Must Rhodes Fall? | Full Debate | Oxford Union

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Must Rhodes Fall?

Panelists debate on the issue of whether the statue of Cecil Rhodes should be removed.

The panelists (in order of appearance):

Ntokozo Qwabe:

Ntokozo is a Rhodes Scholar currently pursuing an MSc in African Studies. He completed a BCL at Oxford in 2014. He is an organising member of RMF Oxford.

Yasmin Kumi:

An MBA student at the Said Business School, and the president of the Oxford University Africa Society. Kumi’s research focuses on the development of business in West Africa since the 1960s.

Athinangamso Esther Nkopo:

Athi is a Weidenfeld Scholar pursuing an MSc in African Studies. She holds a Masters in International Relations for the University of the Witwatersrand, and is an organising member of RMF Oxford.

Professor Richard Drayton:

Rhodes Professor of Imperial History at King’s College London. Drayton’s inaugural lecture for the role focussed on the necessity of a post- and anti- imperial emancipatory direction to research, and the need to highlight hidden oppressions.

Professor William Beinart:

Former Professor of Race Relations at the University of Oxford African Studies Centre since 1997. Beinart’s research focuses on South Africa and the development of racism, highlighting the difficulty of reconciling antithetical memories. He recently published an A-level text book on South Africa, 1948-94 in the Searching for Rights and Freedoms.

Professor Nigel Biggar:

Professor of Moral and Pastoral Theology at Christ Church. His research interests include the moral vocation of universities and the ethics of nationalism and empire.

Sophia Cannon:

Social justice and political commentator barrister.

Audience members ultimately voted that the statue should be removed, with 245 ayes to 212 noes.

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