Somerset West Unitarian Fellowship

Meets at 10 am on the first Saturday of each month.

Location: Vonke House, 121c Lourensford Rd, Somerset West, 7600

Website: www.swunitarians.carrd.co/

9 am Zen meditation

10 am Saturday 7 June 2025 Speaker: Joseph Koetsier

Discover the Soul of a Library: The Epic Story of the Bibliotheca Alexandrina

Join us for a captivating talk by Joseph Koetsier at the monthly meeting of the Somerset West Unitarian Fellowship. Joseph will trace the remarkable journey of the Bibliotheca Alexandrina—from its founding in 300 BC as a beacon of wisdom, through its tragic destruction, to its inspiring resurrection in 2002. More than a storehouse of books, this library was a spiritual repository of neo-Platonic thought, a crossroads of cultures, and a testament to humanity’s capacity for both destruction and renewal.

He will share insights from the library’s first director, Ismael Serageldin, as well as his own experiences visiting the modern Bibliotheca in 2020. A short slideshow will bring this epic history to life.

About the Speaker:
A committee member of The Egyptian Society of South Africa (TESSA), Joseph has spent decades exploring Divine Wisdom across cultures. His career spanned universities in South Africa (UWC) and the Netherlands (University of Groningen), focusing on Lifelong Learning and Cross-Cultural Studies. He has worked with refugee communities in South Asia and Europe and supported educational projects in India, Sri Lanka, and Mozambique.

Joseph’s poetic journey began in 1989 after a profound personal loss, leading him to express spiritual connections—from the delicate beauty of insects and birds to the depths of human experience—through verse.

For more information, contact Rev. Roux Malan – 084 679 5466

Durban Unitarian Fellowship

The Durban Unitarian Fellowship holds relatively informal services at 10h00 on two Sundays a month. Since the Frank Farrer Hall in the Palmiet Nature Reserve is under renovation, we currently meet at various locations around Westville.

Should you be interested in attending a service, please email us at unitariansdurban@gmail.com with your name, address, and cell phone number, so that we can send you notices.


Recent topics:

  • Is T.S. Eliot's, ‘The Wasteland’, still relevant at this point in societal evolution?

  • AI & Buddhism.

  • Memories of autumn and equinox – contributions by the group.

  • From Double Speak to the Network of Lies.

  • Is your worldview correct? – from Hans Rosling’s book ‘Factfulness’. 

  • ‘The Seven Spiritual Laws’ by Deepak Chopra.