Cape Town - Some white students at UCT have entered the fray over transformation at the university and the campaign for the removal of Cecil John Rhodes’s statue.
After almost two weeks of protests against lack of transformation at UCT, students, the majority of them white, packed a UCT lecture theatre during lunch on Wednesday for an open discussion on a topic named The White Privilege Project.
The discussion was aimed at educating white students about their role in “oppressions”, according to organisers who asked not to be named. A statement from the group read: “This is not about white students educating people on black struggles. This is about white students educating other white students about their role in these oppressions.
“This project is open to everyone, but is directed at educating white students about what white privilege is and how we can work to resist the structural oppression that continues today. This is not an attempt to say we can understand what it means to be black, but that we must endeavour to understand how our privilege affects ourselves and others.”
During the discussion, Kealeboga Ramaru, spokeswoman for Rhodes Must Fall (RMF), requested black students to leave the room and not take part in the discussion.
“We must give white students a chance to feel free to have this crucial discussion,” she said.
Student Representative Council president Ramabina Mahapa has rejected any dialogue with the University Council, and simply demanded a date to be set for the statue’s removal.
Vice-chancellor Max Price said the statue should be moved. “I have previously stated that the Rhodes statue is indeed a symbol of UCT’s colonial past. One option is to leave it as it is, but to place a plaque on its base that acknowledges the injustices of colonial conquest enacted under Rhodes’ watch.
“This might be accompanied by another artwork alongside Rhodes, to ‘speak back’ by way of alternative values and convictions.” Price launched an accelerated four-week programme of engagement involving all stakeholders.
Mahapa said they will be marching on Friday to the Bremner Building, where Price’s offices are.
Cape Times