![]() ![]() ![]() It does so with little questioning of how his life and ideals were at odds with his own historical context. The ancient Rhodes Colossus was a symbol of patriotic pride, without representing a single individual - the modern Rhodes statue celebrates the life of a single man as a patriotic symbol. The importance given to the statue - and the lack of attention given to the career, values, and ideals of Cecil Rhodes - bears to question the validity of keeping such a statue up today on the streets of Oxford - as in other places in Britain and abroad. The external façade of the building was built in a manner exalting hierarchy, with two kings (George V and Edward VII, emperors in their own right) and two bishops halfway up, and Cecil Rhodes above them. In Rhodes’ opinion, this was the needed spin on modern systems of competitive examinations, in order to “get the best man for the World’s fight.” Second, he richly endowed Oriel College, is alma mater, with the provision of erecting a new building in the centre of Oxford, wiping out the town homes and shops of 95 to 101 High Street. Rather, ‘qualities of manhood’ and ‘success in manly outdoor sports’ were encouraged, in the model of the Athenian gymnasium contests. His donations to Oxford were two-fold: first he created a scholarship programme for white men from the colonies to come to Oxford, to instill “in their minds the advantages to the colonies as well as to the United Kingdom of the retention of the unity of the Empire.” The scholars were not to be ‘bookworms’ who ‘swot’ over Latin and Greek - despite Rhodes’ affection for these classical models. This is one of the achievements of Cecil Rhodes’ ultimate will - confirming the place of the University of Oxford as a nexus connecting men in power. The Zimbabwe bird, used as a the insignia for the Rhodes Scholarship, is based on soapstone carved statues found on the site, and which was one of Rhodes cherishes possessions, as a “a favourite symbol of the link between the civilisation derived from the North and the savage barbarism of Southern and Central Africa before the advent of the Europeans.” Rhodes believed to his death that it was the legacy of Greek or Phoenician colonists who had made their way to this continent in previous centuries, rather than the remains of a medieval African power - which it was. ![]() In 1889 North of the Cape colony, archaeologist Willi Posselt had encouraged the ruins of the medieval city and civilization of Great Zimbabwe (11-14th century). On the other hand, almost all of his voyages between the Cape and Britain were direct - African cultures and civilizations were of little interest to him, unless they could be re-imagined Greek. ![]() Despite his busy career, he repeatedly made his way to Egypt, Italy, and visited Athens and Constantinople. Nonetheless, he was fascinated by the glories of ancient civilizations and empires - less so their history than their past power, finding they could provide a roadmap or inspiration for the British imperial project. He had studied classics during his student years at Oxford, had been quite an indifferent scholar and graduating with a pass degree. Yet Rhodes's fascination with the sense of purpose that he saw in the British imperial project was also deeply intertwined with the Greco-Roman tradition. The call to paint Africa red echoed Rhodes’ call to parliament to “annex lands, not natives”: the local populations were of little concern provided there could be more space for ‘Anglo-Saxons’ to inhabit. The presence of a deity, although left uncertain, would only reinforce and condone Rhodes’ work to further the British Empire, which would then be self-fulfilling: “ If there be a God (.) I think what He would like me to do is to paint as much of the map of Africa British red as possible.” Notwithstanding this theological caveat, Rhodes embraced as his own the ideal of ‘white man’s’ responsibility to humankind - because it served his purpose. Where the Greek Rhodes Colossus had been a representation of the god of Sun, the achievements of the British Rhodes Colossus were consecrated by devotion to the imperial mission. For a man who focused on business and politics, his vocabulary was pervaded with religious lexicon: he talked of fate, feeling compelled to take on the Premiership of the Cape colony. ![]()
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