Cape Town - The Institute for Justice and Reconciliation (IJR) on Wednesday declared its support for student-led calls for the removal of the Cecil John Rhodes statue from the University of Cape Town (UCT) campus.
“The IJR is inspired by the courage and depth of thinking of the Rhodes Must Fall and related movements, such as the UCT White Privilege Project, and looks forward to engaging these groups,” said the IJR, a non-profit whose work aims to build fair, democratic, and inclusive societies in Africa.
The IJR’s statement formed part of a continuing discussion around the fate of statues, signs, and symbolism celebrating colonial leaders and imperialists.
At the forefront of these discussions is the debate around UCT’s Rhodes statue.
UCT’s Senate, made up of senior management and academics, voted almost unanimously on Friday for the removal of the statue.
The IJR said that it recognised the Rhodes Must Fall campaign as a “call for more urgent and meaningful commitment to national transformation”. This included physical spaces, institutional access, and employment equity.
“South Africa’s Constitutional vision of a non-sexist, non-racist society cannot be realised until we, as a country, and the African continent as a whole, more deliberately challenge the lingering effects of slavery, colonialism and apartheid,” they said.
The IJR said these legacies continued to restrain the country’s progress far more than was anticipated during the democratic transition.
The institution congratulated youth for challenging symbolism by saying: “The youth is pushing us further than before to address the covert and overt forms of racism that South African society continues to experience.”
“We applaud their courage to talk about their pain with searing honesty and to demand the need for radical transformation at their university in a non-violent manner,” it said.
The IJR said the racist comments circulating on social media in regards to the campaign was “cowardly”.
“Stories about where we come from and who we are provide powerful avenues towards reconciliation. They also help to craft deeper insight into who others really are. We believe that the Rhodes Must Fall movement is engaged in similar processes,” said the IJR.
African News Agency