Student Experience - News #Awareness

Youth Month 2021

Fri, 15 Jan 2021 11:26:18 +0000

1 - 30 June 2021

June is dedicated to the youth of 1976 who stood up against the apartheid government and laid down their lives fighting for freedom and the right to equal education. This year marks 45 years since the uprising in which many children lost their lives while standing up against a system that sought to strip them of their identity, and break their spirit.

During this month of youth, government and its agencies such as the National Youth Development Agency (NYDA) will host a number of engagements, including youth expos, dialogues and youth entrepreneur hubs to showcase opportunities available to young people.

The entire country is encouraged to participate in Youth Month by recognising the present and future role of the youth in shaping the socio-economic landscape of the country.

Celebrating Africa Month 2021

Fri, 15 Jan 2021 11:22:15 +0000

1- 31 May 2021

The month of May is recognised as Africa month – a time when the continent of Africa commemorates the founding of the Organisation of African Unity (OAU).

The establishing the Organisation of Africa Unity (OAU) in 1963, the African continent became a pioneer in being the first continent to focus on continental unity and to encourage nation building through unity and freedom from oppression. It is in celebration of this milestone of the OAU and its successor, the African Union, that the Department of Arts and Culture will host a series of events to celebrate Africa Day on 25th May and throughout May for Africa Month.

Yet even before 1963, many initiatives were taken by Africans – both from the continent and in its diaspora – for Africa to regain its rightful place in the world. South Africans are also found amongst those earlier generations who made enormous contributions towards this effort. The speech of Pixley Ka Isaka Seme in 1906, on the “Regeneration of Africa”, would be echoed by the generations that followed, and enhanced through a number of initiatives aimed at the decolonisation and regeneration of the continent.

Africa Month also seeks to increase the appreciation and demand for arts and culture goods and services, and to stimulate competitive markets for trade among African countries.

Celebrating Freedom Month 2021

Fri, 15 Jan 2021 11:18:48 +0000

1 to 30 April 2021

The Freedom Month celebrations offer us an opportunity to reflect on progress made thus far in transforming our society, while also examining our challenges. The month celebrates freedom and commemorates the first democratic post-apartheid non-racial elections that were held on April 27th 1994, which saw Nelson Mandela elected as President.

Since 1994, we have moved from an oppressive society to one which values human rights for all through advancing human development and restoring human dignity.

Our vibrant democracy is anchored by the constitution which guarantees equal rights for all.

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Celebrating International Women's Day

Fri, 15 Jan 2021 11:13:08 +0000

8 March 2021

Women's groups around the world marks International Women's Day. Women on all continents, often divided by national boundaries and by ethnic, linguistic, cultural, economic and political differences, come together to celebrate their day, looking back to a tradition that represents at least nine decades of struggle for equality, justice, peace and development.

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International Women's Day is the story of ordinary women as makers of history, it is rooted in the centuries-old struggle of women to participate in society on an equal footing with men. In ancient Greece, Lysistrata initiated a sexual strike against men in order to end war; during the French Revolution, Parisian women calling for "liberty, equality, fraternity" marched on Versailles to demand women's suffrage.

The idea of an International Women's Day first arose at the turn of the previous century, which in the industrialised world was a period of expansion and turbulence, booming population growth and radical ideologies.

Human Rights Month 2021: The year of unity, socio-economic renewal and nation-building

Fri, 15 Jan 2021 11:06:03 +0000

1 - 31 March 2021

Human Rights Month is commemorated in March to remind South Africans about the sacrifices that accompanied the struggle for the attainment of democracy in South Africa. Human Rights Day on 21 March falls within this period.

This year we commemorate Human Rights Month under the theme: “The year of unity, socio-economic renewal and nation-building.”

The 1960s were characterised by systematic defiance and protest against apartheid and racism across the country. On 21 March 1960, the community of Sharpeville and Langa townships, like their fellow compatriots across the country, embarked on a protest march to protest against pass laws. The apartheid police shot and killed 69 of the protesters at Sharpeville, many of them shot while fleeing. Many other people were killed in other parts of the country. The tragedy came to be known as the Sharpeville Massacre and it exposed the apartheid government’s deliberate violation of human rights to the world.

