Cognisant that the academic calendar was entering its exam preparation phase, the Global Engagement Division (GED) in collaboration with academic, students and external partners, succeeded in curating a month-long programme to celebrate Africa month, bringing African ideas, identities and innovations to the fore and affirming Rhodes University as an active and engaged space of learning, critical reflection, and public dialogue.
Throughout the month, the University’s Library Services amplified Africa-focused knowledge by showcasing African literature, biographies and scholarship across all floors of the library, complemented by screen displays, celebrating the work of African authors and icons. Educational campaigns across all campus screens also introduced facts about every African country and information about the African Union’s history and vision, further fostering awareness of the continent’s diversity and achievements.
Engaging with postgraduate students and staff during a lunchtime session on Monday 5 May, Logan Wort, Executive Secretary and CEO of the African Tax Administration Forum (ATAF), led a thought-provoking seminar, discussing new ideologies, the digital economy, illicit financial flows and Africa’s evolving fiscal landscape. Later, in a public lecture, Wort urged Africans to look to themselves and engage with facts and figures, seek accurate data, investigate international agreements with Africa and to engage in bold thinking to shape the continent’s future. Having noted that the amount of cash leaving Africa in illicit financial flows exceeds the official development assistance that the Continent receives, he suggested that nobody is coming to save Africa, and it will be up to us to take forward the development of the Continent. Challenging contemporary thinking, he suggested that those holding on to power for too long need to be thanked for their contribution and to make way for a new generation and new thinking.
The Rhodes University Community Engagement (RUCE) Division organised a two-day global dialogue on 8 and 9 May about the cultivation of humanity, with a range of inspiring speakers. The theme was inspired by reflections on the human situation, post the COVID pandemic, as pandemics of violence, corruption, socioeconomic injustice and inequality, among other forms of dehumanisation, continue to prevail.
Africa Month brought the University and wider community together in a joyful celebration of African culture on Saturday, 10 May at The Makhanda Community Concert, a standout event that featured moving performances by the Department of Music and Musicology, the Rhodes Chamber Choir, the Makana Community Orchestra, and the legendary Sipho “Hotstix” Mabuse.
It was an honour to welcome a delegation from Zimbabwe’s Department of Presidential Scholarships on Monday, 12 May. The visit was in response to a request from the principals of Zimbabwe’s secondary schools to reinvigorate long-standing academic relationships with the University.
Monday, 12 May, also saw the launch of the Africa Research and Knowledge Hub; an exciting new interdisciplinary platform fostering collaborative scholarship across borders, and aimed at shaping and sharing African perspectives on social, political, economic and environmental issues.
On Monday, 19 May, an interactive event with the students to engage with the question of reparations, led to a wide range of interesting and well-thought-out responses being captured on library wall, where GED had arranged the painting of a mural with the AU theme for 2025. This also provided an opportunity for GED to distribute exam treats to the students.
This was followed by an Open Mic event at the Rhodes Theatre Café, which offered poetry, marimba and string music (uhadi), personal stories and tributes to “Africans Who Shaped Us.” The evening opened with a powerful presentation and reflection by Dr Walter Barure titled “The Rule of Law at the Limits: The Constitutional Vision of Alex Tawanda Magaisa” on the late Alex Tawanda Magaisa, Zimbabwean constitutional lawyer, also known as the “People’s Professor”.
Student events encouraged critical reflection on the AU’s theme, with students exploring what justice and reparations mean to them and the practical steps they believe must be taken. On Monday, 26 May, an informal Africa Day Quiz, paired with exam treats, added an element of fun, while encouraging learning about the continent. During the same lunch break, GED also launched the Multicultural Monday campaign, inviting the University community to live the ethos: “I’m proud of my culture and curious about yours”. Students were invited to provide suggestions for activities to form an ongoing programme for “Multicultural Monday”.
That evening, we celebrated Africa Day with a powerful panel discussion on Justice and Reparations, chaired by Thabang Moleko from the Rhodes Business School, featuring Professors Ciraj Rassool, Shahid Vawda and Pedro Tabensky, who captivated the audience with the scope and depth of the discussion. Organised by Director of GED, Orla Quinlan, opened by the Vice Chancellor, Professor Sizwe Mabizela, and with concluding remarks by Deputy Dean of Humanities and the Director for the Confucius Institute, Professor Patrice Mwepu, the panel examined justice, reparations and the many complications of implementing solutions to adequately humanise the memory of African lives in a world shaped by ongoing colonial legacies and dehumanisation.
Other academic highlights throughout the month included the inaugural lecture of Professor Tshidi Mohapeloa, titled “Social Value Creators: Changemakers That Use Entrepreneurship as a Conduit for Societal Transformation”, on 6 May. The launch of the Inyathi Ibuzwa Kwabaphambili: Theorising South African Women's Intellectual Legacies, edited by Babalwa Magoqwana, Siphokazi Magadla & Athambile Masola, on 14 May and the Vice-Chancellor’s Book Award lecture, by Professor Alan Kirkaldy, also on 14 May, for his book: Everyday Communists in South Africa's Liberation Struggle: The lives of Ivan and Lesley Schermbruker.
On Thursday, 22 May, the Amazwi South African Museum of Literature hosted the launch of a new book by the legendary Poet Laureate, Wally Serote, followed on Friday, 23 May, by the opening of a photographic exhibition celebrating his life and legacy. Both events drew significant attendance from students and staff, offering a powerful close to the month’s literary thread.
Africa Month 2025 may have ended, but the conversations it sparked and the collaborations it seeded are just beginning. Rhodes University remains committed to being a place where African knowledge is valued, African voices are heard, and African futures are shaped.