UJ Faculty of Humanities

Tuesday was a reminder of why we do what we do. Our MD @sharon_piehl spent the morning with third-year communications students from the @university_of_johannesburg alongside Prof Dalien Rene Benecke. Throughout the guest lecture they came with brilliant questions, insights and passion – the kind that tell you the next generation of communication professionals is ready to soar. We talked shop. Career paths, real challenges, the work that matters. We listened more than we lectured. And honestly? They taught us something too. These partnerships matter. They're about opening doors, sharing what we know, and investing in voices that will shape the industry. We're grateful for this collaboration with the University of Johannesburg and Prof Benecke, and we're excited about what comes next. To the students in the room yesterday: keep asking those questions. The world needs communicators who think critically, consult intentionally, and lead with purpose.

The club’s co-founder, Dr Thando Maseti, on creating Booked Minds as a community committed to decolonising knowledge and empowering students through African literature and conversations at University of Johannesburg, one of Africa’s most prestigious universities #uj #bookclub #bookworm #africanliterature #booksbooksbooks

Psych, I graduated🤭♥️. #psychology #grad #university #honours #psychmajor

smallgirl ramblings on spiders and ghosts “it is said that smallgirl – part water, part moon time, part wind – has been with her mothers all of their lives.” Join us for “smallgirl ramblings on spiders and ghosts”, a reading from a work-in-progress. Led by JIAS 2026 Writing Fellow vangile gantsho, a poet, healer, and teaching artist whose work explores memory, spirituality, and the lived experiences of Black women. Multivocal and multigenre, vangile’s project is a ‘re-membering” takes the form of a zuitsu, offering “clusters offering fragments” where “multiple bloodlines collide”. vangile gantsho is the author of “red cotton” and “Undressing in Front of the Window,” co-founder of impepho press, and editor of New Coin Poetry Journal. Event details Thursday, 14 May 2026 17:30 for 18:00 Hybrid: In-person at JIAS (1 Tolip St, Westdene, Johannesburg) via Zoom #JIAS #JIASWritingFellowship #JIAS2026Fellows #WritingFellowship

UJTV would like to congratulate one of our own, Vanessa Munemo, on recently graduating with a BA Honours degree in Film and Television from the University of Johannesburg.🎓 Your achievement reflects passion and dedication to excellence in the creative industry. You continue to inspire those around you through your hard work and pursuit of growth.🧡 We are proud of you and wish you continued success as you embark on this exciting new chapter. #ujtv #ujgraduation

A little reminder that hard work looks good on me 🎓 2 x UJ graduate🧡 Makeup by: @beatbynab #uj #orangearmy🧡

The world’s first classroom is a mother’s voice. The first lesson is her compassion. Today, the Faculty of Humanities honors the women who shape minds, nurture empathy, and teach us what it means to be human. Happy Mother’s Day to every mother, mentor, and matriarch. Your wisdom echoes through every story, every language, and every discovery we make.

kufeziwe 🤍🎓.

Acknowledging this moment the whole year😭 Last slide is a special mention for @suchakarenn

Here’s to Bantu Steve Biko. The man who wrote what he liked and died for it. Who knew that before any law could change, the Black mind had to free itself. Tonight, his words came home. Ndibhala Intando Yam. The isiXhosa translation of I Write What I Like. Not a translation. A return. A reclaiming. Biko’s voice speaking again in the language of his ancestors. The conversation was on fire. The panel brought truth. And JIAS held the space with honour. Here’s to the philosophy that cannot be buried. Here’s to the fire that never goes out. Thank you, JIAS. #JIAS #BookLaunch #NdibhalaIntandoYam #SteveBiko #BlackConsciousness

This evening, we witnessed a homecoming. The launch of Ndibhala Intando Yam, the isiXhosa translation of Biko’s I Write What I Like, returned his voice to the language of his ancestors. Biko taught us that liberation begins inside the mind. Black Consciousness was never about hatred. It was about looking in the mirror and choosing yourself. He wrote knowing his words could kill him. They did. But his philosophy did not die. This evening, at JIAS, it spoke again. The panel featuring Mr Nkosinathi Biko, Professor Bhaso Ndzendze, and Dr Thandokazi Maseti carried the fire. They reminded us that translation is not just words. It is access. It is justice. It is saying that Biko’s truths belong to the streets, not just the archives. The conversation was on fire because Biko’s fire never went out. A free Black mind. A free language. Free this evening. Thank you, JIAS. #JIAS #BookLaunch #NdibhalaIntandoYam #SteveBiko #BlackConsciousness

The Johannesburg Institute for Advanced Study (JIAS) had the profound honour of hosting the launch of Ndibhala Intando Yam, the isiXhosa translation of Bantu Steve Biko’s seminal work, I Write What I Like. This evening was more than a publication event. It was an intellectual and cultural reckoning. Returning Biko’s words to the very language and social landscape that forged his political consciousness did not simply translate text. It reclaimed a voice, restored a rhythm, and reopened the wound of meaning that only the mother tongue can truly heal. The gathering became a living conversation about language as power, access as justice, and who gets to produce and own knowledge. As the night unfolded, the panel featuring Mr Nkosinathi Biko, Founder and Executive Trustee of the Steve Biko Foundation; Professor Bhaso Ndzendze, Professor of Politics and International Relations at the University of Johannesburg; and Dr Thandokazi Maseti, Lecturer in the Department of Psychology at the University of Johannesburg, did not just speak. They summoned. They interrogated. They remembered. Held in person at JIAS on 1 Tolip Street, Westdene, Johannesburg, and carried across distances via Zoom, the conversation was not contained by walls or wires. It was on fire. What an insightful and inspiring event. Deep gratitude to JIAS for holding this space, and to everyone who made the night burn with purpose. #JIAS #BookLaunch #NdibhalaIntandoYam