The democratic government declared 21 March Human Rights Day to commemorate and honour those who fought for our liberation and the rights we enjoy today.

Our Constitution is hailed as one of the most progressive in the world. The Constitution is the ultimate protector of our Human Rights, which were previously denied to the majority of our people under Apartheid. We commemorate Human Rights Day to reinforce our commitment to the Bill of Rights as enshrined in our Constitution.

Equality – everyone is equal before the law and has the right to equal protection and benefit of the law.
Human dignity – everyone has inherent dignity and have their dignity respected and protected.
Freedom of movement and residence – everyone has a right to freedom of movement and to reside anywhere in the country.
Language and culture – everyone has the right to use the language and to participate in the cultural life of their choice.
Life - everyone has the right to life.

Whether we are at the workplace, within communities, at schools, or with our partners and children, we all need to demonstrate the kind of responsibility that we would like to see in our country’s future.

We call on all South Africans to use Human Rights Month to foster greater social cohesion, nation-building and a shared national identity. It is our duty as a nation to strive for inclusive socio-economic development while ensuring that we combat scourges such as racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and all related intolerances as well as gender-based violence and femicide, which are undermining our human rights culture.

Fri, 15 Jan 2021 10:55:17 +0000

23 April

A symbolic date in world literature. It is the date on which several prominent authors, William Shakespeare, Miguel Cervantes and Inca Garcilaso de la Vega all died. This date was a natural choice for UNESCO's General Conference, held in Paris in 1995, to pay a world-wide tribute to books and authors on this date, encouraging everyone to access books - most beautiful invention for sharing ideas beyond the boundaries of humanity space and time as well as the most powerful forces of poverty eradication and peace building.

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World Book and Copyright Day is a celebration to promote the enjoyment of books and reading. Each year, on 23 April, celebrations take place all over the world to recognise the scope of books - a link between the past and the future, a bridge between generations and across cultures. On this occasion, UNESCO and the international organisations representing the three major sectors of the book industry - publishers, booksellers and libraries, select the World Book Capital for a year to maintain, through its own initiatives, the impetus of the Day’s celebrations.

23 April is a symbolic date in world literature. It is the date on which several prominent authors, William Shakespeare, Miguel de Cervantes and Inca Garcilaso de la Vega all died. This date was a natural choice for UNESCO's General Conference, held in Paris in 1995, to pay a world-wide tribute to books and authors on this date, encouraging everyone to access books.

By championing books and copyright, UNESCO stands up for creativity, diversity and equal access to knowledge, with the work across the board – from the Creative Cities of Literature network to promoting literacy and mobile learning and advancing Open Access to scientific knowledge and educational resources. With the active involvement of all stakeholders: authors, publishers, teachers, librarians, public and private institutions, humanitarian NGOs and the mass media, and all those who feel motivated to work together in this world celebration of books and authors, World Book and Copyright Day has become a platform to rally together millions of people all around the world.

International Mother Language Day 2021

Fri, 15 Jan 2021 10:45:03 +0000

21 February 2021

Celebrated every year on 21 February, UNESCO reiterates its commitment to linguistic diversity and invites its Member States to celebrate the day in as many languages as possible as a reminder that linguistic diversity and multilingualism are essential for sustainable development.

UNESCO has been celebrating International Mother Language Day for nearly 20 years with the aim of preserving linguistic diversity and promoting mother tongue-based multilingual education. Linguistic diversity is increasingly threatened as more and more languages disappear. One language disappears on average every two weeks, taking with it an entire cultural and intellectual heritage.

Nevertheless, progress is being made in mother tongue-based multilingual education with growing understanding of its importance, particularly in early schooling, and more commitment to its development in public life.

UNESCO commemorates the 70th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and its bold statement that ‘no discrimination can be made on the basis of language’, and celebrates its translation into more than 500 languages.