There cannot be doubt that the #FeesMustFall and #RhodesMustFall movements changed South Africa’s socio-political landscape in 2015. Both movements scored significant victories, with the removal of Cecil John Rhodes’ statue at the University of Cape Town and the announcement of free fee higher education in 2017.
In this collection of essays, poetry and articles, editors Wandile and Busani Ngcaweni provide a post analysis of the #FeesMustFall movement by looking at different themes that emerged and which affected the movement from within, but most importantly, how issues raised during the #FeesMustFall linked with other socio-economic factors that continues to affect the country on a daily basis.
“People came from nowhere to dictate how the movement must operate. This became a major stumbling block in the growth of the organization, because instead of discussing the ideas and issues, we were having debates about on logistics and leadership,’ Mcebo Dlamini, one of the front leaders reflects on one leadership issue that affected the movement.
The editors have cleverly divided the book into four parts, which builds from different themes which emerged from the movement, from theorizing the Fees Must Fall Movement, intersectionality and feminist perspectives, what the #FeesMustFall movement meant to different activists and the higher education policy quagmire.
The voices of activists in this book such as Anele Madonsela, Gugu Ndima, Khanyisile Mboya and the cover girl Tshepiso Modupe just remind us that patriarchy and misogyny also did found expression in the movement.
A reader with a passion for a non-sexist, egalitarian society and inclusive higher education sector will definitely find his/her voice fully represented in this book.
This book thus serve as motivation that indeed South Africa is gifted with young thought leaders who know what need to be done in order for the country to realize Nelson Mandela’s dream of ‘rainbow nation’.
The only disappoint in this book is that editors should have translated Lovelyn Nwadeyi’s account, which part of it is in Afrikaans.
Translation in English will have been good since not everyone can read Afrikaans.
Besides that, this book is a must read for all patriotic South Africans. I will give it 8/10 rating, for the manner in which it was packaged, how the editors included different voices in the book and how they reminded us that patriarchy and misogyny are enemies of our dream to be a non-sexist society.
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1 comment
Nice piece. Sounds like a must read. This really interests me. Thanks Ezekiel