Africa Day (25 May 2023) was broadly acknowledged on campus, with an exhibition in the English Department, displays on each floor of the Library and campus screens rotating interesting facts about every single country in Africa to educate the whole community.
Furthermore, at the start of the month, an explanation of the origin and purpose of Africa Month and Africa Day was circulated to the Rhodes University community.
Meanwhile, off campus, Rhodes University joined in the extensive celebrations for Africa Day at the 1820 Settlers National Monument, which featured various activities to showcase and honour the African heritage. These activities included a cultural parade, colloquium, African art exhibitions, and dance and music performances. The event was hosted by the Eastern Cape Provincial Government in collaboration with Makhanda Municipality, Rhodes University and other strategic partners and stakeholders.
The Rhodes University Vice-Chancellor, some Deans, Directors, staff, the Students Representative Council (SRC), postgraduate students, postdocs and the African Humanities Programme (AHP) visiting fellows, lecturers and students, including from the School of Journalism and Media Studies (JMS) and the Institute of Water Research, along with community members and dignitaries, were welcomed to the sounds of marimbas at the entrance. Upon entering the Guy Butler Hall, the opening act, a local reggae band, greeted the attendees with Bob Marley’s best-known songs.
“This 25th of May is of great significance; as a continent, we are not only celebrating Africa’s rich and diverse cultural heritage, but we are also commemorating the 60th anniversary of the African Union,” said Rhodes University Vice-Chancellor Professor Sizwe Mabizela.
“On this day in 1963, the Organisation of African Union (OAU), the predecessor of the African Union (AU) was founded in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. OAU-AU was established as an alliance to promote unity, solidarity and liberation among African nations,” said Professor Mabizela.
The Vice-Chancellor encouraged all leaders at the event to invest in the education and skills of African youth.
“Education and research are key enablers of economic development and collective prosperity…we must invest in the future of our continent,” he said.
According to Professor Mabizela, the African Union’s vision of “A Better Africa” can be achieved by prioritising and attaining all Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030. These include eradicating poverty and hunger, reducing gender inequality, improving the quality of education, implementing social protection, promoting gender equality and improving access to clean water and sanitation.
The Eastern Cape Premier, Oscar Mabuyane, urged all Africans to recommit to prioritising the vision of “A Better Africa” put forward by the African Union.
“It is imperative that all leaders work together to achieve the 2063 vision set forth by the African Union and Nepad. The vision is Africa where all citizens enjoy the realisation of their human rights and where equality thrives,” said Mabuyane.
All keynote speakers, including the MEC of the Eastern Cape Department of Sport, Recreation, Arts & Culture (DSRAC), Nonceba Kontsiwe, and a representative from the Eastern Cape House of Traditional and KhoiSan Leaders, delivered insightful speeches on what it means to be African.
A colloquium on Makhanda and the Battle of Egazini (also known as the Battle of Grahamstown), which took place in 1819, followed the speeches. Panellists, former or current Rhodes University staff, at the colloquium included: Dr Jongi Klass, who addressed colonial invasion, African resistance, and the reshaping of the South African landscape; Professor Julie Wells, who discussed the significance of Makhanda and the 1819 Battle of Egazini; and Dr Pascall Taruvinga, who spoke about the legacy of the resistance wars and opportunities to promote cultural tourism in the Eastern Cape. The colloquium was a platform to explore the history of Makhanda, Nkosi Jongumsobomvu Maqoma and the Eastern Cape wars of resistance.
As the formal speeches ended, the cultural programme resumed with the performances of a set of traditional dances from different parts of Africa, organised by Mr Abdul Olatunji from the Community of African Nations in South Africa (CANISA), who had also arranged for samples of African cuisine to be served to the attendees on the day for the audience.
“Africa Day is important to me, so I was delighted to be here. The day was a great example of how a cultural celebration can help the community forget their worries for a little while,” commented Professor Juma, Dean of the Faculty of Law at Rhodes University.
“Africa Day is an important day to step back and think about the direction in which we are heading as a country and as a continent. I am very glad that we partnered with so many other entities in the Makhanda and the Eastern Cape to make this a success. I would like to thank all members of the Rhodes University community who participated in the event. I don’t think anyone who stayed for the full formal programme experience was disappointed,” said Orla Quinlan, the Director of Internationalisation, whose team had organised Rhodes University participation.
The Rhodes University International Office would like to express its gratitude to all the partners involved in the collaboration who contributed to the success of Africa Day 2023: The Department of Sport, Recreation, Arts and Culture of the Eastern Cape Government, the Eastern Cape House of Traditional and Khoisan Leaders, the CANISA, Albany Museum, Amazwi SA Museum of Literature, the National Arts Festival Foundation, Ilima Heritage Institute, Arena Holdings, Makana Municipality, Sarah Bartmaan District Municipality, South African Police Service, and the many other individuals and stakeholders, who helped make things happen behind-the-scenes.