Rhodes Must Fall

UCT Cape Town - Statue of Rhodes

Rhodes Must Fall is a protest movement that began on 9 March 2015, originally directed against a statue at the University of Cape Town (UCT) that commemorates Cecil Rhodes. The campaign for the statue's removal received global attention and led to a wider movement to decolonize education across South Africa and beyond.

Background

Cecil Rhodes was a British imperialist, businessman, and politician in southern Africa who served as Prime Minister of the Cape Colony from 1890 to 1896. His legacy is controversial due to his role in the colonization and exploitation of African lands and peoples. The statue of Rhodes at UCT was seen by many as a symbol of colonialism and racial oppression.

The Movement

The movement was initiated by a group of UCT students who argued that the statue was a representation of institutional racism and a lack of transformation in South African higher education. The protest began when student Chumani Maxwele threw human excrement at the statue, sparking a series of demonstrations and debates.

Goals

The primary goals of the Rhodes Must Fall movement included:

• The removal of the Rhodes statue from UCT.
• The decolonization of the university curriculum.
• Increased representation of black academics and students.
• Addressing broader issues of racial inequality and social justice in South Africa.

Impact

The statue of Cecil Rhodes was removed from the UCT campus on 9 April 2015. The movement inspired similar campaigns at other universities, including the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom, where students called for the removal of a Rhodes statue at Oriel College.

Global Influence

The Rhodes Must Fall movement has had a significant impact on discussions about decolonization and the legacy of colonialism in education. It has inspired other movements such as Fees Must Fall, which focuses on the cost of higher education in South Africa, and has contributed to a broader discourse on institutional racism and historical memory.

Criticism

While the movement has been praised for raising important issues, it has also faced criticism. Some argue that removing statues and symbols does not address the underlying issues of inequality and that the focus should be on more substantive changes. Others believe that the movement has sometimes been divisive and has not always engaged constructively with opposing viewpoints.

See Also

• Cecil Rhodes
• University of Cape Town
• Fees Must Fall
• Decolonization
• Institutional racism