How Rhodes University students play with people's lives – a call for an end to community engagement?

For the past two years I have had the pleasure of taking the annual “Township walks” with Rhodes Lecturer, Joy Owen as part of her Anthropology 2 “Power and Wealth” course. Every year the walks are always emotionally and physically taxing and further exacerbated by feelings of powerlessness at the poverty and spirit of most of the people in the township. More disturbing is the fact that most townships always have some form of apprehension towards Rhodes University students.

Oh Yes – They have seen Rhodes University students, they have seen them all too well, because Rhodes, oh Dear Rhodes - is a university that prides itself on being engaged with the community in the townships. The students pride themselves in forming societies and even having “Community Engagement Representatives” all in the name of helping the people in the location – and they in turn earn the right to call themselves “Activists” (*I start puking*).

However very few students stay at Rhodes University for over four years – and while some societies are able to maintain effective “community engagement activities” more often than not these societies and activities disintegrate when the students disperse and then what happens? mnnnn.

I recently attended an interview with the Rhodes University’s Business Society (RBS) – A society aiming to equip students with critical business skills. During the interview I got into a debate with one of the committee members (*not a good thing*) as he was asking why I was saying there can ever be enough “community engagement.”

I think while most students have good intentions in starting up all these great initiatives – the question of community engagement should really be given more thought, because I believe NOT that students should NOT engage with the community – BUT RATHER THAT STUDENTS SHOULD NOT BE DOING WHAT IS LARGLY THE UNIVERSITY’S JOB.

This allows them to be able to get away with murder really – literally. Rhodes should have a proper community engagement policy that the students can feed into – which would be more permanent than student societies and furthermore – the people in the township would have proper structures that they can hold accountable for broken promises or incomplete projects.

If the University does not do this – then the students will continue to play with the lives of the people in the township. I leave you all with a beautiful post by Kojo Baffoe - he said: “I live in Africa. It isn't a cause, it is our lives.” And both Rhodes and its students should keep this in mind – people’s lives can NEVER be used as a cause – they live!