Posted on March 17, 2022
The University of Pretoria (UP) Department of Library Services (DLS) celebrated its third annual Mind-Altering Books webinar on 7 September, in recognition of National Book Week, which was commemorated in South Africa from the 6th to the 12th of September 2021.
Once again, the UP Department of English collaborated with the DLS to present the Mind-Altering Books event, which has become an annual fixture in the university’s calendar since its inception in 2019.
After the DLS Deputy Director: Academic Services, Ms. Anna Siwela, welcomed the audience, and announced the establishment of the brand new Merensky 2 library Book Nook.
Professor Molly Brown from the Department of English introduced this year’s speakers. First on the programme was Reverend Charlotte Sibanyoni, who is from the Department of Ancient and Modern Languages and Cultures. Her chosen book, “Woman Evolve: break up with your fears and revolutionise your life”, by Sara Jakes Roberts invites us to realise that we should get up, forget past mistakes, and start changing our lives.
Dr Georg Nöffke who is from the Department of English, chose Mrs Dalloway by Virginia Woolf. It fascinated him how “the dualities that are familiar to us all (are) set up” by Woolf in the novel, showing” the variousness of existence”, (how) “they blur, and they collapse”. This has altered his perception of what is possible, he said, and he commented that this is what books do for us: they create possibilities for us, and show us how one can represent reality, how one can capture life.
Professor Maxi Schoeman from a Political Sciences, Diplomacy and International Relations background, explained how she came to wonder about Cixin Liu’s The Remembrance of Earth's Past trilogy, and, while not really a science fiction reader, she was soon completely hooked on this thriller about political power which reaches far into the future. Prof Maxi feels that stories tend to make us get an inside feel for the issues of the day. The realization that people make history, on a huge scale, but also through the small things they do – “we become what we do” is what remained with her after having read this trilogy. From her perspective as someone trained in international relations, it is necessary for us to consider seriously the decisions that we choose to make about space.
The fourth and final speaker was Dr Pineteh Angu from the Unit for Academic Literacy. He chose as his mind-altering title “Defeating dictators: fighting tyranny in Africa and around the world”, by George B. N. Ayittey. One of the longest reigning African dictators at the moment, he says, is the president of Cameroon, where he (Dr Angu) hails from. His interest in what the author comes up with, is therefore self-evident. According to Dr Angu, Ayittey traces the history of dictatorship in Africa, and identifies the different “pillars” that support dictatorships, and that should be demolished in order to topple dictatorships. Where attempts often focus on economic reform first, the author believes academic freedom should be the most important, followed by political reform, constitutional reform, and only then focus on achieving economic reform. He feels that is why so many efforts to topple dictatorships haven’t succeeded – the wrong strategies have been used. Dr Angu ended by reading from the book a section in which the author reminds us that dictators were often hailed as saviours at the beginning of their reign…. and that they were often overcome by a love of power.
A large number of attendees logged in to enjoy the virtual webinar, proving again that there is a continuing interest in books and reading. The webinar was recorded, and the YouTube link shared.
As a way of marketing the webinar, a Match the Brain competition was run, inviting entrants to guess which authors would speak about which books. Protea Boekwinkel kindly sponsored three book vouchers which were the prizes. The winners were announced immediately after the webinar.
The “Match the Brain 2021” competition prize-winners were:
Congratulations to all prize-winners!
The event would not have been possible without the contributions of colleagues from the Department of English, in particular, those in various DLS units, the Humanities faculty, various UP Marketing and Communication units, and at the Education Innovation Department. UP staff members will continue organizing events that focus on reading, and hope to see you there!
The University of Pretoria (UP) Department of Library Services (DLS) celebrated its third annual Mind-Altering Books webinar on 7 September, in recognition of National Book Week, which was commemorated in South Africa from the 6th to the 12th of September 2021.
Once again, the UP Department of English collaborated with the DLS to present the Mind-Altering Books event, which has become an annual fixture in the university’s calendar since its inception in 2019.
After the DLS Deputy Director: Academic Services, Ms. Anna Siwela, welcomed the audience, and announced the establishment of the brand new Merensky 2 library Book Nook.
Professor Molly Brown from the Department of English introduced this year’s speakers. First on the programme was Reverend Charlotte Sibanyoni, who is from the Department of Ancient and Modern Languages and Cultures. Her chosen book, “Woman Evolve: break up with your fears and revolutionise your life”, by Sara Jakes Roberts invites us to realise that we should get up, forget past mistakes, and start changing our lives.
Dr Georg Nöffke who is from the Department of English, chose Mrs Dalloway by Virginia Woolf. It fascinated him how “the dualities that are familiar to us all (are) set up” by Woolf in the novel, showing” the variousness of existence”, (how) “they blur, and they collapse”. This has altered his perception of what is possible, he said, and he commented that this is what books do for us: they create possibilities for us, and show us how one can represent reality, how one can capture life.
Professor Maxi Schoeman from a Political Sciences, Diplomacy and International Relations background, explained how she came to wonder about Cixin Liu’s The Remembrance of Earth's Past trilogy, and, while not really a science fiction reader, she was soon completely hooked on this thriller about political power which reaches far into the future. Prof Maxi feels that stories tend to make us get an inside feel for the issues of the day. The realization that people make history, on a huge scale, but also through the small things they do – “we become what we do” is what remained with her after having read this trilogy. From her perspective as someone trained in international relations, it is necessary for us to consider seriously the decisions that we choose to make about space.
The fourth and final speaker was Dr Pineteh Angu from the Unit for Academic Literacy. He chose as his mind-altering title “Defeating dictators: fighting tyranny in Africa and around the world”, by George B. N. Ayittey. One of the longest reigning African dictators at the moment, he says, is the president of Cameroon, where he (Dr Angu) hails from. His interest in what the author comes up with, is therefore self-evident. According to Dr Angu, Ayittey traces the history of dictatorship in Africa, and identifies the different “pillars” that support dictatorships, and that should be demolished in order to topple dictatorships. Where attempts often focus on economic reform first, the author believes academic freedom should be the most important, followed by political reform, constitutional reform, and only then focus on achieving economic reform. He feels that is why so many efforts to topple dictatorships haven’t succeeded – the wrong strategies have been used. Dr Angu ended by reading from the book a section in which the author reminds us that dictators were often hailed as saviours at the beginning of their reign…. and that they were often overcome by a love of power.
A large number of attendees logged in to enjoy the virtual webinar, proving again that there is a continuing interest in books and reading. The webinar was recorded, and the YouTube link shared.
As a way of marketing the webinar, a Match the Brain competition was run, inviting entrants to guess which authors would speak about which books. Protea Boekwinkel kindly sponsored three book vouchers which were the prizes. The winners were announced immediately after the webinar.
The “Match the Brain 2021” competition prize-winners were:
Congratulations to all prize-winners!
The event would not have been possible without the contributions of colleagues from the Department of English, in particular, those in various DLS units, the Humanities faculty, various UP Marketing and Communication units, and at the Education Innovation Department. UP staff members will continue organizing events that focus on reading, and hope to see you there!
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