Honest, open discussion needed to take SU forward
27/01/2016
Let us take the time to listen to each other, talk honestly and openly and work together to take Stellenbosch University (SU) forward. This was the message to more than a thousand former Maties who attended the annual meeting of SU's Convocation on Tuesday (26 January) in Stellenbosch. Speakers at the meeting were renowned poet and author, Breyten Breytenbach, SU alumna, Lovelyn Nwadeyi and SU Rector and Vice-Chancellor, Prof Wim de Villiers.
Addressing the Convocation on preserving the language and addressing the race debate that goes hand in hand with language, Nwadeyi said that this conversation needs to be open and honest and participants in the conversation need to truly listen to each other.
She said that if Afrikaners fight to have Afrikaans preserved, they should keep in mind Afrikaans has many faces and many speakers and all of these faces should be preserved. She also explained that it is not the function of a university to preserve one specific language and one specific culture. "A university should provide education."
She also reiterated how important it is for all South Africans to acknowledge that the history was unjust in order to move forward. "In South Africa we don't have that consensus – as like Germans and the Nazi history – that 400 years of colonialism was unjust. Apartheid was a form of affirmative action by which many white South Africans benefited."
Breytenbach dedicated his speech, Die koei in die Bosch: The framework within which to reflect on language, to Jan Rabie, Ingrid Jonker, Neville Alexander, Sheila Cussons and Piet Philander. The author said masks should be removed and people must cease to practice the "South African art of double speak and double thoughts. If we do not have clarity about promoting who we are and where we want to go, we will be forced into unacceptable and embarrassing compromises which will leave everyone unsatisfied".
Prof Wim de Villiers, said that there are indeed important issues to address at SU, but that he is confident that the institution has solid foundations in place. "We are doing well in the pursuit of excellence, we are making good progress towards becoming more inclusive, and we are addressing societal challenges," he said.
He told Convocation members that SU will continue along its path of being locally relevant and globally competitive. "Our journey is incomplete and imperfect, but we remain steadfast in our determination to go forward. Because that is the only way to create a community of 'social justice and equal opportunities' for all – as our University mission states," he said.
Yes, we are facing challenges at the moment, but there also are many exciting opportunities. We need to fix what is wrong and celebrate what is right. I was in the United States recently when Martin Luther King Jnr Day was commemorated, and I was again struck by this quote of his: 'The time is always right to do what is right'."
He said the higher education sector is undergoing rapid change, and all universities have to innovate and adapt to new circumstances, "or else we will stagnate. John F Kennedy said, 'Change is the law of life. And those who look only to the past or the present are certain to miss the future'".
Prof De Villiers also touched on the issue of language at Maties. "Our language policy gets a lot of attention. Some fear that our use of Afrikaans may exclude those who prefer to study in English, others fear our use of English is putting Afrikaans at a disadvantage. I want to tell you the University is committed to multilingualism without any exclusion. Language should never be an obstacle to any student," he added.
In his address to Convocation, outgoing Convocation President Prof Christo Viljoen, said focus should be placed on equal language rights and that the language debate should now be put to rest. "I get the impression that we often do not grasp each other's point of view, that there are more things we agree on than differ with," he said.
"I hope that henceforth co-operative and a win-win approach will be pursued in which all interested parties will be winners. That Stellenbosch University will win, that its students will win and that the two languages of instruction will win. Let us not begrudge each other the right to exist and refrain from pursuing a 'winner-takes-all' obsession."
Prof Viljoen proposed that the University council should appoint a representative panel of independent experts to investigate the issue of language. "I believe that a CODESA-type of language summit should include that all stakeholders will be represented, to give practical expression to the principles of equal language rights."
Tuesday's meeting also included the election of the Executive Committee of the Convocation. The new Executive Committee are Jan Heunis as president, Jacques du Preez as vice-president, Dr Nadia Marais re-elected as secretary and Sonja Loots and Dr Michael Le Cordeur as the new additional members.
Statement issued by Stellenbosch University, 27 January 2016
