Oxford University has come under fire from its own student.
Ntokozo Qwabe, an Oxford University law student, from South Africa, has come down heavily on the world famous institution for its 'systemic racism'.
Qwabe, a Rhodes scholar, claimed that students at Oxford endure “systemic racism, patriarchy and other oppressions” on a daily basis, according to a report in The Daily Telegraph. He accused the university of spreading “injustice” around the world by educating future leaders with a “skewed” and “Eurocentric” mindset. The student also claimed the Oxford’s admission process is ‘unrepresentative’ and ‘perpetrates exclusion’.
The student, who called the French flag a ‘symbol of violence, terror and genocide’ after the Paris attacks, wrote a lengthy 1,000-word post on Facebook hitting out at British media for perpetuating a ‘racist myth’ and speaking out against Oxford University.
The furore comes in the wake of a high-profile campaign to have a plaque and statue dedicated to Cecil Rhodes, removed from outside Oxford University’s Oriel College. Qwabe was the co-founder of the Rhodes Must Fall in Oxford movement.
Rhodes was one of the era's most famous imperialists, with Rhodesia – now Zimbabwe and Zambia – named after him. Qwabe is one of 89 current Rhodes scholars who benefit from the colonialist's legacy, which brings foreign students to Oxford at a cost of £8 million a year.
So far, over 8,000 people from around the world have been granted Rhodes Scholarships, including Tony Abbott and Bill Clinton.
