Rhodes isn’t racist. Race issues at Rhodes University are South Africa’s social psyche and structural issues. Importantly, there exists a reformist attitude towards racism at Rhodes University.
In my first term of Journalism, we dissected the contemporary concept of race and racism. Similarly, boisterous discussions about racism have occurred in the first-year History and Politics lectures. Rhodes is reformist in this regard; race issues actually feature in the curriculum as a vivid reality – not as a distant concept. Similarly, racism is confronted, not ignored. The response by our vice-chancellor to a racist incident on campus was admirable, the university could easily have dealt with it simply by internal investigation and, perhaps, a notice on the website. However, the aggressive “Rhodes Rejects Racism” campaign proved steadfast dedication to a non-racist campus.
Upon observation of student dynamics at a reputable university in Gauteng, I was struck by the obvious lack of integration of different racial groups. A friend of mine from that university visited Rhodes this year and noticed the high levels of integration here immediately. Although racial social groups are still evident, I believe this is the result of closed communities and divided South African bubbles of existence, a social psyche issue. A structural issue which threatens Rhodes’s reforms is the visible lack of black lecturers and senior university staff. This is a South African problem, a historically and economically embedded problem. Rhodes is not racist. Rhodes is positively reformist and any racial baggage it carries is carried by the regrettable South African.
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