From 4 to 6 August 2026, the Ukrainian Association of South Africa (UAZA) organised and hosted the three-day Winter School “Ukraine and Southern African Futures: Strengthening Policy Analysis, Cultural Understanding, and Security Perspectives for Africa”, bringing together scholars, experts, and representatives of academic communities from Ukraine and Southern Africa.

The Winter School gathered scholars from 15 Southern African universities, as well as dozens of Ukrainian experts. The programme focused on three main thematic areas: International Relations, Politics and Security Studies; History, Arts, Heritage, Decolonial and Memory Studies; and Human Rights, Transitional Justice and International Law.

Ukrainian scholars Dr Maksym Yakovlyev from the National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy and Dr Oksana Pyatkovska from Lviv Polytechnic National University travelled to South Africa to participate in person. Bohdan Diachenko, representative of the Embassy of Ukraine in South Africa, also contributed to the programme.

The Winter School was organised by UAZA in partnership with the Institute for Justice and Reconciliation, the University of Pretoria, the University of Cape Town, and Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung South Africa.

The project forms part of the Lysiak-Rudnytsky Ukrainian Studies Programme, implemented by the Ukrainian Institute and the Cultural Diplomacy Foundation, with financial support from the International Renaissance Foundation and the Mnozhyna Foundation.

The Embassy of Ukraine in South Africa expresses its sincere appreciation to UAZA, all partners, scholars, and experts who contributed to making the Winter School possible. The initiative marks an important step in advancing Ukrainian studies in Southern Africa and strengthening academic and expert dialogue between Ukraine and the region.