Ntokozo Qwabe is part of a movement called Rhodes Must Fall in Oxford. The group claims Cecil Rhodes was a “racist” and “colonialist” and want a statue of him removed from the university. Qwabe has called Cecil Rhodes “a racist, genocidal maniac,” comparing him to Nazi leader Adolph Hitler. Oxford has not yet made a decision on what to do with the statue. Months earlier, a similar monument to Rhodes was removed from a campus university in South Africa.
The historical Cecil Rhodes was an English businessman, who was involved in the diamond industry in Africa during the nineteenth century. An imperialist, Rhodes was instrumental in helping to colonize large sections of southern Africa into the British empire. The country of Rhodesia, later changed to Zimbabwe, was named after him.
Some critics have called Qwabe a “hypocrite.” They point out that he is studying at Oxford after winning a Rhodes scholarship based on the same man he is denouncing. One British Member of Parliament suggested that several other historical figures would also fall short of “today’s standards.” Some students counter that the campaign is not just against Rhodes, but also about current racism at Oxford.
The 24-year-old law graduate and student activist has also claimed that France has committed “acts of terror.” When asked if France could be considered similar to ISIS, Qwabe suggested that France has perpetrated acts of terror in numerous parts of the world.
Qwabe described the French flag as a symbol of a country that “has for years terrorised – and continues to terrorise – innocent lives in the name of imperialism, colonialism, and other violent barbarities.”
On his own Facebook page, Qwabe claims his comments have been taken out of context and misquoted.
