Last Friday Grahamstown's High Street was adorned with an array of vibrant international flags from Lesotho, Uganda, Nigeria, Rwanda, France, America, Britain and many others.
This colourful display was part of a lively International Day Parade organised by Rhodes University and included the wider community.
Last Friday Grahamstown's High Street was adorned with an array of vibrant international flags from Lesotho, Uganda, Nigeria, Rwanda, France, America, Britain and many others.
This colourful display was part of a lively International Day Parade organised by Rhodes University and included the wider community.
People got into the spirit of the occasion with singing and dancing, accompanied by musical instruments from different countries. Murray Roodt, a first year Rhodes BSc student was dressed in a Scottish kilt and played the bagpipes. "It's been great fun,” he said. “I met a lot of new people and got to see different cultures.”
As the crowd marched down High Street towards the Cathedral, many joined along the way. "I saw the Botswana flag and I couldn't help but come along because that's where I come from," said Tumi Mothudi, a fifth year LLB student from Rhodes University.
Banners displayed the words: "Umuntu ngumuntu ngabantu" (a person is someone through other people) and "Izandla ziyagezana" (the hands wash each other), and many people wore blue anti-xenophobia t-shirts with an imprint of the African continent.
At the Cathedral, the paraders were entertained by the Graeme Steel Band, before heading to the Great Field where local community performers were lined up.
These included the Victoria Girls' Choir, Victoria Girls' Marimba Band and the Sakhuluntu Cultural Group, amongst others. Rhodes Dean of Humanities, Prof Frederick Hendricks, said that this was an important event as Rhodes University had many international students. "They need to feel that South Africa is home," he said.
“We wanted to create a space where people could come together and celebrate their diversity," said Orla Quinlan, the Director of Rhodes University's International Office, who organised the event. "There are very few spaces where people come together outside of affiliations, this wasn't about being affiliated, but just an invitation to be curious, open and to come along.”
Quinlan said she sees this as a 'seed event' which could grow and improve next year. “I'll give it a go again next year,” she said. “Now I want others to come along and add new ideas.”
