Varsity
CELEBRATING
70 YEARS
THE OFFICIAL STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CAPE TOWN
24 April 2012
VOLUME 71: EDITION 5
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Is UCT racist? Students debate Chris van der Westhuyzen & Olivia Wainwright
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Image: Elelwani Netshifhire DEBATE – Students eagerly engaged in contentious race issues at the third annual Conscious Conversations discussion; remarks included a student who admitted to having racist sentiments. #ISUCTRACIST TWEETS it unfair that they are forced to speak a “white” language. They argued that if you don’t speak English well you may be discriminated against by both white and black students, and one student explained that he is often afraid to speak up in lectures and tutorials as his first language is not English. Not only was the issue of racism amongst students discussed, but also the problem of lecturers and tutors favouring white students over black students. UCT teaching staff were also accused of being impatient with black students when they struggled with the English language. A white female lecturer explained that she tries to treat all of her students with respect, but still in her course evaluation a student gave her zero out of five when they were asked if the lecturer treats them with dignity, which she found frustrating. The discussion not only highlighted issues and instances of racism on campus, but also tried
to understand why this issue is still prevelant. Some students argued that UCT, being an institution which was built in a colonial era, has a racist past and this will take time to change. Others said that it is society that puts us into separate boxes, and
“Race is not something we can ignore. We deal with it every day” that the media is partly to blame. Throughout the debate, there appeared to be a divide between those who believe that there is still racism in the UCT community and those who believe divides are purely economic or class-based, saying that UCT is an elitist university. The debate held on Wednesday night was not a one-off discussion. This year has been surrounded by the race debate at UCT, specifically
regarding the admissions policy, and debate and comment continue to take place on Twitter under the hash tag #IsUCTRacist. On April 12th, Marius Fransman, Deputy Minister of International Relations and Co-operation, spoke out against UCT and racism. Fransman argued that “students in African and coloured townships in the Western Cape have 0.006% chance of getting into UCT.” However, UCT responded that: “While Fransman clearly shares UCT’s commitment to transformation, it is unfortunate that he got many of his facts wrong in the full text of his speech.” UCT did say the the institution only admits a small number of students from surrounding townships, but put this down to poor education in such areas. “Students can only be admitted to UCT if they have demonstrated that they have at least the minimum academic potential to succeed in a university environment.”
“Black people can not be racist, becos no matter how much I hate a white man, it will have no consequences” #IsUCTracist Black female: “White radicals at these events always admit they’re racist. How does that transform into equality?” #IsUCTRacist ‘I don’t think race is real because it’s about skin. I think race is real because race is about history’ – Max Price #isUCTRacist #deep #IsUCTracist because of their admissions policy? Not sure. What I do know is that they are not on twitter to participate in the debate Students will hate on a lecturer for his African accent, but a far less understandable French accent will receive no complaints #IsUCTRacist Quite frankly, #isUCTRacist is the wrong question. We know that through its preservation & reproduction of white privilege UCT is racist. What wee should be asking is #HowIsUCTRacist.
IN THIS ISSUE
motions ran high during an open-floor discussion on the prevalence of racism within UCT, as a diverse assortment of people gathered in Hiddingh Hall on Wednesday, April 18th. Personal views and day-to-day experiences of racism on campus were shared. “Race is not something we can ignore. We deal with it every day, and therefore we have to be honest about it, even if that honesty comes at a price,” said Mpumi Tshabalala, a representative of Conscious Conversations, the group that organised this event as part of the third annual Open Forum. Issues that were raised included the colonial history and controversial admissions policy of UCT, as well as racial prejudices amongst students and staff members. The comments triggered heated responses from members of the audience, who were guaranteed anonymity to allow for an unbiased environment in which people felt comfortable enough to share their honest opinions. Many students felt that all white people were “inherently racist”, and that “even though some of them will deny it”, whites predominantly tend to consider blacks as inferior. These accusations sparked outcries from many white students. Many condemned the generalisation that all whites are racist and instead took the view that the issue was less about race than about class and economic divisions. One student said “class divides us more than race; there are more important issues than the colour of someone’s skin.” However, one white attendee confessed, “As a white female I constantly battle with subconscious notions of racism. Even though it’s something subtle, like a brief thought or a quick glance, I know it’s there, and it’s something I have to come to terms with.” The question of language was also raised, with some students deeming
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