemary Sibanda of the College of Law and Management Studies presented a comprehensive overview of the programmes available at the Graduate School of Business and Leadership. There was considerable interest in the information literature available on the courses.
The 75 alumni enjoyed the buffet lunch and lucky-draw.
Finn Christensen
author : .author email : .Broadway Musical Oklahoma! on Stage at UKZN
The main cast leads of Oklahoma! at this year’s UKZN/Southern Methodist University collaboration.Six young artists from the Southern Methodist University (SMU) in Dallas in the United States will work with 37 talented UKZN singers and dancers to present four performances of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Oklahoma! at UKZN’s Opera Studio and Choral Academy (OSCA).
This is the fifth time UKZN and SMU have worked together on creating exciting and fun-filled entertainment from the Golden Age of Musicals. Previous productions include Porgy and Bess in 2005, West Side Story in 2011, South Pacific in 2013 and Carousel in 2014, all of which played to capacity audiences.
Based on Lynn Riggs’s 1931 play, Green Grow the Lilacs, Oklahoma! is set in Oklahoma Territory outside the town of Claremore in 1906 and tells the story of a cowboy, Curly McLain, and his romance with farm girl, Laurey Williams. A secondary romance concerns cowboy, Will Parker, and his flirtatious fiancée, Ado Annie.
SMU’s Professor Barbara Hill Moore produces the show and conducts the four-piece instrumental ensemble in all performances, while the stage direction and choreography is by Roger Riggle of Washington, DC.
The musical preparation of the UKZN students is led by UKZN Music Lecturer, Mr Lionel Mkhwanazi.
Collaborative efforts between SMU and UKZN began in 2000 when Hill Moore came to work with talented singers and offered a bursary for an exceptional singer wanting to study in America. This year, the 20th award goes to UKZN graduate, Mr Esewu Nobela, who said: ‘I am excited to be a part of the production and to now go to SMU to study what I love. I am grateful to Professor Hill Moore for this opportunity.’
Nobela will be part of the Music Opera Graduates’ Programme at the Southern Methodist University (SMU) in Dallas, Texas.
According to UKZN Music student, Ms Eunice Mokoena, Oklahoma! presents a way to grow as a performer. ‘It has been challenging to learn the American Southern accent but we’re doing well. This is a learning experience for both UKZN and SMU students.’
UKZN’s Mr Sphelele Sithole, who plays the lead character, Will Parker, said: ‘I have been a part of the UKZN/SMU collaboration for a couple of years and it has allowed me to meet new people, build friendships and exchange skills.’
Said SMU’s Ms Alyssa Barnes: ‘The UKZN students are very talented. It is exciting to see the progress and growth we’ve made. We’ve learned so much from each other, even a bit of isiZulu, and we will be keeping in touch with.’
Mr Rodman Steele of SMU invited the public to view the production saying: ‘Come and see the new generation take on a classic production. It has good music, a great cast and it’s sure to be fun.’
The public is invited to view the preview on Thursday, June 23 and Friday, June 24 at 19h00 and the show on Saturday, June 25 and Sunday, June 26, at 15h00 in the Jubilee Hall of the Opera School and Choral Academy at UKZN.
Admission is free to all performances and tickets are not required.
Melissa Mungroo
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