The Faculty of Arts and Design at the Durban University of technology (DUT) recently hosted the 2024 Annual Research Conference, which captivated delegates with a series of thought-provoking presentations, drawing local and international academics and postgraduate students into lively, intellectual discourse.

Held at the prestigious Capital Pearls Hotel in Umhlanga from 16 to 18 September 2024, the conference, themed ‘Harmony in Crisis: Gender Critical Discussions Towards Social Justice,’ featured an impressive line-up of events. Attendees were treated to powerful speakers, dynamic presentations, engaging exhibitions, impactful film screenings and an exclusive book launch during a glamorous cocktail reception.

A key moment on the first day of the event was the insightful keynote address delivered by Professor Jean Baxen, the Interim Executive Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Design at DUT. Professor Baxen reflected on the conference’s timely theme, highlighting how it convened a diverse assembly of critical thinkers addressing urgent societal issues from a range of theoretical and disciplinary perspectives.

“The theme was deliberate and was meant to invoke and provoke, to create disequilibrium and unbalance amongst us as a community of scholars in order to entice and suck us in. Well done, conference director and conference planners,” she said elatedly.
Prof Baxen emphasised that no matter the scale, whether at an individual, community, local or global level, crisis brings to the fore fundamental and existential questions about identity, representation, positionality, place and situatedness in ways that make people confront themselves as individuals and collectives.

“Whether we like it or not, crisis creates a fissure between the present and future in ways that force us to pause. We are compelled to stop (literally or figuratively), exhale, breathe deeply, and take a moment to assess the current situation or set of circumstances in order to figure out the next move,” she said.

Delving deeper into her talk, Prof Baxen indicated that experiencing a crisis obligates people to pose deep questions about themselves, their roles and responsibilities, their present and presence, their future and positionality.

 “There is power in the collective and the deliberations presented in the next three days are examples of how one project, intervention, critique becomes the catalyst for transformation. It is not only enshrined in ENVISION2030; but a human imperative. It is at the heart of being human, finding ways to be deliberate, intentional and dogged about the larger project that takes you away from yourself towards a goal that embraces the tensions and discontinuities embodied in crisis. This is our individual and collective responsibility. Take on the baton and use your resources responsible,” emphasised Prof Baxen.

Her motivating speech set the conference tone and was followed by UNISA’s Prof Itumeleng Daniel Mothoagae’s  provocative keynote emphasising on ‘Resilience and Justice: Cultivating Harmony in Times of Turmoil’.

This was followed by presentations from various researchers on the topical issues on marginalisation and inequality in the South African context, environmental exploitation and theatre and social justice. The evening closed with a film screening presented by international filmmakers.

One of the presenters for the day, DUT researcher, Mario Pissarra presented a moving talk titled: One foot in, one foot out: Reflections on the relations and prospects for collaboration between a visual arts non-profit company and South African universities. This was followed by a presentation on further topical issues relating to the peaceful landscapes in crisis, a review of Gender Inequalities in Xhosa Culture.  DUT’s Faculty of Arts and Design Honorary Research Fellow Cary Burnett delivered a a topic titled: Remains of the Day: a year-long project documenting the debris on the beaches of Durban, South Africa, following the flood of 2022.

She stirred the audience with a focus on the effects of the devastating flood that hit Durban, KwaZulu-Natal in April 2022,

“Four hundred and sixty one people died in the floods and more than eight thousand homes were totally destroyed. People living in informal structures were hard hit, as were those living in luxury homes in affluent areas. Questions were soon raised about the extent of the municipality’s culpability, given the lack of maintenance of storm water infrastructure, and the extent to which construction companies had, or had not, followed building regulations, and how these factors exacerbated the devastating impact of the flood,” she shared.

 Her paper was  based around an exhibition  of  images, each of which was accompanied by a key fact relating to the flood along with a question posed to the audience with the aim of connecting the human and the environmental impact of the flood.

The second day kicked off with a powerful keynote address from a Professor Priscilla Boshoff from Rhodes University. The day proceeded with a flurry of controversial presentations debating on topics such as activism and masculinity and inclusive story-telling. The presentation on exploring masculinity meanings of black young men in re-sourced-poor communities and their make of television characters of a telenovela in qualitative research instigated much deliberations. another presentation on ‘Re-imagining and Re-imaging black masculinities from a social transformation perspective in post-apartheid South Africa’ drew deep discussion, and DUT’s Dr Ursula Vooght’s presentation titled: Truth in the present: Nostalgic truthfulness in graphic novel adaptation Was focused on her dissertation topic on nostalgia’s place in culture. She spoke on the definition of nostalgia as a yearning for the past; wistful memory of earlier time; thing(s) that evoke a former era and which is seen as triggered by changes in social landscape.

