The spirit of Ubuntu is alive and well in Theology and Religion

Posted on March 11, 2022

For the first time in two years, the Faculty of Theology and Religion at UP "opened the gates" to celebrate the start of a new season. The initial idea was to create an opportunity for the first-year students to meet their fellow classmates in person, but this thought soon sprouted into the idea that all students and staff members should be included.

So on 17 February 2022, the Theology family enjoyed one another's company at Uitspan, on the UP sports grounds, as we created a space for students to meet one another at the end of Orientation Week. Thanks to the House Committee, the event was a huge success! Strangers speedily became friends, the karaoke allowed people to sing their hearts out along with the person on stage and there were smiling faces everywhere. Just like all families, we savoured the moment of eating a meal together and, thus, launched the Faculty's renewed attempt to reach out to its members.

At the Theology family, we strive to expand the Kingdom of God and this means that we aspire to build long-lasting friendships among people from different cultures, genders, ages, faculties etc. May I remind you of the word Ubuntu, which means “I am because you are”. It embraces the idea that human beings cannot exist in isolation. We depend on connection, community, caring and, therefore, we simply cannot be without each other!

 

We want to continue creating opportunities for students to connect and to meet one another in person in order for them to learn from one another and to grow in ways they could not have imagined otherwise.

Even as an introvert I, Bernalee, shudder at the thought of enduring an entire year without meeting any of my classmates or lecturers in person. I honestly think that I would have been an entirely different person if this were to happen!

 

As a first-year student in 2016, I remember the coffee dates with my friends after class, the advice from students from different year groups, the inspiration after a conversation with my professors, and the quick "are you coping?" conversation with the peer advisor.

I miss relaxing on the Theology grass while waiting for our next class. I miss the UP library. I miss the WackyWednesdays at Steers. I miss walking barefoot on campus. I miss meeting a diverse group of students that enriched my understanding of the world. I miss my student life and my sincere wish for the students of 2022 is that the gates of the Faculty of Theology and Religion will be opened, even if only to some extent, in order for them to experience the student life that they dream of!

 
- Author Bernalee Botha

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