Fortress mentality has gone too far
If we'd ever had a morsel of faith in the UK immigration system, there is no doubt that it has now been completely decimated. When almost an entire party of student leaders from Africa are unable to gain entry into Britain due to their countries of origin, one really questions whether all sense has evaporated from the office of the High Commissioner. The tour, due to be led by Ogunlana Olundare, was aimed at promoting awareness of educational problems in the Third World - something that is at the heart of many of the political and social problems that 'enlightened' Western observers are quick to criticise. It is therefore a cruel irony that our own government has structures so rigid and non-sensical that they hamper clearly legitimate attempts to increase understanding of other nations.
The fact that our government has chosen to insult the integrity of foreign visitors in this manner is nothing short of an embarrassment for Oxford students. As one would expect, the preparations for the tour had been excellent - tours of the city's major sights, opportunities for the delegates of the trip to speak to students on issues facing their own student unions and a chance for mutual engagement on world issues. It would of course be arrogant for us to regard ourselves as being above the strictures imposed upon entry into this country. However, it seems ludicrous that laws that are designed to permit the entry of legitimate visitors - especially those said to have 'something to offer' the host country - force African student leaders to be effectively held to ransom as a result of their home governments' actions.
The interchange of people is the only way to break down the blocs of 'evil' and 'civilised' nations that the US and Britain have seen fit to construct. Nowhere is the opportunity for progressive co-operation more obvious than in the student community. This latest episode serves to illustrate precisely why we, as students, have a duty to stand up and call our government to account over its actions towards not only British students, but also our friends across the world.
31st Oct 2002