Rhodes statue demo chief is working for charity that guards legacy of the ‘racist’
The Cecil Rhodes statue outside Oriel College, in Oxford. Governors have now agreed to remove it EXCLUSIVE
AN activist who campaigned to have a statue of colonialist Cecil Rhodes taken down has accepted a job with the charity that preserves his legacy.
Joshua Nott’s recruitment as a junior executive by the Oxfordbased Rhodes Trust has raised eyebrows among his fellow activists.
The South African-born academic was a key figure in the original Rhodes Must Fall pressure group at the University of Cape Town in 2015.
It successfully forced university authorities to remove their statue of the 19th century British politician, who is associated with white supremacist views.
But lawyer’s son Mr Nott has now been hired by the trust which carries his name.
Regrets
Last week, governors at Oriel College, in Oxford University, agreed to remove their statue of Rhodes after weeks of angry protests. The wave of opposition was fuelled by Black Lives Matter demonstrations launched after the death of George Floyd in the US.
One anti-racism protester said: “It’s really difficult to see how you can object to the statue then make a good living under the Rhodes name.”
The Rhodes Trust said Mr Nott is working on Rise, a scheme which funds the education and training of young people.
He began his job after completing the £40,000 Rhodes scholarship last year with a masters degree in public policy and African studies. The award scheme was established in 1903