Stephen VasciannieTHERE HAS always been a contradiction inherent in the Rhodes Scholarships. Essentially, the existence of the Rhodes Trust, and the scholarships available from the Trust, raise the question of the extent to which qualities such as human development, morality and fairness may flow from financial sources that are tainted by historical oppression and fundamental unfairness.
Cecil Rhodes, arch-imperialist, envisioned an Africa controlled by the British from the Cape to Cairo, and in the process of establishing components of that vision, he amassed a personal fortune derived in large part from the exploitation of black people in Southern Africa. So, the river is polluted at the source, but does this lead to a degree of contamination so severe that we should avoid making use of the river as it subsequently enriches the lowlands in its mature stage?
The Rhodes Scholarships -- the main fruits under the will of Cecil Rhodes -- were established in 1902, a century ago. As is well-known, the scholarships are designed to ensure that outstanding students drawn mainly from the United States of America and the Commonwealth are given the opportunity to pursue two or three years of study at Oxford University. On average, there are about 245 Rhodes Scholars in residence at Oxford per year; three scholarships are available annually for candidates from the Commonwealth Caribbean.
RIGOROUS SELECTION
The selection process for Jamaicans and other Caribbean nationals is rigorous. In his will, Rhodes expressly indicated the criteria that should guide the selection of scholars. The 2003 Rhodes Scholarship memorandum sets out the criteria as follows:
"Proven intellectual and academic achievement of a high standard is the first quality required of applicants, but they will also be required to show integrity of character, sympathy for and protection of the weak, the ability to lead, and the energy to use their talents to the full."
Rhodes himself believed that the energy to use talents "to the full" would be best demonstrated by participation in sports, but this is not essential if candidates can show the physical vigour necessary to contribute to social progress in areas other than sporting achievement. And, on balance, selectors should aim for Rhodes Scholars who would come to "esteem the performance of public duties as (their) highest aim."
Many Jamaican scholars have lived up to the tradition of public service expected by the Rhodes Trust and local selection committees. For instance, recent literature from the Trust publicly acknowledges the vital role in national development made by Norman Manley Q.C., former Premier and Chief Minister, and Professor Rex Nettleford, the Vice-Chancellor of the University of the West Indies; others, in substantial number, have also contributed in the realms of politics, journalism, law, medicine, religion, diplomacy, business and other spheres of public life.
For Jamaica, then, when we are assessing the contradiction of relying on tainted sources, the contributions on the positive side of the equation -- contribution to public service -- are real and unquestionable.
THE FOUNDATION
In recent months, the Rhodes Trust has also acted to strengthen the items on the positive side of the equation by entering into a joint arrangement with Nelson Mandela to establish the Mandela Rhodes Foundation. The Mandela Rhodes Foundation, which is designed to support human resource development in South Africa in particular, and in Africa more generally, has received a benefaction of 10 million pounds from the Rhodes Trust, and it has embarked upon efforts to raise another £20 million to support its activities.
Among other things, the Foundation, established last February, has dedicated itself to improvements in child health by supporting the Mandela Children's Fund and by the training of paediatricians in Africa; it will also encourage further education in Southern Africa, mainly at the secondary level, and work to enhance the cultural heritage of South Africans, particularly by providing sporting facilities to communities that were disadvantaged under Apartheid. Also, in keeping with priorities associated with Nelson Mandela, it will work to promote the rule of law, human rights and the protection of the environment by various specific means.
For the first five years of operation, the Mandela Rhodes Foundation will be chaired by Nelson Mandela or his representative. This will be followed by a five-year period in which the chairman of the Rhodes will assume the chair of the Foundation, and thereafter, appointments to the post of chairman will be on a rotating basis. The membership of the board will be equally divided between representatives of the Nelson Mandela Foundation and the Rhodes Trust.
This structure is intended to promote co-operation on the basis of equality between the representatives of those who were, until recently, subjected to systematic oppression within South Africa, and those who now hold in trust the profits of Cecil Rhodes activities in that part of the world. This is a step forward, and the public association of the foundation with the venerable name and authority of Nelson Mandela will help to provide credibility to the activities contemplated.
SCRUTINY AND SCEPTICISM
Moreover, the joint structure of the foundation represents acknowledgement of the need for change on the part of the Rhodes Trust. Undoubtedly, the Trust has used the funds from the Rhodes will to the advantage of beneficiary/scholars throughout the century of Rhodes Scholarships. But, in the post-colonial period, when structures of paternalism are correctly subjected to detailed scrutiny and scepticism, the Trust needs to consider ways of ensuring that there are more representatives of the beneficiary countries on the board of the Trust itself. In that way, it will promote the idea that, notwithstanding its historical origins, the Trust itself is now a vehicle of equality, and not only a mechanism by which nationals of Britain distribute Rhodes money to former colonials on a "top-down" basis. Democratisation should go all the way through the system, and, if the Mandela Rhodes Foundation provides a model of how this may be done initially, then it will be valuable in both material and psychological terms.
The Mandela Rhodes Foundation provides a practical example of co-operation at the non-governmental level that should work to the advantage of thousands who have been excluded from the necessities of modern life. As the Rhodes Trust stands on the edge of its centenary anniversary, with celebratory events planned for Cape Town, London and Oxford in 2003, the trustees are to be commended for reinvesting meaningful sums of money into Southern Africa and other developing areas.
Thus, the sums may be tainted at source, but if used fairly and equitably, and if allocated by democratic means, they may come to be seen as a form of reparation for historical oppression. They may, in particular, provide benefits for many underprivileged young people in Africa and the Caribbean who would otherwise have their talents go to waste.
Stephen Vasciannie is a professor at the University of the West Indies.
