Firts Years Alcoholics. . . I Protest. . .

Even though the common assumption is that most first year Rhode’s students are alcoholics or on the verge of being alcoholics I beg to differ. I am not an alcoholic or even on the verge of being one for I don’t even touch alcohol. My best friend at Rhodes Bianca also does not drink and neither do a whole other bunch of people that I know.
So by assuming that, you are in fact stereotyping and labeling a minority group as the majority. And the fact of the matter is that just because the Rhodes first year student may on occasion enjoy a drink here and there they are not necessarily alcoholics or even close to it, but simply fun party goers looking for a drink to boost their confidence or increase their level of fun. For it is true that alcohol does indeed add that extra something to the party. Of course there will always be a few people who will over drink but that still doesn’t make them alcoholics.
An alcoholic is a person affected with alcoholism, this means that he has an addiction to the substance and can not go a day without it and I do not believe that any of my friends who do indeed consume alcohol have an addiction to it and need it for their daily survival. And even though I’ll admit that sometimes when alcohol is indeed consumed by my friends it may be over done but it doesn’t happen all the time and therefore cannot be classified as an addiction, a problem or anything close to either. Of course I am not denying that there are a few first year Rhodes’ students out there who may in fact be alcoholics or on the verge of alcoholism however that is simply the minority and not the majority which is why I believe that the statement is stereotyping and enforcing an opinion which is incorrect.
The reason why the statement that ‘most first years at Rhodes verge on being alcoholics’ caught my attention is because it is something I can relate to even though I do not drink. And the fact that I do not consume any type of alcohol is what in fact helps me relate to this topic because I find the stereotype present in my everyday life and even back home away from Rhodes. The shock which is expressed by people when they find out that I am a Rhodes student who doesn’t drink and a first year at that, is overwhelming at times. It annoys me that people automatically link Rhodes students with alcohol rather then all the other amazing things which us 'alcoholics' do on a daily bases, in between our drinking and sober moments. It is true that Rhodes’ students are in fact infamous for their parties but I think I am one example that shows that a Rhodent can have fun without alcohol. And I am not the only one for I have a whole group of friends who do not drink alcohol or do not drink a lot and still have the most amazing fun evenings out. It is more the people you party with rather then the amount of alcohol you consume which makes Rhodes the best place to party.

Create Time; Create a Masterpiece

Rhodes University may be considered as one of the most liberal and artistic Universities in South Africa. This is true to a certain extent. The truth is that Rhodes offers many creative opportunities, especially to first years, but I believe that these creative opportunities are still restricting. The truth is that the Rhodes lifestyle does not allow for a student’s individual creative time as first year students are continuously swept off their feet by demanding departments, deadlines and, of course, their extra-murals.

Anybody who wishes to study one of the arts or, as they are classified at Rhodes, subjects within the humanities department has probably come under pressure from their friends and family. They want to know where a degree majoring in Drama or English will take you, apart from straight back to the classroom to live out the rest of your days teaching little brats. The students that arrive at Rhodes at the beginning of every year are usually bursting with ideas that they want to experiment with. Unfortunately these ideas are given very little time to mature into physical material.

The fictional imagination is neglected to some degree. Students are given certain creative opportunities but these are all within restrictions which the student has to conform to. Creative freedom comes when conformity is thrown out the window. Much of the focus in many of the first year arts subjects at Rhodes is on the analysis of many famous writers. Indeed this is a very important part of first year study but no time is allowed for creative writing. I believe this is an important part of academic growth. A student has to be allowed to have time to let their imagination grip them and, through the knowledge that they acquire from these major writers, develop their own style of creative writing.

Obviously this principle cannot apply to all the first year subjects but being a Drama and English student I believe that this is an aspect that should be included in both courses. The problem is, as I have mentioned, that there is very little time for a student to develop creatively in their own time. Ideas need to be nurtured and have the time to develop into creative material. Another problem is that the first year course does not challenge students the way that it should. Yes, the workload is challenging but the material is not. Creative ideas rise from problems which are then converted into challenges. It is through these challenges that new ideas are created. The fact of the matter is, as much as many first years may disagree, that first year is an easy ride. We are challenged to develop our own opinion, which is a vital skill, and debate them in tutorials but we are not taught or given a chance, for that matter, to engage with our creative, fictional imaginations.

This is extremely unfortunate because there are individuals in their first year at Rhodes that have amazing imaginations. The fictional writers of tomorrow are right here, at one of the most artistic universities in South Africa. Unfortunately they are all too busy trying to keep their heads above water, swamped with issues of politics and social difficulties, that their creative touch is taking a beat seat. Only when these boundaries are broken down and more time is given to fiction will the creative imaginations of the first year students be set free.

The United Nations of Michael Mokobi

Robbie Williams’ ‘Angels’ greeted me sincerely as I walked into his room, the venue of our interview. This set the pace for the intriguing, informative and thought provoking conversation to follow.

Michael Mokobi is a 20 year old first year student who lives in the modest town-turned-suburb of Alberton in the south of Johannesburg. Born and raised there Michael, or Mike as he prefers, has experienced life in the way he feels every man should.

