#IamStellenbosch lands with a thud on black Twitter

25 September 2015 - 15:57 By Kaunda Selisho
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Stellenbosch University. File photo.
Stellenbosch University. File photo.
Image: ERHARDT THIEL

While most of 2015’s movements crusade for cause that we can get behind, the latest campaign called I Am Stellenbosch has social media users confused and angry.

What started as a Facebook page and Youtube video has now turned into the online community’s hot topic.

According to a mission statement posted on its Facebook page, I Am Stellenbosch claims it is a place for students to engage with each other, through discourse rather than dialogue.

Basically, they want student to write to each other instead of speaking to each other but they do not explain why they feel one is better than the other.

On Wednesday, the movement posted pictures of mostly white Stellenbosch students holding up pieces of paper featuring statements about their identities, what being a Stellies student means to them or statements aimed at debunking stereotypes associated with their identities.

Statements such as “I am Afrikaans and I listen to Childish Gambino” or “I am Afrikaans and I like rap” seemingly meant to prove that cultural appropriation or appreciation automatically make one immune to racism only drew the ire of the online community.

What seemed to irritate people the most was the use of the term “non-white” to refer to one’s self – implying that all races exist in relation to whiteness.

Here are some of the funnier responses to the hashtag.

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