University of Fort Hare added to the list of Unesco World Heritage Sites

The University of Fort Hare (UFH) in the Eastern Cape has become the first higher education institution on the African continent to be added to the prestigious list of Unesco World Heritage Sites.

This honour follows the 46th session of the Unesco World Heritage Committee, held in New Delhi, India, this month. 

UFH is one of 14 interconnected locations spread across four SA provinces that have been inscribed as “The Human Rights, Liberation and Reconciliation: Nelson Mandela Legacy Sites”.

According to Unesco, these legacy sites “reflect key events linked to the long struggle against the apartheid state, Mandela’s influence in promoting understanding and forgiveness, and belief systems based on philosophies of nonracialism, Pan-Africanism and ubuntu”.

Mandela is one of UFH’s most esteemed alumnus. The former president began studying towards a BA degree at UFH in the early 1940s, but was expelled for his involvement in a political protest. In 1991, the university awarded him an honorary doctorate in law.

Another of the newly inscribed legacy sites, ZK Matthews House in Dikeni (formerly Alice), also has strong connections to the academic institution.

Professor Zachariah Keodirelang “ZK” Matthews was one of UFH’s first graduates and is considered the architect of the Freedom Charter, which gave way to SA’s modern-day constitution. This year, the university is celebrating the centenary of his graduation, which took place in 1924.

The other legacy sites forming part of the Unesco inscription are the Union Buildings, Constitution Hill, Liliesleaf, Sharpeville (comprising three component parts), Walter Sisulu Square, 16 June 1976: The Streets of Orlando west, Mqhekezweni, Waaihoek and Ohlange.

Together, these significant locations encapsulate the pivotal events and ideals central to SA’s liberation struggle, which continues to inspire people the world over with its values of democracy, freedom and reconciliation.

UFH vice-chancellor and principal Professor Sakhela Buhlungu says the Unesco recognition brings to light the crucial role UFH played in shaping the trajectory of SA and contributing to the broader struggle for justice and equality.

“UFH has long been a beacon of hope and a crucible of change. Founded in 1916, this institution has been at the forefront of educational and political transformation in SA. It served as a pioneering institution for black education during a time when access to higher learning was largely restricted.”

The university was awarded the Order of the Baobab in Gold — an illustrious national honour bestowed by the presidency — for its “exceptional contribution to black academic training and leadership development on the African continent” in 2005. 

Founded 108 years ago, UFH has grown to include campuses in Bhisho and East London, in addition to its original Alice campus. The latter is home to several historical sites proclaimed as South African National Heritage Sites in 2016. These include: 

• The neoclassical Stuart Hall building and Freedom Square, where the OR Tambo and Robert Sobukwe memorial walks intersect. 

• The Christian Union Hall, which was funded through a donation by the Young Men’s Christian Association of North America and Canada. It became a great hall for meetings and a space for student recreation, especially ballroom dancing (popularly known as swayi swayi at the time). Later on, the building became home to the university’s Theology faculty. 

• The Old Fort, from which UFH derives its present-day name. Remnants of the garrison structure reveals efforts by the Xhosa Kingdom to resist colonial conquest. Linked to the fort is a garden of remembrance where fallen British soldiers were laid to rest after having been defeated by forces of Chief Jongumsobomvu Maqoma in the 1850s.

• The HMS building (or the Old Dining Hall), which was a key site for student activism.

“The [Unesco] inscription reminds us to be proud and remember that [UFH] was and remains a cradle of African leaders, a hub fostering ideas of democracy, liberation and reconciliation, and a space promoting African languages, cultures, languages, heritage and identity,” says Buhlungu.

This article was sponsored by the UFH.