She further delved into the idea of nostalgia as retrogressive-which couched very negatively as a debased form of memory.

Another dynamic presentation was on the socio-onomastic analysis of errors in writing names found in traditional Sesotho music: from place names to song titles.

The day’s proceedings closed with another impact screening by film producers. The evening culminated in a much-anticipated book launch of 10 open access research books published by DUT authors. The session was facilitated by the Prof Cheryl Potgieter, Head of the Gender Justice, Health and Human Development and the Research and Doctoral Academy (RADLA). Prof Potgieter coordinated panel discussions with authors, interrogating their experiences on writing and the impact of their publications. DUT’s Executive Dean of the Faculty of Management Sciences led a discussion with his co-authors on the impact of his book ‘State-owned enterprises in Africa and the economics of public service delivery’ on South Africa’s economy.

Prof Potgieter whet the audience’s curiosity with seven other books soon to be published by DUT authors. These were:

• Dr Kiyala, Jean Chrysostome, Public administration, democracy and peacebuilding in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
• Prof Potgieter, Cheryl-Ann, The way we were: Black, South African lesbians living in South Africa in the nineties.
• Dr Davis, Jason Stratton, Interactive qualitative analysis: A South African perspective.
• Dr Moodley, Dianna and Craighead, Clare, Artist or Imposter: Breaking barriers and ‘dancing’ the data.
• Dr Maniram, Rekha, Authentic assessment: Perspectives from higher education.
• Dr Van Eeden, Janet, (DUT Honorary Research Associate), Unveiling lives on screen: A cinematic journey into biography.
• Prof Potgieter, Cheryl-Ann, Dr Tshepe, Lifutso, Dr Buccus, lmraan & Dr Chibango, Vimbai, Aspiring to a promising Africa we want: well-being and resilience.

The final day of the research conference fittingly climaxed to a contentious keynote address by Prof Fazil Moradi from the Austrian Academy of Sciences in Germany. He induced delegates with an emotionally charged presentation on the Remembrances of ‘Things’ Autobiographical: The Right to Narration and the Pursuit of Justice.

The conference further invoked sentiments on themes covering access to education and reduced inequalities. Concluding the final day, DUT researcher Penelope Youngleson’s presentation focused on reciprocities of arts practice and new knowledge. She presented a sensational live performance on Inherited Nostalgia and Blood-soaked Ley Lines: performative whiteness as heirloom in post-apartheid KwaZulu-Natal.

At the conclusion of the conference, Conference Director, Dr Dianna Moodley gave a special message to all the attendees at the conference. “On behalf of the conference planning committee, we extend a heartfelt thank you for participating in our event. Your presence contributed towards a memorable and exhilarating experience,” she said.

Dr Moodley also highlighted that all keynote speakers, presenters, exhibitors and session chairs will be presented a certificate of participation as a token of their appreciation. Awards and trophies were in order for the following winners in the different categories:

• Nandipa Sozoyi, Edmore Ntini & Majahamahle Mthethwa (BEST EXTERNAL PRESENTATION) for the presentation on Discourse on an architectural response to pre- and post-youth gender initiation ceremonies in urban Nguni communities.
• Zizicelo Sifumba (BEST POSTGRADUATE STUDENT PRESENTATION-FACULTY) for the presentation on A Review of Gender Inequalities in Xhosa Culture: A Step Towards Reduced Social Inequalities.
• Mario Pissarra (BEST STAFF PRESENTATION -FACULTY) for the presentation on One foot in, one foot out: Reflections on the relations and prospects for collaboration between a visual arts non-profit company and South African universities.
• Kabelo Chabalala and Sam Usadolo (BEST POSTGRADUATE STUDENT-SUPERVISOR PRESENTATION – FACULTY) for the presentation on Exploring masculinity meanings black young men in resource-poor communities make of television characters of a telenovela in qualitative research.
• Tanya van der Walt, Tamar Meskin, Zenneth Cibane & Mduduzi Mtshali (BEST COLLABORATIVE PRESENTATION – FACULTY) for the presentation on The Right to Speak: Using embodied arts-based strategies for performance activism – a case study of ‘After Ismangaliso’.
• Isaac Nkosinathi Khanyile (BEST EXHIBITION PRESENTATION) for Isivivane “Pyramid” Monument.

Dr Moodley wrapped up the conference proceedings by saying: “We hope that you gained valuable insights and have made cherished connections over the three days in Durban. We look forward to a sustained association with you.”

Pictured: The attendees and some of the Research Planning Committee members at the Research Conference.

Sthembile Ndlovu/Waheeda Peters