The Central University of Technology, Free State celebrated the vast cultures experienced at the university by hosting a celebration of Heritage at the Bloemfontein Campus on 19 November 2021.

Distinguished guests and dignitaries came from different embassies including the Kenyan Education Attaché, Adan Mohamed Ibrahim, who had spent the previous day engaging with Kenyan students and staff at the university. “We gladly provided some of our cultural clothing and artefacts for Heritage Day celebrations, and we appreciated the opportunity to get to know each other through celebrating culture,” said Ibrahim.

Acting Vice-Chancellor and Principal, Prof. Alfred Ngowi highlighted that the institution is gratified to have taken a huge step towards becoming a university of technology that is centred on embracing the diverse cultures and traditions of its people and its surrounding communities.

“The 2021 Heritage Day Celebrations come as a stepping ladder for CUT to encourage inter-cultural blending in research, teaching and learning, as well as operations of the institution. This day reminds us of the significance of embracing the transformation agenda of CUT, which has seen a shift towards realizing change through diversifying our environments and spaces we operate in, consistent with our progressive Transformation Plan 2021 – 2025,” said Prof. Ngowi.

He added that the newly approved CUT Language Policy engages with the university community as it integrates Sesotho, as one of the official languages that can be used in the day-to-day practices of the institution. “It is also significant that recognising Sesotho becomes our preliminary point as we are a university of technology in the Free State Province, where Sesotho is the predominant spoken language. That alone, is considered a step, towards becoming a university that thinks beyond! It also brings us closer to UNESCO’s goal for this decade which is to embrace and make awareness for African languages. Therefore, that is the essential key to this Heritage celebration,” added Ngowi.

Guests had the opportunity to visit vast stalls to learn more about the various cultures, while enjoying various performances as part of the entertainment.

Caption

1. CUT employees donned their traditional outfits in celebration of their heritage.

2. Guests were treated to performances by various groups as part of the celebrations.

3. Various stalls offered guests the opportunity to further engage with the different cultures.