Oriel College at Oxford University plans to host an exhibition contextualizing the legacy of British imperialist Cecil Rhodes, amidst ongoing debates around colonialism and racism. A sculpture competition, in collaboration with the Oxford Zimbabwe Arts Partnership, seeks to highlight the suffering of Zimbabweans during Rhodes' colonial wars. The exhibition, taking place from September to December, aims to reflect on these historical impacts while celebrating resilience. The Rhodes Must Fall movement emphasizes the need to confront Rhodes' representation of colonial oppression and white supremacy.
The Rhodes statue, erected between 1901 and 1911, was funded by a £100,000 bequest from the industrialist himself, a former student of the college.
The exhibition requires 'a figurative or semi-abstract reflection on the impact of Cecil Rhodes' colonial wars on the indigenous people of Zimbabwe.'
Campaigners from the Rhodes Must Fall group have argued that the 19th-century politician and diamond mining magnate represents white supremacy.
Oriel College aims to contextualize the contested history of colonialism in Zimbabwe and the legacy of Cecil Rhodes alongside the historic suffering of Zimbabweans.
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