AFC to host series on academic freedom

Dear colleagues and students

The newly constituted Academic Freedom Committee (AFC) of the University of Cape Town (UCT) began its four-year term in July this year.

The AFC – a committee of Council and Senate whose purpose is to promote academic freedom, including university autonomy within and outside UCT – serves to provide a forum in which the views of members of the university on matters of academic freedom and university autonomy can be discussed.The committee also organises the annual TB Davie Memorial Lecture, an important feature in the university calendar for the last six decades, the most recent of which was delivered by Judge Dire Tladi in October 2024.

From the inception of the current term, the AFC found itself faced by a highly polarised world. It is the sort of polarisation from which UCT has not been spared. This has raised important questions at all levels of the university on the nature of academic freedom, both within and outside the university, as well as UCT’s role in the discourse. These are questions that we are obliged to meaningfully engage with if we are to preserve the integrity of our institution and its role in society.

Judge Tladi’s address for the 58th TB Davie Memorial Lecture, titled “‘The narrative’ as the enemy of freedom of thought”, impressed upon us the need to create spaces in which different voices, not only those one agrees with, are heard. In alignment with its mandate and approved terms of reference, the AFC would like to take up the challenge highlighted by Judge Tladi’s lecture of catalysing the creation of such an environment as would be defined by a spirit of conviviality.

Specifically, with the current context in mind, the AFC proposes a series of discourses on academic freedom to be hosted at regular intervals, weekly or fortnightly, early in the new year. The proposed series follows discussions with the Office of the Vice-Chancelor, and its implementation will be backed by a firm commitment from this office to provide the necessary support.

While the exact topics to be covered are still to be worked out, the series seeks to engage the university community on different aspects and definitions of academic freedom. A mixed format approach will be adopted for each session in the series, determined by the topic. We would like each seminar to be hosted virtually to maximise involvement by members of our university community. We believe that such a webinar arrangement will also grant us the full range of potential inputs adequate to address well such topics as will be included without the restriction imposed by the limits of geographic proximity.

The AFC is reaching out to the whole university community to solicit proposals for potential topics to be covered over a four- to six-week period. The topics must be amenable to be discussed in a webinar type format (for example lectures, debates, roundtable discussions, etc). Please send any proposals (including suggestions of possible formats and speakers) to Nicole Erasmus by the end of December 2024.

We urge all members of the UCT community to take this opportunity to actively engage in our upcoming series, which will provide a crucial platform for discussions that shape the very foundation of our intellectual environment. The strength of the series lies in the diverse perspectives, recognising that academic freedom itself hinges on the inclusion of multiple voices. Whether you are a staff member or student, your participation contributes to a richer, more robust conversation that fosters critical thinking and mutual understanding; contributing to entrenching UCT as a space where every member of our community can feel at home despite differences in our backgrounds or affiliations.

For more information, please contact Nicole Erasmus.

Sincerely

Professor Rudzani Muloiwa
Chair of the Academic Freedom Committee

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