By By Sinenhlanhla Ngwenya & Kupakwashe Kambasha.
The UJ 16th International Festival is set to take place at the APK campus tomorrow and this year’s edition is celebrating Madiba in the age of the Fourth Industrial Revolution.
This is one of the biggest annual events at UJ. The Open Journal spoke to a representative from the Division for Internationalisation on what this festival entails.
“The international festival . . . aims to speak to everything of what South Africa stands for: social cohesion, cultural diversion, inclusion and unity,” said Ismail Badrudin, Public Relations and Communications Officer at the Division for Internationalisation.
“We try by bringing students and even international students to the event so that those things can thrive. We want to appreciate diversity,” Badrudin added.
As different people from the international community come together in celebrating cultural diversity, what makes this 2018 edition different from the previous is the drive towards the Fourth Industrial Revolution, which is also known as Industry 4.0.
“So, what is different is trying to use the festival as a platform to introduce the whole concept and idea of the Fourth Industrial Revolution. Our speakers will elude further on the revolution, but not hard-core information,” Badrudin said.
While much of previous festivals called for cultural interaction and appreciation within the UJ community, the 2018 edition will continue to avail the same ethos.
“It [the festival] should help us learn to appreciate each other, I mean we don’t really appreciate each other internationally and even individuals from this country, in some case and not all case. So, the festival is meant to embrace such things,” said Badrudin.
When speaking to a Congolese UJ student about the International Festival, Ange Kalala said that “each and every year we experience a new kind of unity”.
Some of the activities that will take place include, cultural displays of traditional wear, food and dances from the different international societies. Above all, the event is set to be graced by one of South Africa’s biggest Hip-Hop acts, Nasty C. TOJ
Reporting by Sinenhlanhla Ngwenya & Kupakwashe Kambasha, Editing by Gaby Ndongo
Feature image: International flags of various African countries at the UJ 2017 international Festival.
Image courtesy to Kupakwashe Kambasha
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