Rhodes Must Fall | |
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![]() The statue at the centre of the controversy: a statue of Cecil Rhodes by Marion Walgate (1934) | |
Date | 9 March 2015 |
Location | |
Caused by | Perceived lack of transformation in South Africa following colonialism and apartheid[1] |
Goals | Removal of the statue of Cecil Rhodes on campus, "decolonisation of education" and "racial transformation" at the university[1] |
Methods | |
Resulted in | Statue removed 9 April 2015 |
Rhodes Must Fall was a protest movement that began on 9 March 2015, originally directed against a statue at the University of Cape Town (UCT) that commemorates Cecil Rhodes. The campaign for the statue's removal received global attention[2][3] and led to a wider movement to "decolonise" education across South Africa.[3][4] On 9 April 2015, following a UCT Council vote the previous night, the statue was removed.
Rhodes Must Fall captured national headlines throughout 2015 and sharply divided public opinion in South Africa. It also inspired the emergence of allied student movements at other universities, both within South Africa and elsewhere in the world.