Be brave enough to start a conversation

The talking walls are on each of NMMU's campuses 

That’s what Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University did … they heeded the call by Higher Education South Africa to try to assess what role higher education might be playing in terms of promoting democracy in South Africa.

They started the conversation by erecting temporary walls – “talking walls” - on all six of our campuses to give staff and students the opportunity to share what democracy means to them anonymously.

And for the most part, participants have responded responsibly citing everything from being able to study at a multi-cultural university to being able to vote.

But of course you always get one …

In fact, in this case, it’s probably three or four.

These are the ones who choose to spoil a perfectly good idea by sharing racist and offensive comments, which flies in the very face of NMMU’s values, and democracy itself.

The very values the university endeavours to instill in its students, like integrity and taking responsibility, are the very ones that are flouted and ignored.

Nasty, negative, racist and downright offensive statements have been shared on at least two of the nine or so boards. And a number of staff and students are not happy – understandably so.

“It tarnishes our reputation,” one highlighted, and indeed it does. Few of our 27 000 students would want to be associated with those who spew forth such venomous hate speech, but that’s life, isn’t it?

There is always one or more who will ruin it for the rest because I would hate to think that the majority of our students, the Born Frees, are racist. Most have moved on or certainly want to move beyond things that categorise them according to their colour.

We’re embarrassed by the horrible comments too because it’s Diversity Month at NMMU – a time when we celebrate our differences and how they enrich our lives.

These “talking walls” are aimed at enriching our lives by giving those who work and study here the opportunity – in line with HESA’s call – to have their say.

After all, a university, a place of higher learning, is the ideal platform for such discussions to take place. It is part of what we are meant to do. We are meant to provide folk with a safe space for sharing.

Yes, we’re meant to have critical conversations, we’re meant to be brave enough to start the conversation …

We were brave enough.

And now we’ve got to be brave, bold and honest enough in handling the fall-out (I have no doubt the media will follow up). We’ve got to acknowledge that though we have come a long way during the first 20 years of our democracy, we still have a long way to go …

After all, the writing is on the wall (literally).