Rhodes Must Fall!

When I learnt about Cecil Rhodes as a controversial figure of the British Empire, I started to question myself why people do still hate him so much. I found that he was responsible for the initiation of Apartheid through the Glen Grey Act which encouraged segregation and he was also always more interested in money and dividends than in the people themselves. Furthermore, he initiated the Jameson Raid which was one of the reasons for a later Boer war in which many people died (http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-32131829). Therefore he is called a “racist mass murderer of Africans“ (http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/jan/19/rhodes-fall-oxford-university-inclusivity-black-students) and is hated even until today by many Africans.

Now, I do understand why students in Africa fought for a removal of his statue from the African university in Cape Town. The video below shows how much this removal really means to them. I find it very interesting that he is still seen as a symbol of slavery and the removal of his statue is perceived as a liberation from injustice and ethnic inequality although he is dead for more than 100 years.

The next interesting point is that now that this statue is removed in Cape Town, students from the Oxford university are encouraged to follow this example and demand a removal of Cecil Rhodes statue from their university as well for the same reasons. They also accuse him of being a racist and symbolizing inequality. But I think it is a quite difficult topic. I have to agree with the article’s author when he states that Cecil Rhode’s world and its injustices will never come back and that current issues such as study fees etc. are more important than still struggling with the past (http://www.theguardian.com/education/2016/feb/02/students-cecil-rhodes-statue-campaign-oxford-oriel-college). It also appears to me that the removal of his statue in Cape Town has another significance than it would have for the British. In Cape Town they really suffered from the consequences of Cecil Rhodes decisions and his racist as well as violent actions. For them, this statue was a reminder of inequality, sufferings and brutal wars. Consequently, it was a step for them to deal with their past and to move on to a new era whereas the British did not suffer but profit from Rhode’s economic success in Africa. So, for the British he is a rather controversial figure torn between success and evil deeds. Therefore, they have to deal with their past and also to acknowledge both sides of his figure.