A Rhodes by any other name is just a waste

WHAT is in a name? Would not a rose by any other name still smell as sweet?’’ William Shakespeare wrote in Romeo and Juliet more than four centuries ago.

“That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet,” he answered.

Many people agree that with Shakespeare’s description – whether one is to call the flower by its scientific name, Rosacea, its common name, Rose, or by any other name, its smell remains sweet and enchanting and never changes.

So, what’s in a name for my alma mater, Rhodes University?

I enter the discussion on a possible name change with an open mind and, yes, more than a little trepidation. It does not matter whether one talks of changing the name of a school, a university, a community hall, a road or a river, almost all change evokes emotions of fear, helplessness and a lack of trust or confidence.

Changing the name of an institution is not something we should look at lightly. We need to do our homework.

It’s encouraging that this august institution has shown itself willing to listen to a lot of us who were once students and remain proud of our association with Rhodes.

Here are some of the viewpoints: Should we really care what the institution is called more than about what kind of learning goes on inside its lecture rooms.

What about the fact that history is complicated and we need to learn about real people and events, not fairytales dreamed up by apologists. Conversely, it has often been said that history is written by the winners. What of that?

Some argue that a different name will signal a quest for a new image, a new perspective, a new beginning.

Others say, what’s a name – a series of letters. A word. That’s all a name is.

There are those who may say choosing the right name will create magic, a change behaviour and perhaps make the difference between success and failure. And a name can live on for generations. Others may point out that when an organisation is forced to change its name, the circumstances are usually adverse. A name may have become a liability or a burden, or simply have lost its appeal to people.

To some, a new name may require constant explaining. If a name requires constant explanations about its obscure origin, it may become a liability.

We all know that generally, a name is a word devised to uniquely describe an object, a place, or person. A mountain or a river is given a name to distinguish it uniquely from other natural features; similarly, villages, towns and even objects in daily use.

The assigning of a name to a river, mountain, village, or town may derive from historical events, fictional beliefs, or be a mere expression of hope and expectations.

The renaming of schools, streets and other public places may express significant developments. Among them, the growing political clout of new groups that are coming of age in a country’s dynamic political stew.

Of course, there are those who will say we should not judge yesterday’s heroes by today’s standards, that we should give today’s institutions’ names to the heroes whose characters and accomplishments best point the way to a brighter tomorrow.

The truth is, all kinds of things can trigger a name change – obsolescence, innovation, shifting public opinion, politics, and commercial trends among them.

In a lot of cultures past, and some present, names are taken seriously as indicators of a country’s nature, as protection, a statement of some kind about the life the country represents.

But what is essential, is that everyone accepts the given meaning.

If name change happens for no reason, or simply because some political heavyweight does not like the sound of an old name, money is being wasted.

For me to argue that a name change is propelled solely by nationalism, rather than by a whole menagerie of nativist impulses rooted in, amongst others, culture, tradition and history, is to be simplistic and fail to engage adequately with an extremely complex phenomenon.

I don’t believe in renaming places for the sake of renaming them.

A name is also a place marker, a memory maker. We write it over and over at the top of every communication. It ends up in history just as Rhodes has done. That means names have origins, histories and meaning and whether we like it or not, names are tied to our identity.

A study published in the journal “Attitudes and Social Cognition” found that some names are changed for reasons of “implicit egotism”. In short, we associate the world around us with ourselves.

The journal also noted that in many countries, including Singapore and Malaysia, great trouble was being taken not to change the old and colonial names as the people had realised the value of historical names.

What a name can end up representing to the community may depend on what the community has stood for or against, and what the reputation of a community becomes.

Names may also say a lot about places and institutions. And they may remind us of the special affection we have for a place or an institution.

In the marketing world, to win any affection, brands have to achieve differentiation, whether in their branding message or through the core products offered to consumers. In the case of Rhodes University, it’s education.

Any change to the name of the university may change that affection and alienate former students who will always have to explain the ins and outs of a new name.

Considering today’s tough education conditions, value-for-education should be the top priority in the minds of students and their parents, not changing the name of the university.

Rhodes has survived for more 200 years in the very tough, competitive world of education and has produced leaders in different industries and sectors. Its brand trust has been built up over time and through the great service the institution has provided to education in our country.

Yes, of course, we need transformation, but it must be real transformation not superficial transformation such as simply changing the name of the institution.

How exactly will changing the name of the university and just having another one, fundamentally bring about transformation?

For me transformation should be about eradicating the inequalities in education, improving our systems, our structures and our political and social culture to attempt to correct the imbalances of the past as quickly as is feasible.

We need to dedicate our resources and energy to creating access to education and the economy, and opportunities for those sidelined through past policies. Where does changing the name fit in here? Nowhere. True transformation cannot be about changing the name only.

It must focus on the things that make a substantive positive difference to the lives of people. How does changing a name achieve that? It does not. I don’t believe in the renaming of places for the sake of renaming. I see no reason why we should be ashamed to carry on with the name Rhodes University as it is rich in history and forms a part of our history. After all, history is not always nice. If we do change the name, it will lose its connection with an important feature of our past – a time when black people were not accepted, when some of us entered the institution after obtaining “Ministerial Consent”.

As brand experts often say, a good brand name is as enduring as well-tended land. It serves as the groundwork for growing a successful product or enterprise, and it is able to withstand the winds of change. Rhodes has done that. Changing Rhodes University’s name will be a total waste of money, particularly when the institution is surrounded by unemployment, poverty and inequality.

Real change is what we need. Money spent on a name change could be far better spent on improving Grahamstown’s crumbling infrastructure.

The country and institution have more important things to spend money on than a name change.