Dear Humanities Colleagues

A number of our colleagues have appeared across a variety of platforms this past week! Here is our latest list of media highlights: 

• Professor Tawana Kupe, at a webinar on “Future Africa Post-COVID-19” emphasised that Africa month was an opportunity to reflect critically on “the Africa we want.”
• Emma Ruttkamp-Bloem was profiled in the Tukkievaria in the article “UP professor elected chair of UNESCO expert group crafting a global standard on the ethics of artificial intelligence” 
• Antoinette Lombard received the Stals Prize for Social Work and her achievement is celebrated in the Tukkievaria
• Sithembile Mbete participated in the seminar “South African Foreign Policy amid COVID-19: National and Continental Priorities” that was televised on SABC News
• Chris Isike and Quraysha Ismail Sooliman participated in the “Global Virtual Townhall Meeting” hosted by the Diplomacy and Strategy Think Tank Group (MDSS UNILAG) in Nigeria
• Abdi Samatar’s article “The pandemic gives South Africans a chance to rejig their economy to prioritise the poor” appeared on the TRTWorld platform; Abdi Samatar also presented an engaging webinar on the topic “Racism and injustice in America: Any way out?”
• Cawo Abdi co-authored an article “Race, resistance, and rage in the midst of COVID-19” with Saida Abdi that appeared in the MINNPOST
• Roland Henwood commented on the protests in the US on Kyknet and next year’s World Economic Forum on RSG
• Christiaan Bezuidenhout and Karen Booyens article “Why are we releasing offenders if other facilities have capacity?” continues to appeared in the media, the latest platform to feature it is Iol.co.za
• Liana le Roux published an opinion piece in the Cape Argus “Facing the great unknown” and another one in The Sowetan “COVID-19 brings to the fore importance of the family unit”
• Renata Eccles and Esedra Krüger published this article “Caregivers are a child’s best resource for early childhood development” on the UP website and on the UP Facebook page in commemoration of the Global Day of Parents (1 June 2020) 
• UP Archives launched the #UPStaySafe competition to capture life during the lockdown – the competition runs from 22 May – 22 June 2020

I would also like to draw your attention to an achievement of one of our Fine Art students, Tyrone Dunn. His artwork will be showcased as part of The Long Minute, an initiative curated by Bronwyn Lace for The Centre for the Less Good Idea.

Also, Siona O’Connell and the Critical African Studies (CAST) programme launched Film Fest Fridays with the documentary film Spring Queen. Through this fashion pageant O’Connell investigates the challenges and opportunities women in the SA clothing and textile industry face. The film’s insight is particularly important given recent and on going job losses due to COVID-19.