UCT #RhodesMustFall backs call for Oxford statue's removal
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A statue of Robert Milligan, an 18th century slave trader, is removed by workers outside the Museum of London Docklands in the UK. Picture: Reuters A statue of Robert Milligan, an 18th century slave trader, is removed by workers outside the Museum of London Docklands in the UK. Picture: Reuters
Cape Town – UCT #RhodesMustFall has thrown its weight behind the recent calls for the removal of a statue of 19th century British colonialist Cecil John Rhodes from a college at Oxford University.
More than 1 000 protesters converged on Oriel College, which overlooks Oxford’s High Street, chanting “Take it down” and “Shame on you” to demand its removal.
The protest came as the statue of Robert Milligan, an 18th century slave trader, was being removed from its plinth outside a London museum.
Milligan’s previously obscure statue came into focus after demonstrators taking part in a global anti-racism protest under the Black Lives Matter movement tore down the statue of a slave trader in Bristol, south-west England.
Dramatic images on Sunday of protesters in the port city tearing down a statue of 17th century slave trader Edward Colston and throwing it into the harbour inspired campaigners in Oxford to seize the moment.
The global call for Rhodes’ statue to fall follows the removal of another at UCT about five years ago, led by student activist Chumani Maxwele.
“Rhodes represents such a violent legacy of colonialism, imperialism
and slavery,” said protester Morategi Kale, a South African graduate student at Oxford.
In a statement ahead of Tuesday’s demonstration, the college said it abhorred racism.
“We understand that we are, and we want to be, a part of the public conversation about the relationship between the study of history, public commemoration, social justice and educational equality,” it said.
“We continue to debate and discuss the issues raised by the presence on our site of examples of contested heritage relating to Cecil Rhodes.”
UCT #RhodesMustFall called on oppressed peoples of the world to stand in solidarity against “white supremacy and all its manifestations”.
“The clarion call by the Rhodes
Must Fall Oxford College students to have the statue of Rhodes removed is long overdue, (and) presents a very important moment for the oppressed peoples of the world to unite against white supremacist structures and
symbols that continue to generate psychological violence in order to maintain the anti-black status quo and institutionality in both the former colonies and empires.
“The symbolic power of these colonial structures has far-reaching effects on the psychology of those who are on the receiving end of many crimes that are committed against humanity. To many black people, Rhodes is what Hitler is to the Jewish community, a murderer.”
The movement called on Arts and Culture Minister Nathi Mthethwa to release the ministerial report on transformation of the heritage landscape and expedite the process for the removal of the Rhodes statue in the Company’s Garden in Cape Town.