Africa Day resonates in Commerce Faculty
The Faculty of Commerce was pumping on Africa Day as staff and students
embraced their African soul with a celebration of vivid art and a rich diversity
of music and dance.
It is part of the faculty culture to dress in African attire each year on May
25 in celebration of the founding of the Organisation of African Unity in 1963
when leaders of 30 of the 32 African states signed a charter in Addis Ababa in
Ethiopia. Africa Day has been celebrated for many years in the Faculty and more
recently across the University of Cape Town as a celebration of African unity.
The festival was held in the African Studies Gallery, where a vivid
photographic display by Cameroonian artist Angèle Etoundi Essamba set the scene.
Showstoppers included an array of elegantly-dressed members of staff, including
Nonnie Falala, Ronelle Steenberg, Sindiswe Majebe and Portia Desi. It was a
close call, but the eventual winner of the Best Dressed Prize went to Portia
Desi from Information Systems who won the judge’s heart with her spicy Xhosa
outfit.
The best dressed department was a close call between the School of Economics and
the Department of Information Systems, which draped their reception areas in an
array of African cloth and art.
The celebrations were opened by acclaimed poet Diana Ferrus, who entranced
the audience with her powerful poetry, including an evocative rendition of a
poem about Saartjie Baartman. Musicians had the audience stamping their feet and
clapping as an array of artistes including talented UCT ethnomusicology and
drama students, the spellbinding gospel songs of Gugu’Sithebe and hip hop by
Rattex.
In a follow-up email, Chair of the Faculty’s Transformation Committee,
Professor Kevin Johnson thanked all staff who participated in Africa Day and
made the celebrations a huge success.
“Despite a cold and miserable day, the atmosphere in the Centre for African
Studies was warm and festive. There are many people to thank who played a
variety of roles in organising the event, and if I started naming people, I am
bound to overlook a few, so if you in any way played a role thank you.
It would, however, be remiss of me not to mention Terri Grant, Claudia Kalil,
Ingrid Tufvesson, Priscilla De Wet, Linda Magodla, Yoemna Mosaval, Patricia Pato,
Asia Brey, Siona O' Connell and Dale Washkansky,” he said.
MC Terri Grant also thanked various generous raffle prize donors, including
Rainbow Nation Wines who created a customised label which featured the Faculty’s
Africa Day logo. More information about the winery is available at
www.rainbownationwines.com.
Thanks were also extended to Merrypak for donating the presentation carry-packs
for the wines and to the nature conservation shop Bushwillow in Cavendish Square
for donating prizes.
In total 323 raffle tickets were sold in the faculty with Management Studies
raising R720, Economics R470, Accounting R535 (raffle tickets and cake sale) and
Information Systems 26 tickets. Raffle winners, randomly drawn by
representatives of these four departments are Frank Syster from the Finance
Office, Carren Duffy from Organizational Psychology, Glen Holman and Ruby
Williams from Accounting and Gao Nodoba from Professional Communication Unit.
All proceeds will be donated to Nazareth House, which was the charity selected by the School of Economics, the department which raised the most money on a pro rata basis.
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| Nonnie Falala struts her stuff |
More pictures on the G Drive
Posted 21/05/2009 by Carolyn McGibbon
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