NAMING an entity is a deeply political if not personal process. The names we choose signal to others our intent and our aspirations. The process of naming our new Rhodes University student residence, officially named Chris Hani House at a ceremony in April, was an important milestone in our history, an affirmation that our transforming student body is embracing Rhodes as a home for all race groups.?

Having made the decision to become part of the generation of students that will shape the ethos and future of the new residence which we occupied, we had serious questions to grapple with. What was it that we collectively believed in? What identity should we craft and would it find favour within the university? Would this identity withstand the transient nature of students? Our hopes, aspirations and ideals far outweighed the potential negatives of the naming process. Our intention was to actively promote and safeguard the vision for a new Rhodes University and the changing demographics of its graduates.

Rhodes has a unique setting within the national context, particularly as it grapples with what it means to be an “African university” when it has adopted Oxford and Cambridge traditions. Were these notions necessarily in conflict with one another, or could they be harmonised? In the context of a previously heavily racialised higher education system, what would the role played by this new residence, its leadership and residents be?

The race and class struggles had been barriers to our development and national success in a different era. With this in mind, we believe that a university should not tolerate or be complicit in any form of discrimination that serves to disempower or strip any sector of its student body of the feeling of belonging.

In formulating an ethos and a name for our residence, we sought a figure that would capture the minds and souls of the residents and reaffirm Rhodes as “a home for all”.

Within 40 minutes of convening our first house meeting to discuss the name, we were tasked with writing a proposal to the university on behalf of our fellow residents to have our name officially registered as Chris Hani. Despite earlier misgivings that reaching consensus would be a long uphill battle, my faith in the youth of South Africa, especially the demographic prevalent at Rhodes, was restored.

Chris Hani served his country with distinction and this is what the residents said of him: “Perhaps most importantly, Chris Hani is remembered for his empathy … His compassion is legendary even today, and this combined with his strong fearless leadership, and his absolute commitment to the struggle, make his life and his values something worthy of honouring. He stood for the common man against a government, and though, in the end, he fell, his work and the testament that is his life, enabled in no small part the reconciliation and freedoms we all enjoy today.”

His name serves as a beacon of hope along with those of Bantu Stephen Biko, Lilian Ngoyi and Victoria Mxenge, for whom other buildings have been named on the Rhodes campus. It informs me that I am indeed part of the Rhodes University collective and am recognised as a person with a particular history. For me, these names symbolise an acceptance and respect by the Rhodes community that seemingly incompatible symbols can co-exist and that they speak to each of us in different ways.

Meeting Lindiwe Hani and witnessing the love of a daughter for her father and the pain of losing a father at so young an age, I realised that too often we idealise our heroes and heroines. For them, there was nothing heroic in their deeds, they engaged in a struggle to safeguard the future of the ones they loved. They did this at great cost to themselves and those they loved.

We wish never to lose sight of this reality, to inculcate a sense of critical patriotism, engage in the debates of the day and participate fully in the development of our land.

This is an excerpt from my address at the naming ceremony on April 23: “As we move towards consolidating Rhodes as a destination of choice for black Eastern Cape matriculants, it is proper to provide role models that sum up what a Rhodes degree aspires to achieve in the greater context of national imperatives, nation-building and critical citizens.

“We did all this so that none dare contest our assertion that we are an African university founded on the principles underpinning our constitutional order. Our values, ideals and aspirations will be tested against this public statement. Our conduct must accord with the highest ethical standards and the residents of Chris Hani House must necessarily be of unimpeachable integrity.”

A name is not simply a name. It is much more. It transformed my own thinking and I believe that now more than ever, I understand what it means to be a young person in a country with a history like ours and to go to contested spaces like Rhodes University. I understand what our task is and perhaps, just maybe, Bantu Biko was correct in saying that “In time, we shall be in a position to bestow on South Africa the greatest possible gift – a more human face”. We are closer to that quest than some would imagine.

Xolani Nyali is a senior student at Rhodes and sub-warden of Chris Hani House

First appeared as Insight in the Daily Dispatch, 2009/05/22