Amidst the congested traffic and the never ending slur of road works that plague Bloemfontein, as it ready’s itself for the 2010 FIFA Soccer World Cup, lies a quiet little city called the University of the Free State. I call it a city as it contains most of the general attributes that one would associate with a city.
It has a security force (campus security), theatres, medical facilities, educational facilities, sport and recreation facilities and a mini-mall with grocery, clothing, bookstores and a tattoo parlour. There are even facilities to practice religious ceremonies at, a library, a town hall (the Callie Human), administration and public offices, and governing and political bodies.
And finally the university has the one crucial thing that a metropolis needs to survive - people or in the universities case - students. As with any city, except those who find themselves in a communist regime or fundamentalist society, there are different types of people with a multitude of world views to be found. They world views range from religious to cultural, with people categorising themselves accordingly and forming groups with like-minded individuals - hence associations and societies.
And of these our campus has more than even the most enthusiastic culture junkie can handle.
The multitude of associations reopened, once again for the year, on 10 February 2010. There were a multitude of different associations, ranging from Bhakti yoga to psychology, juridicial to poetry, there was even, wait for it, cheerleading.
I strode between the displays, questioning the representatives of each association about the visions and missions of each respective societal group. Boy did I have my fancies tickled! Not to mention how naive I was towards some of the associations.
The Bhakti Yoga centre in Westdene Bloemfontein, offers weekly yoga classes for the weak and weary, looking to reconnect with the energies of life. As a kid, my parents warned me about this taboo practice. Their indoctrination is evident now....
The Seventh Day Adventist Student Movement (SDASM) claims that all truth is within the Bible. Joining them meant I had to go to church on a Saturday.
The Rastafarian Allied Students came, not to smoke marijuana and to dance Lucky Dube, but to propose there love and fellowship to the Halie Selassie and introduce you to their lifestyle and views.
Then there was the poetry society; PoetryInk. They seemed to be running out of registration papers when more than one hundred students showed their interest by signing up. This society offers students the chance to come and recite, and enjoy, poetry in a stimulating environment.
It is clear that the majority of societies are religiously orientated. The UFS websites shows 20 registered religious societies while the other associations only have about ten or fifteen.None the less there are others, such as AAMPS, who offer students insight and interaction with other walks of life through spoken word and music.
The Black Managers Forum is a non-religious organisation. In fact they are, as there website says: "a non- racial, thought leadership organisation founded in 1976, with the main purpose of influencing the socio-economic transformation of our country, in pursuit of socio-economic justice, fairness and equity.” And no, it's not for black people exclusively. Even though this is what I thought, some investigating told me other wise, and after a quick chat and some slick persuasion I promptly signed up!
Finally, we have G(r)EEK, a new association that only started this year. They are an academic organisation which aims to balance social and academic life. They will help you reach excellence by providing services such as tutoring, mentoring and motivational seminars. According to their chairman, Desizondo, they want to equip the average student with the necessary accoutrements to go beyond the norm and realise their full potential.
All the societies on campus, despite their differences, have one underlying shared focus: to equip students with the information and the opportunity to become a part of something, but still tolerating and accepting other views. Even though this is not always the case, conflicting ideologies might prohibit you to join the yoga society, or to show interest in the Seventh Day Adventist group, the chances and opportunities are still there.
With over 56 registered societies and associations it's hard not to find something that might be intriguing. Not that anyone is obliged to join a group. However, in this time of integration and change, could this not be an ideal way to ‘get with the programme’ and embrace fellow comrades on whichever level?
The number of sign ups at the each booth was overwhelming and led me, and another, to believe that our campus is changing on existential level. Although I have no evidence for this we felt the Zeitgeist of students on campus suggest this. It seems that there is a silent song of contentedness and willingness being chanted by the cultural buffet of students rambling between lecture halls and residences.
As the Rector Prof. Jansen, who beat us to our epiphanous moment, once said in a Media release issued by Lacea Loader; Director of Strategic Communication at UFS on 29 January 2010: “When I walked into to this residence last year it consisted only of black female students. When I visited them again this year I could not believe what I saw: the residence is fully integrated and there are white and black students living together. This is an example of our young people’s willingness to live together and we must believe in their potential.” The statement pertains to the female residence Welwitschia.
Maybe I am just delusional and over-optimistic and that any change can be diagnosed as ‘soccer fever’. A love for the game breaks all barriers to the point where we can all see eye to eye. Integration is a circular concept and could perhaps be facilitated by the sight of a soccer ball being kicked around a seemingly endless grassy field.
By Ruan Scott |