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Mandela Rhodes scholars to debate diversity

“Now that Rhodes has fallen‚ King George has been defaced‚ and transformation is back on top of the national agenda‚ are we united in our diversity?” asks Suntosh Pillay.

The organiser of the Mandela Rhodes Community answers his own question: “Probably not‚ given xenophobia‚ homophobia‚ and other social pathologies continues to haunt us. In a sense‚ Africa is still very colonised.”

This will be the topic of the forum’s Conversations for Change‚ which will be hosted at the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN) on May 26.

Debating the topic with activist and trainer Vasu Gounden‚ founder of the African Centre for the Constructive Resolution of Disputes; Dr Mvuselelo Ngcoya‚ a lecturer in developmental studies at UKZN; Elisha Kunene‚ a law student‚ writer and president of the debating union; and Paul Kariuki‚ a PhD researcher and programmes manager of the Democracy Development Programme.

As part of Africa Week‚ Mandela Rhodes scholars will help run diversity a leadership training workshop in Ndwedwe‚ which learners from three local schools will attend.

“We want to nurture young leaders and help them take an idea for social change and turn it into a practical plan that embraces diversity and prevents incidents like xenophobic violence from happening again‚” said Pillay.

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