Student Essay Contest on South Africa-Sweden Relations!
The Essay Contest was jointly hosted by the Faculty of Humanities (via the Department of Politics and International Relations) at the University of Johannesburg (UJ), the Embassy of Sweden in Pretoria and the South Africa-Sweden University Forum (SASUF). 3rd and 4th year students from SASUF partner universities were invited to submit an essay to one of five categories.
Winners per category:
Gender Issues
Maapola Lucky Mokone, BA Language and Communication Studies, University of Limpopo
Thulisa Kwezikazi Tom, Nelson Mandela University
Environmental Issues
Gloria Ebubechukwu Eugene-Ezebilo, Conflict and Development in Global Politics, Malmö University
Science and Technology
Mosebetsi Khobotlo, BA Political Studies, University of Pretoria
Academic exchange
Nicole Nobukhosi, University of South Africa
Cultural issues
Melusi Mnqobi Molefe, Diploma in the Performing Arts, Tshwane University of Technology
Philile Maseti, Bachelor of Social Science, Advanced Political Philosophy, Walter Sisulu University
The winners were invited to a lunch at the Swedish ambassador’s residence in Waterkloof, Pretoria. The Swedish ambassador to South Africa, Håkan Juholt, members of the panel of judges, several embassy officials and senior level management from faculty of humanities at the University of Johannesburg attended the lunch. The winners are also given the opportunity to publish their winning essays in a forthcoming special issue in a journal. The winning essays are also given publication opportunities in a forthcoming special issue of a journal. To be published, the winners are required to revise their essays, incorporate the feedback they receive, and get a final approval by the journal’s editor. All participants will be invited to an online essay writing workshop early next year, which will be facilitated by some of the judges.
Sweden and South Africa share strong bilateral relations both in a historical and contemporary context. The Essay Contest was introduced to help establish and foster long-lasting relationships between Swedish and South African students and academics, to help promote awareness and dialogue on the special relationship Sweden and South Africa share, and to glean new insights on how to take the relationship between Sweden and South Africa forward.