From the VC’s Desk
Executive statement on the Decolonial Winter School
Dear colleagues and students
Last week the organisers of the Decolonial Winter School circulated a programme which indicated that a planned series of dinners would be restricted to “people of colour”.
First, I want to state unequivocally that the Decolonial Winter School is open to every student and every member of staff at UCT. In supporting the Decolonial Winter School, the executive made it clear to the organisers of the event that if the event was going to have the official approval of UCT, then it had to comply with UCT rules, based in turn on a set of fundamental values, one of which is the commitment to non-racialism. We therefore do not, and will not, exclude anyone from an official event on the basis of race.
Moreover, in our view, the cause of decoloniality itself is well served by a diversity of opinions and views – along with a commitment to foregrounding the experiences of those who have felt excluded and marginalised. The discussion ought not to be the exclusive domain of a specific group of people.