It’s a hotly contested topic at the moment, especially for students at UCT: should the statue of Cecil John Rhodes at the university stay or go?
Amid poo-flinging, bitter memories of Cape Town’s chequered history being dredged up, and now Swastikas being daubed on the university walls, there are still many mixed emotions about what the statue represents. At this point, UCT is gathering feedback from the students about how to go forward with this and address the transformation which is so apparently needed.
Let’s hope that education remains the priority here. How do you feel about the statue? Should these energies rather be cast into prioritising education or does the statue need to be removed and replaced with a symbol of unity that all students can agree upon?
Who woke up one day and realised that there was a statue of Cecil John Rhodes that they had somehow overlooked all this while?
— IG: Busi_Ree (@Busi_Ree) March 19, 2015
The pigeons have been crapping on the Cecil John Rhodes statue at UCT for 107 years. And we only start doing it now. — Justin Williams (@JustinUtopia) March 19, 2015
Ok, that’s it. I’ve done my own research into the man, and when it comes to Cecil John Rhodes, we cannot use the ends to justify the means. — Pitsi Kewana (@kumarclark) March 18, 2015
To judge Cecil John Rhodes through the contemporary lens of liberal democracy is misguided. He’s behavior suited his time. — Roman Cabanac (@RomanCabanac) March 18, 2015
I went to Rhodes. Studied History. Learned about what a gigantic douchenozzle Cecil John was. A name change would be for the best, I feel.
— Stuart Buchanan (@StuBuSA) March 18, 2015
So there r some Swastika posted on the wals at UCT campus. The protest just got Heated! *waits for the Rhodes statue defenders 2 b offended*
— I Am an African (@Vuyo16) March 19, 2015
I guess ppl focus on different things or I’m ignorant. Of all my 5 yrs at UCT, I never knew that’s was Rhodes statue, neither did I care. — InvstBanker (@tommykwela) March 18, 2015
Photography Telegraph
