An exhibition displaying four sculptures by Zimbabwean artists which aims to “contextualise” the legacy of Cecil Rhodes will open at Oriel College later this year.
The sculptures were chosen from over 100 pieces of art submitted for a competition organised by the Oxford Zimbabwe Arts Partnership (OZAP), a group established in 2020 in response to the Rhodes Must Fall protest movement.
The competition’s judges included Lord Mendoza, the Provost of Oriel College; Elleke Boehmer, a Trustee of the Rhodes Trust; and Norbert Shamuyarira, a Zimbabwean sculptor and one of the co-founders of OZAP.
The panel met on the 7th March and chose the sculpture “Blindfold Justice” as the centrepiece for the exhibition. It was created by Wallace Mkankha, 34, an artist based at the Chitungwiza Arts Centre near Harare.
Mkankha said about his piece: “The face, shrouded in anguish, symbolises the suffering of the Zimbabwean people. The two hands covering the eyes signify the forced blindness to the truth as Rhodes’ regime imposed its oppressive rule.
“The two hands struggling to remove the blindfold represent the resilience and determination of Zimbabwean people to break free from oppression.”
Lord Mendoza said: “I look forward to viewing Wallace’s sculpture at Oriel College. We had a challenging but engaging judging session. I’m grateful to all the expert judges for their insight to help reach a decision.
“Each sculpture represents a creative form of engagement with the complicated legacy of Cecil Rhodes in Zimbabwe.”
Rhodes migrated to southern Africa at the age of 17. In 1871, he moved to Kimberley and over the next twenty years became one of the wealthiest diamond producers in the world, founding the De Beers company in 1888.
In 1890, he became Prime Minister of the Cape Colony, a territory spanning part of contemporary South Africa. During his premiership, the government passed the 1892 Franchise and Ballot Act, which raised the property qualifications for voting and thus excluded most non-white voters. He also supported increased racial segregation in areas like Cape Town.
He led the British South Africa Company (BSAC) in 1889. The BSAC colonised contemporary Zimbabwe, seizing the Mashonaland in 1890 and the Matabeleland from 1893 to 1894. From 1896 to 1897, it brutally suppressed a revolt in these territories, with estimates for overall mortality from killings and famine ranging up to 20,000.
From 1873 to 1881, Rhodes intermittently completed a degree at Oriel College. On his death in 1902, he left it money, which allowed for the establishment of the international Rhodes Scholarship, which grants 102 postgraduate scholarships annually. Beneficiaries include former US president Bill Clinton, the Booker Prize-winning novelist Richard Flanagan, and three prime ministers of Australia.
Richard Pantlin, founder of OZAP, said: “We have many visitors to Oxford from around the world to educate them about some of that colonial history and to get them to reflect on the impact of the British Empire, particularly Cecil Rhodes’ impact in Zimbabwe.”
Protests in 2020 called for the removal of the statue of Rhodes above the main entrance of Oriel College. As a consequence, in June 2020, the Oriel College Governing Body voted to remove the Rhodes Statue.
However, in April 2021, Oriel College announced that the statue would not be withdrawn, citing the “regulatory and financial challenges” of taking down a Grade II* listed monument.
The exhibition will open at Oriel in September, before moving to the University Church of St Mary the Virgin in Oxford until December.
