ASCENT TO FREEDOM AND
JUSTICE
A CO-ORDINATED PROPOSAL
TO RESOLVE THE PERCEPTION OF KEY ‘SYMBOLS’
AT THE UNIVERSITY OF
CAPE TOWN (UCT)
UCT Emeritus
Professor and Life Fellow Tim Crowe – B.A., M.Sc. & Ph.D.
Late last year, UCT’s Registrar
Royston Pillay announced
what’s probably going to happen vis-à-vis re-naming Jameson Memorial Hall. The unsigned
proposal lists but one name, Sarah "Saartjie" Baartman, and has
two references: by Baartman poet Diana
Ferrus and the Black Academic Caucus (BAC). More recently, Advocate Norman Arendse, the chair of the University of Cape Town
Naming of Buildings Committee, seems to have confirmed this decision. Also,
anonymous BAC womxn academics have drawn
attention to current ‘actions’ and controversy relating
to a sculpture of Bartmann by respected artist Willie Bester displayed in UCT’s
Library. I suggest that the powers that be reconsider this recommendation
and offer a more coherent, less controversial and constructive policy of symbolic
decolonization of UCT.
Re-naming Jameson Hall Baartman
Hall is unwise because it emphasizes a victim of slavery and current
controversy, rather than identifying with someone – ‘Prof.’ Robert Sobukwe - who
stood above colonists, Apartheid oppressors and a tainted liberation movement for
principles (non-racialism, non-collusion, non-violence and Pan-Africanism) and
remains essentially untainted and uncontroversial historically. Also, retaining Jammie Steps puts Jameson in
a more appropriate historical context.
My remaining recommendations emphasize UCT’s shared history represented
by similarly principled men and women, whom I believe cover a broad spectrum of
South African humanity and were, or could have been, liberation allies.
Replacing Rhodes with a Khoi/San-sanctioned
statue or a hominin would clearly identify UCT’s African roots and/or remind
all concerned of the horrendous victimhood of the First People.
Lastly, of course, having an
ASCENT TO FREEDOM AND JUSTICE along the lines suggested could attract enormous non-governmental
funding.
So, please consider a
co-ordinated alternative strategy.
Create an “Ascent
to freedom” stretching from the site once occupied by Rhodes’ Statue to
the current Jameson Hall.
Replace Rhodes’ Statue with a sanctioned one of a Khoikhoi
or San family, representing the sub-continent’s (and possibly Earth’s) First
People. One might also consider a statue of a hominin, e.g. Australopithecus or a non-sapiens Homo (naledi?).
Change the name Smuts Hall to Gandhi /Smuts Hall to call
attention to the deep philosophical connections between these close friends who
were political adversaries.
Change the name Fuller Hall to Gool/Fuller/ Hall.
In both cases, add busts of the new eminent person.
In the intervening parking area, commission statues of
Nelson Mandela, T.B. Davie and Helen Suzman standing side-by-side, perhaps even
holding hands.
Formally name the steps leading to the Memorial Hall as “The
Jammie Steps”. This will preserve a
tradition treasured by most UCT alumni and put Jameson into a less prominent
position.
Celebrations and
Marketing
Commission a video [MOOC?] narrated by Sakina Kamwendo, Trevor Noah, and/or
Charlize Theron complemented by interviews with President Ramaphosa, Minister
Naledi Pandor and and famous South Africans/ UCT alumni (e.g. Mamphela
Ramphele, Njabulo
Ndebele, Barney
and Sipho
Pityana, Bongani
Mayosi, Graça Machel, Bulelani
Ngcuka, Mogoeng
Mogoeng, Thebe Medupe, Gcina Mhlope, John Kani,
Mbongeni
Ngema, Joseph
Shabalala, Nicky
Oppenheimer, Wendy Foden, J. M. Coetzee, Nick Mallett, Hermann Giliomee, Mark Shuttleworth, George Ellis,
Albie Sachs, Pieter-Dirk Uys, Breyten Breytenbach, Stuart Saunders, Wieland
Gevers, Hugh
Amoore, Anusaya
Chinsamy-Turan, "Thuli"
Madonsela, Tim Noakes, Jennifer
Thomson, Jill Farrant,
John
Parkington, Francis
Thackeray, et al.) that guides the viewer through the history underpinning
the “Climb” from the new statue to Sobukwe Memorial Hall.
First and foremost, the video should emphasize what makes
the Climb’s historical figures fascinating components of human evolution,
science, social anthropology/linguistics (especially the KhoiSan) and African/UCT
history. Then, complement this with a
‘warts-and-all’ history of the Climb.
This could give Rhodes, key donors (e.g. Sir Otto Beit and Sir Julius
Wernher) and Smuts credit as UCT’s and the Rhodes Scholarship’s benefactors,
contrasting this with his/their various nefarious acts. I would also favour a history of the Rhodes statue’s
history, including the pain it caused to Afrikaner and black students, plus a
full account of the RhodesMustFall Movement.
The video should end with the depiction of an event attended by a large crowd of representatives of the KhoiSan Community, the Sobukwe family, past/current students, alumni/staff/leaders (Aaron Klug, Athol Fugard, J.M. Coetzee, the Pitanya brothers, Stuart Saunders, Mamphela Ramphele, Njabulo Ndebele, David Maynier, Helen Zille, Naledi Pandor, Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, Gwen Ngwenya, George Ellis, Brian Warner, Ebrahim Rasool, Nick Mallett, Breyten Breytenbach, Jeremy Cronin, Geoff/Debbie Budlender et al.), alumni families (invited from all over the world), major donors (e.g. the Oppenheimers, Mark Shuttleworth), Fallists opposed to continued violence making the inaugural “Climb”.
This would be a wonderful gesture of reconciliation and unity
and an excellent way of attracting financial support needed for UCT’s adaptive
decolonization.
What to my fellow Ikeys think?
