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On one side, people have wanted to see the statue taken down, viewing it as a symbol of colonial oppression, and are celebrating now that it has been.
On the other, people think the statue should have stayed up, because they believe Rhodes was a hero for scholars in this country, or because they believe it’s a non-issue that shouldn’t bother people. They are now either upset that it’s been taken down, or they are smugly informing those who campaigned to take it down that their success means nothing, fixes nothing, changes nothing.
There’s been a conversation between white South Africa and black South Africa over the past few weeks, and it’s gone a bit like this:
White South Africa: “You black people need to let go of the apartheid already. It’s history. It’s in the past. We don’t have institutionalized racism anymore. Just forget it so that we can move on.”
Black South Africa: “Well OK. Could we please remove this statue of Rhodes, as it serves as a constant reminder of colonial oppression? That’s a part of history we’d very much like to forget, and it’s a little hard to when it’s in our face like that.”
White South Africa: “What? No! You can’t take down the Rhodes statue! That’s an important reminder of our history! You can’t just erase our history! Anyway you have no right or reason to be upset by it. You’re just getting upset over nothing and making a big deal out of a non-issue. Again.”
Black South Africa: *Has the statue taken down anyway*
White South Africa: “Well I hope you know this changes nothing! You haven’t fixed anything! You’ve done something meaningless and unimportant!”
Listen. As a white person who grew up with exactly the same whitewashed, over-glorified history of Rhodes that so many other white South Africans did, I really want to address my peers, white South Africa, here:
Please stop telling black people what is and is not allowed to matter to them. Please stop telling them what is and is not important. If something is severely upsetting black people, please stop immediately assuming that they’re getting upset over nothing.
Especially if you don’t personally believe you’re racist.
If a good friend came to you to tell you that something is upsetting them, and you don’t quite personally understand why, there’s a good chance that you will still listen closely to your friend, and try to see things from their perspective. You’re not going to just assume your friend is over-reacting, and dismiss whatever they have to say.
You’re not going to talk over them when they’re trying to explain. You’re going to listen in good faith, and try to understand. You might even then not quite agree with your friend, but you will have shown your friend the common decency of taking their complaint seriously, because you respect them.
So why, if you believe yourself to be progressive, and not racist, do you so often refuse this same common decency, this basic respect, to black people?
When somebody comes to you with a problem that’s bothering and upsetting them, and your immediate reaction is to assume that they’re the main reason for the problem, that they’re just blowing things out of proportion, and that whatever is upsetting them doesn’t really matter, then I’m sorry, but you’re prejudiced against that person.
If your immediate reaction to black people wanting the Rhodes statue to be taken down is to dismiss them, talk over them, refuse to listen to them in good faith, insist the statue doesn’t really matter, and assume they’re blowing things out of proportion, then, I’m sorry, but that reaction is racist.
The worst thing is this reaction is so normal, white South Africa barely even notice it. If someone complains about racism, the complaint should be taken extremely seriously. Instead, people just shout “race card, black people making a fuss over nothing again” and move on, even when the racism is painfully blatant.
Rhodes falling might not seem like a big deal to you, but you know what? To people who are so used to having their concerns dismissed as irrelevant and unimportant by so many people in this country, so often, and so constantly, this symbolic display of their concerns being sincerely listened to and shown respect actually does matter. It matters a huge deal.
Rhodes has fallen. It’s a good start. White South Africa, the next step is for us to learn how, when we don’t understand, to shut up and listen.
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