Note in solidarity – Fire at Cape Town University, South Africa
The Brazilian Anthropology Association (ABA) and its African Studies Committee are deeply disturbed and want to express their solidarity to the community of the University of Cape Town (UCT), which on Sunday 18 April 20201 had its main library and many other buildings devoured by fire. Student residences were evacuated, leaving some 4,000 students without lodging. Fire on the neighboring Table Mountain led to a tragedy that has yet to be clarified. In solidarity, and due to the similar experience in Brazil in 2018, the fire at the Museu Nacional, the tragedy opens a debate about budget cuts and austerity that affect universities and especially the humanities. Our solidarity and empathy are extended to all the residents of Cape Town, who have been living through a period of devastating fires that have ravished Table Mountain. The tragedy at the University of Cape Town afflicts us and links our common humanity.
Brasilia 20 April 2021.
Brazilian Anthropology Association (ABA) and its African Studies Committee
Leia aqui o PDF da nota – Em Inglês.
Leia aqui o PDF da nota – Em Português.