Varsity (Cape Town)
Encyclopedia
Varsity is the official student newspaper
of the University of Cape Town
(UCT). In 1942, the first edition of Varsity went to print. The paper was founded as a result of the burgeoning cultural tensions on campus between Afrikaans
and English students. The student representative council (SRC) sought to control these tensions by uniting the English student newspaper UCTattle and the Afrikaans medium publication Die Spantou. The SRC aimed to lessen the widening gap in political opinion advocated by each of these mouthpieces by launching a bilingual student newspaper.
A storm of controversy met the decision to abolish the original papers. The first Varsity constitution even had a clause forbidding comment on politics at UCT. The SRC was firm that "racial friction and political bitterness must be eliminated" (UCTattle, 1941-10-08). The SRC took Varsity Newspaper firmly under its wing, with much indignation from the student body. The first editor, NC Gracie, chose the name claiming UCT had the right to the name "being the oldest [university] with the most inspiring record and the greatest tradition of tolerance and unity" (Varsity, 1942-04-18).
The newspaper grew in popularity as the years went on, and developed independence from the SRC, no longer merely acting as a puppet press. The paper maintained a spirit of liberalism during the apartheid years, with successive editors jailed and many editions incensing the National Party
government. In fact, Varsity provided an important function during the years of censorship
since it operated under different constraints to the mainstream press who were often shackled and prevented from reporting on the country's growing liberation struggle.
Many former staffers at Varsity have continued to work in the media industry in South Africa.
Newspaper
A newspaper is a scheduled publication containing news of current events, informative articles, diverse features and advertising. It usually is printed on relatively inexpensive, low-grade paper such as newsprint. By 2007, there were 6580 daily newspapers in the world selling 395 million copies a...
of the University of Cape Town
University of Cape Town
The University of Cape Town is a public research university located in Cape Town in the Western Cape province of South Africa. UCT was founded in 1829 as the South African College, and is the oldest university in South Africa and the second oldest extant university in Africa.-History:The roots of...
(UCT). In 1942, the first edition of Varsity went to print. The paper was founded as a result of the burgeoning cultural tensions on campus between Afrikaans
Afrikaans
Afrikaans is a West Germanic language, spoken natively in South Africa and Namibia. It is a daughter language of Dutch, originating in its 17th century dialects, collectively referred to as Cape Dutch .Afrikaans is a daughter language of Dutch; see , , , , , .Afrikaans was historically called Cape...
and English students. The student representative council (SRC) sought to control these tensions by uniting the English student newspaper UCTattle and the Afrikaans medium publication Die Spantou. The SRC aimed to lessen the widening gap in political opinion advocated by each of these mouthpieces by launching a bilingual student newspaper.
A storm of controversy met the decision to abolish the original papers. The first Varsity constitution even had a clause forbidding comment on politics at UCT. The SRC was firm that "racial friction and political bitterness must be eliminated" (UCTattle, 1941-10-08). The SRC took Varsity Newspaper firmly under its wing, with much indignation from the student body. The first editor, NC Gracie, chose the name claiming UCT had the right to the name "being the oldest [university] with the most inspiring record and the greatest tradition of tolerance and unity" (Varsity, 1942-04-18).
The newspaper grew in popularity as the years went on, and developed independence from the SRC, no longer merely acting as a puppet press. The paper maintained a spirit of liberalism during the apartheid years, with successive editors jailed and many editions incensing the National Party
National Party (South Africa)
The National Party is a former political party in South Africa. Founded in 1914, it was the governing party of the country from 4 June 1948 until 9 May 1994. Members of the National Party were sometimes known as Nationalists or Nats. Its policies included apartheid, the establishment of a...
government. In fact, Varsity provided an important function during the years of censorship
Censorship
thumb|[[Book burning]] following the [[1973 Chilean coup d'état|1973 coup]] that installed the [[Military government of Chile |Pinochet regime]] in Chile...
since it operated under different constraints to the mainstream press who were often shackled and prevented from reporting on the country's growing liberation struggle.
Many former staffers at Varsity have continued to work in the media industry in South Africa.
See also
- UCT April
- South Africa's alternative pressAlternative media in South AfricaSouth Africa has a long history of alternative media. During the eighties there was a host of community and grassroots newspapers that supplied content that ran counter to the prevailing attitudes of the times. In addition, a thriving small press and underground press carried voices that would not...