Stellenbosch University
Welcome to Stellenbosch University
Visual Studies graduand shows that all dreams are valid
Author: Corporate Communication/Korporatiewe Kommunikasie [Rozanne Engel]
Published: 08/04/2019

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When S'nothile Gumede was growing up in the rural parts of KwaZulu-Natal, she always thought that her dreams were too far-fetched and that it would never become a reality.

“Growing up as a black person in South Africa, we are limited to certain dreams. Most of the time, the expectation is that you will become either a lawyer, a medical student or a science practitioner. They don't really know that you can be a viticulturist, an oceanographer, or even an artist. As a result, many young people's dreams are often undermined."

According to Gumede, her family and friends were not always in support of her dreams and goals. In 2014, she secretly applied to Stellenbosch University (SU), because she didn't want those close to her to remind her that things will not work out or be negative about her application and dream of studying at SU.

“When I got in at Stellenbosch I did not know what to do with the outcome. I got the recruitment bursary at the University, but even with that, I did not know how I was going to tell my parents, because they were expecting me to go to a local university. At the time, I was one of the first twenty recipients of this bursary and the University invited us to come to Stellenbosch and experience the University before we started our studies. The thing that blew me away when I got here was the underground library and all the opportunities at the University which made me decide that I really wanted to be part of this place."

Gumede subsequently went on to complete her BA in Humanities in 2017, triple majoring in Politics, English and Visual Studies. Even though her family eventually started adjusting to her new life in Stellenbosch, the journey was not always easy.

“I lived my whole undergrad in fear, and didn't want to check in with family and friends back home, because what if I messed up and then people would be so happy that they were right about me not getting far. I was living in isolation and had this one specific goal of passing and proving everyone wrong."

Gumede says it was during this stressful time that her marks started to drop as well. Thankfully, through the support of staff and peers on campus she managed to overcome this period and successfully continue with her studies.

Gumede graduated on Thursday (04 April) with an Honours degree in Visual Studies during the graduation ceremony for the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences.

She is currently completing her Masters in Visual Arts, a rare feat given that she does not have a background in Visual Arts nor was she an undergraduate in Visual Arts. But through the support and confidence of her lecturer and the Visual Arts department, Gumede was able to accomplish her dream of pursuing the arts.

“Me getting this far, challenged my family's world. It challenged their thinking and their dreaming not just specifically for themselves but for people around them. My obsession has always been in proving my family wrong, but instead I feel that they trust me more now. They never question my decisions and dreams anymore. I believe that sometimes we are not only caged in by our environment or by circumstances but we are caged in by words, things that people proclaim over our lives. I want to ensure that people know their dreams are valid."

After completing her studies, Gumede plans to plough back into her community and help expose others coming from similar communities as herself to the world of visual arts.

“I personally believe as a person that if your dream only caters for you then you are a smaller person, because your dream has to benefit people around you. It has to change lives. I sometimes imagine what it would have been like if I had gone to a career fair or had access to visual arts and other opportunities when I was younger. I can only imagine the amount of impact it could have had on my life. I hope that one day I would be able to set up spaces for art creation in rural areas and empower people artistically. I believe that being exposed to different things and the arts could help validate the dreams of people from disadvantaged areas from a young age which could change their lives forever."

Photo by Stefan Els.