Rejecting The Colonial Statue, 150 Lecturers Of Oxford University Hold A Demonstration

Illustration of an Oxford University student. (Wikimedia Commons/Mike Knell)

JAKARTA - As many as 150 Oxford University lecturers and academics staged a demonstration and announced a boycott of teaching, because the university was reluctant to take down the controversial statue of British imperialist Cecil Rhodes at Oriel College.

Lecturers and academics wanted the statue removed, because Rhodes, a 19th-century South African businessman and politician, represented white supremacy and colonialism.

As part of the protest, they will boycott all processes related to teaching and learning, including interviewing candidates from Oriel College at the University of Oxford.

They have also pledged to withdraw from all talks, seminars and conferences organized by Oriel, along with a boycott of the recruitment and assessment process for scholarships in colleges.

Robert Gildea, professor of modern history at Oxford, said the boycott was designed to pressure colleges into removing the statue because all other efforts had failed.

"(The statue) is unacceptable to oriel students themselves, it is unacceptable to many people at other colleges who are making great efforts to increase diversity and inclusion," he told the BBC's Radio 4 Today programme. June.

"There is a lot that has been and has been done (at the university), it's just that Oriel College seems to be in jeopardy," he stressed.

Cecil Rhodes statue. (Wikimedia Commons/Christopher Hilton)

Previously, an investigation carried out by the college also recommended that the statue be removed.

Academics said in a statement that Oriel College's decision not to remove the statue undermined efforts to eradicate racism at the university.

“College universities can only work effectively and credibly to eradicate racism and address the ongoing effects of colonialism, if all colleges do so. Oriel College's decision not to remove the Cecil Rhodes statue weakens us all," the academic said in a statement.

"Despite a supportive voice from its student common room and despite previous voices from the governing body expressing their desire to remove it, Oriel has now decided against it."

"Faced with Oriel's stubborn attachment to a statue that glorifies colonialism and the wealth it brings to higher education, we feel we have no choice but to withdraw all goodwill discretionary and collaborative work," the academic wrote.

Announcing its decision to keep the statue three weeks ago, Oriel College said the time frame and cost were 'a pretty big hurdle'.

"The regulatory body has carefully considered the regulatory and financial challenges, including the expected time frame for elimination, which could last for years with no certainty of outcome, along with the total cost of removal," the Oriel Campus explained.

Meanwhile, Chancellor of Oriel College, Lord Mendoza, admitted that this debate is not easy, it has an impact in the UK and can be even wider.

“We understand this nuanced conclusion will be disappointing for some. but we are now focusing on delivering practical actions aimed at improving student outreach and everyday experiences. We look forward to working with Oxford City Council on options for contextualization."

To note, last year more than a thousand people staged a demonstration in front of the University of Oxford, asking for the statue of Cecil Rhodes to be taken down. The statue stands in the doorway in front of the Rhodes Building, overlooking Oxford's High Street.