Cecil John Rhodes: British Empire Hitman

This is a young man who, among thousands of other majority Black students across the country, took to the streets of the country and their respective university campuses, to demand there be a solution to the historic exclusion of Black and poor students at institutions of higher learner primarily due to the issue of exorbitant fees.

In response to the impact of coronavirus and the nation-wide lockdown, the Baxter Theatre Centre has launched a brand-new initiative called Baxter Radio, aimed at recording school set-works, children’s books, new South African works and classics. These will be made directly accessible to The Baxter’s subscriber database and to community radio stations.

He has performed extremely well in South African art competitions in recent years: in 2012 he was a finalist in the ABSA L’Atelier top ten awards, and the winner of the prestigious Gerard Sekoto Award, which facilitated his completion of two residencies in 2013: at Atelier le Grand Village (Angouleme, France), and at Cité Internationale des Arts (Paris, France)

In Afrika, Covid-19 is revealing remnants of our colonial past, as witnessed through chaotic lockdowns and complex marshalling of the masses. The bandaged wounds of social inequalities and poor infrastructure are peeling off. They reveal to us how slowly the wheels of freedom and equality turn.

In my experience as a Black person the right to life and dignity are the same rights that have been violated consistently through systemic violence and associated material conditions this system creates. The conditions under which most Black people live in are not just inhumane, but pose a direct threat to their right to life.