#open stellenbosch

[degea-drama-llama]

Student Activism in 2015

So I don’t normally do this but I've realised over the past few months how tumblr has become socially conscience and become interested in the suffering’s of those who aren't ‘blessed’ to be born into a certain race, class or whatever system.

I’m South African and over the past 9 months, students in universities have taken upon themselves to bring to an end the legacies brought about by apartheid and racists, who refuse to change.

One of the most amazing examples of this has been the #RhodesMustFall campaign that aimed to get rid of statues and monuments that celebrate apartheid heroes.

Recently Stellenbosch University was pushed into the spotlight after students brought out the plight of students at the varsity who are forced to suffer through Afrikaans lectures, despite the medium of instruction in the institution being Afrikaans

I just wanted you guys to see how true change starts with the youth.

Yes South African students have taken small step towards true democracy being achieved, but what is more impressing is the fact that gone are the days when people just sat back and accepted what was given, but are fighting against an Apartheid past that still has ramifications in the present.

P.S. Why most South African’s aren't major fans of Afrikaans in a Democratic Republic.

P.P.S. What Kaffir means

Thank you for your time, as you were

[zamellow-rhymes]

Stellenbosch burning

The #whereisthelove response to #luister is quite simply the South African equivalent of #AllLivesMatter in response to #BlackLivesMatter. 

As usual, the guilty group (racist Afrikaners in Stellenbosch) want to derail a conversation about the repulsive treatments black Africans are subjected to in this town and at this university.  Classic derailment of a discussion some people are uncomfortable having. 

Typical shit. 

[kurtxcocain]

marikana: black miners being killed because of white foreign, capital. south africa: xenophobic attacks as a result of internalized racism stellenbosch: students being oppressed because they're black. usa: countless killing of unarmed black men and women. everywhere else in the world: the continuous prosecution & disregard of the black race. #BLACKLIVESMATTER

[skewedlights]

(via https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sF3rTBQTQk4)

[a-badger]

Recently there has been a movement on my university campus called “open Stellenbosch” (thats the town where i am at) In short the goal of the movement is making the university more language and culturally inclusive, which should be a priority in a country like South Africa where we have 11 official languages. But this is happening in the wake of the #rhodesmustfall. 

I mite not agree with how it happened but I gamend the students of UCT for starting a conversation that raised the questions of the institutional culture in our universities (and country) that needs to change radically and rapidly to represent a diversity of cultures. 

Many students ( well at lest the people I talked to) look at this and say “Oh no, not those people. They’ll spoil everything for everyone! Apartheid is over, move on! lets live and let live.” No. We can not do that. Apartheid may be over but we are still living in a deviated society. 

Anyway, I diverge. 

Stellenbosch is historically a white Afrikaans university.  The topic of language has been a much debated subject in the university for some time and as far as can tell there are two major opinions. 1) English should replace Afrikaans, the buildings named after Afrikaners should be renamed and the University of Stellenbosch needs to publicly acknowledge and actively remember the central role that it played in the “conceptualization, implementation and maintenance of apartheid”. And 2) Afrikaans should be the language of  tuition, things should stay as is, its the English students fault for coming to a Afrikaans unversity.

I may not be an authority on the subject but the way I look at it, these opinions are both valet. Many are so dismissive of the others opinion its worrying. 

The point I really want to make is this: 

A conversation must be held.

A conversation must be held because something is rotten. Discord raises problems, problems that should be addressed.      

Not by the university authorities, not by the student parliament or leaders but by the students. The average, everyday student.  A conversation where all parties are equal, everyone may voice their opinion and it should be heard. Don’t dismissive this conversation. It is going to happen because it must. We must acknowledge our past, our language, our culture, everything that makes us different. We must recognize the past mistakes and disregard is. We must move forward by looking back. 

I know to many this past may seem badly written and formulated but I had to speak my peace.