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Strutting their stuff

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The staff at Unisa’s Pietermaritzburg campus did the university proud on Heritage Day this year. They heeded the call by the President of South Africa, Cyril Ramaphosa, to celebrate the occasion by joining the world in taking part in the Jerusalema dance challenge. With this internationally trending dance song as their inspiration—it having been chosen as a theme for this year’s Heritage Day—they took up the challenge alongside millions of South Africans from every corner and community of our rainbow nation, as well as countless more people from around the world.

Since the start of the phased opening of the university after the Covid-19 lockdown, staff are gradually returning to the various campuses, and this dance initiative presented an excellent opportunity for them to welcome each other back after such a long time spent apart and working at home. The new normal has meant that most staff have been meeting and seeing each other only virtually, through online meetings.

The Pietermaritzburg campus staff did a sterling job organising the event and ensured that all the necessary Covid-19 level-1 protocols and regulations were adhered to—particularly in terms of social distancing and the wearing of masks. About 20 members of staff participated in Pietermaritzburg. The event was undoubtedly a great way to welcome staff members back to the campus, and the challenge was on for other Unisa campuses to show us their moves. It was hoped that other, bigger centres such as Durban would take up the challenge, with even larger numbers of staff participating.

#JerusalemaDanceChallenge went viral on social media and traditional media, spreading from New Delhi to Lagos and from London to Sao Paolo, as well as too many other places to mention. While the title of the song might easily mislead the unwary, it is not a gospel song. Rather, it falls into the South African house music genre, one that has achieved worldwide fame. The challenge, meanwhile, has done a great deal to uplift people’s spirits during the pandemic—not only in South Africa, but the world over too.

*By Sakhile Mtshali, Communication and Marketing Officer, KwaZulu-Natal Region

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Publish date: 2020-11-10 00:00:00.0

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