**“Cecil John Rhodes: Hero, Villain, Ruthless Exploiter or Unjustly Accused?**

How can we live with, and amidst, the legacy of Cecil John Rhodes? Should that even be a question? Going to South Africa as a poorly teenager, Mr Rhodes became one of the most influential and richest entrepreneurs on earth. His ruthless political ambition and fortune enabled him to expand British imperial interests. Rhodes’ British South Africa Company colonised large parts of southern Africa: Southern Rhodesia (Zimbabwe), northern Rhodesia (Zambia) and Nyasaland (Malawi). The two Rhodesias were named after Mr Rhodes, who was also the Premier of the Cape Colony in South Africa. Wars were fought, lands were appropriated, enterprises were built on worker exploitation, extractive industries paid no attention to environmental issues and Cecil John Rhodes’ wealth substantially increased. When Rhodes died, he donated large sums of money to philanthropic causes. The Rhodes Trust was born in 1903 and is based at Rhodes House, Oxford. It has been responsible for the education of many people across the world. Initially discriminating against women, the Rhodes Trust later became inclusive. The Rhodes Must Fall movement which began in 2015 at the University of Cape Town raised fundamental legacy issues about the Trust and Mr Rhodes himself. How can the Rhodes Trust engage with issues of equity and redress? How can reparative actions benefit southern African communities and the environment? How can legacy issues be mobilised to forge a common, equitable, and just future for all? These photographs challenge us to think about these issues, reflecting on the positive and the negative, forcing us to think about how we can make the world a ‘more just place’?&#x20;

**About the Rhodes Trust’s Legacy, Equity, and Inclusion journey**

Our reputation as the world's most distinguished academic scholarship rests not on the controversial life of our founder but on the enormous contributions our Scholars have made to the world. Today, all of us around the world are called to join the struggle for equality and inclusion of all peoples of diverse backgrounds and identities, to eradicate systemic racism and to confront legacies of slavery, imperialism, and White supremacy.

We cannot reconcile or heal if we do not acknowledge and see. In that spirit, we acknowledge that racism and other forms of exclusion have played a significant role in the history of the Rhodes Trust. While we have moved beyond our past in important ways, much more is required. Our mission and complicated legacy drive us to play a proactive role in this work. We embrace the opportunity to continuously improve and to enhance our ability to develop leaders who will make positive change.  This means engaging more fully, critically and honestly with our history, equipping ourselves with the knowledge and skills to engage in anti-racist action, and taking concrete steps to make ourselves and our communities more inclusive and diverse.

**Guiding Principles**

In developing and continuing to refine and update our work, we are guided by several principles:

1\.	Fidelity to the Trust’s Mission to develop compassionate, innovative, and public-spirited people committed to solving humanity’s challenges;

2\.	Alignment & Integration with the Trust’s 125th Anniversary Strategic Plan - Lifelong Fellowship for Global Impact;

3\.	Humility and Radical Inclusion: a willingness to listen and learn from diverse perspectives across our global, cross-generational fellowship, and beyond it;

4\.	Curiosity, Honesty and Intellectual Rigour about the past and the present; and

5\.	A Spirit of Acknowledgement, Reconciliation and Reparation to shape priorities and guide actions.


Living with the Legacy of Cecil John Rhodes by Shadreck Chirikure

Take 3D Tour