Mike attended two great schools of Dinwiddie Primary and Jeppe Boys High. His leadership qualities came out as he was a prefect at both, but looking back at it now the only words Mike shared when asked to elaborate on his appointments were “that’s so strange.” He still posses his headship traits as he has been recently appointed as entertainment representative of Cullen Bowles, the residence in which he stays in.

Rhodes was a step into the wilderness for mike as the first time he set foot in Grahamstown was during O-week. He felt that a University away from home would open up new doors for him and he does not regret his decision. Mike is a man of great character even if small in physical stature. His presence will put him a head above you even though you look down to speak to him. For him, moving to Rhodes was a challenge and he wittingly admits that he “likes those things.” Rhodes has been a test to him in first year trying to balance work and a lively social life, but he has embraced this and more importantly the fact that, without parents or guardians, you are forced to LIVE life.

With his arms crossed and looking out of his bedroom window towards the hill that boarders Grahamstown, Mike told me about his family. He lives with his mother as his parents separated when he was young and on his fathers side he has two half-sisters and one half-brother. A slight lift on the right side of his mouth showed his pleasure as he spoke about his close relationship with his mom. They speak about anything and tell each other everything from “picking out underwear to picking girls.”

During his gap year in 2007 Mike learnt a lot about life. Though he didn’t travel much he found out what his ambitions were from the comfort of home and a provisional party-organiser job. “It sounds strange: took a year off to chill at home” says Mike but this was what was needed in the formulation of his view points on life. Moving to a chair opposite his bed where I was seated, Mike adjusted the right side of his glasses and sat, his face now stern yet slightly troubled. Mike’s biggest problem is the fact that there is a category called race. When I was confirming the details that I knew at the start of the interview he stopped me saying: “I’m not black, I’m a human being.” The topic was repeated when I questioned him on the struggles he has had to overcome. A major thing he has had to admit to is the fact that there are racial divides in the world. In the home that he grew up in he cannot understand how one person can hate another purely on pigmentation. He believes that people of today don’t think for themselves and that is where the problems lie.

Mike speaks with intelligence and confidence and it is very easy to get caught up in his words, forgetting the main purpose of your visit. What is left for this man is a determined attempt to be a part of the UN. He feels that they are the biggest organization that can actually do something for the world, they just need the right people and he believes that he is one of them.

Moving up from the chair and back to the window, the up-turned right side of the mouth visible again, Robbie with the up beat ‘Rock Dj’ in the background, Mike gave me his heart: “By the time I die I want to have taught people to think about their lives and question belief, till then I shall wait for my opportunity and listen to the children in the meantime.”

In-terms-of-friends

Finding friends at Rhodes has probably been one of the easiest things I've done so far. The people here are so chilled and finding a group of friends is like finding a lie in a politicians speech-its dead obvious!

The one thing that did strike me more than anything else is the quality in friendship that you find. There have been many cases in the past where I have settled for average mates just to fit in (No Josh and Steve, I don't mean you guys). But here at Rhodes the difficulty is finding mediocre friends. The heart of friendships at Rhodes lies within the res', but with friends in other res' that you went to school with you soon find yourself with a pool of great companionship linked all over the varsity.

This networking of friends gives rise to crazy partying and a system that means you will never be abandoned at the bottom of the hill in a pile of vomit outside Pirates pizza. Someone will always be there to pick you up and carry you home knowing that the very next night you could be doing the same for them.

The problem with having so many amazing friends though, is that when you go home you are caught in a situation of wanting to go back and party yet still enjoying the time spent with your friends at home. This is known as a catch-22, or in layman's terms 'Ah Fuck!' The trick now is to drink with your friends at home as often as possible as training is needed for the start of a Rhodes term.

So in-terms-of-friendship at Rhodes you will never be lacking, never be thirsty and you'll never get enough. But, most importantly, you'll always be happy.

A Letter to my Younger Self

What’s up Dude!

So we made it to varsity! We made it to Rhodes and we are exactly where we want to be. We still want the same things, you know make a couple movies after varsity and get involved in the film industry, but I think that we are a little different now. I have changed, not in a major way but I have changed. Especially my taste in movies, art and of course music!

We don’t even listen to the same music anymore. I’m still into the stuff that we used to listen to but I’ve been experimenting with different genres and there is some awesome stuff out there that we never even considered listening to! The 80’s tunes will live on forever, they are classics, but some of this new music that I’ve been listening to is amazing. We always took our musical influence from our parents because they have some wicked taste in music but come on, we are our own person. We should decide what music we like by listening to a whole bunch of different genres and not just following the crowd.

Here’s a perfect example; did we ever listen to any other Reggae apart from Bob Marley? No we didn’t. Ok, Bob is the “King of Reggae” but there are some other awesome musicians out there. There are bands that you have never heard of like “7th Son”, “Slightly Stoopid” and so on. If I told you now to listen to a band called “Slightly Stoopid” you would laugh at me, but they are one of my favourite bands at the moment. We have never liked house, it is the one genre that we never connected with but I’m really enjoying deep, chilled house at the moment.
So dude, things change, your opinions and tastes change but we are still the same person. I envy you because you have the opportunity of living my epic musical journey all over again.

Peace and love brother,

Masta Jay