Africa month bigger and better

There is still ample opportunity to explore your 'Africanness' by participating in the exciting blend of academic, social and sporting events taking place in the remainder of Africa Month.

A headline event was the Celebrate Africa concert, which included performances by renowned musicians and UCT honorary graduates Letta Mbulu and Caiphus Semenya, and UCT alumni Mimi Ntenjwa, Amanda Tiffin and Mduduzi Mtshali, on 16 May at the Baxter Theatre.

The inaugural Traditional African Games and ever popular Mini Africa Cup of Nations have come and gone, with panel discussions, exhibitions and seminars on various subjects related to Africa at various venues all over campus.

If the programme for UCT's third Africa Month is bigger than ever, there's also the opinion that it is better than ever, says Professor Thandabantu Nhlapo, deputy vice-chancellor responsible for internationalisation and realising UCT's Afropolitan vision.

"The scaling-up will, we hope, demonstrate that the idea is getting embedded at UCT," he explained. "And that idea is that for a month we allow space for members of the UCT community - that's all of us - to express our 'Africanness', to express our view of Africa and our place in it.

"It allows us to reflect - through art, through cuisine, through intellectual debate and discussion, through scholarship, through song, through dance, through dress - our experiences of being African," he added.

Exciting forthcoming events include the Big African Debate, on 20 May, which this year centres on sexuality and the law. On 22 May UCT will celebrate 20 years of democracy with a concert featuring Vusi Mahlasela, Mi Casa, PJ Powers and Freshlyground. For more information, go to www.uct.ac.za.