Thumbnail: Ras Hein Scheepers organises events to honour rastafarianism and the history of resistance in the Western Cape. Scheepers co-founded Adwa Movement, a Pan-African collective and social movement, to commemorate the Adwa Victory Parade and celebrate African resistance and heritage. Scheepers has been arrested and has lost friends because of his work.

Profile: Ras Hein Scheepers was born into a working-class family in Rosemoor, George; he traces his activism from primary school, where he was “always interested to learn”.

At high school, his activism began to take shape when he became a Peer Educator in a programme implemented by Africa Unite. At university, he was deeply involved in student politics, with a focus on humanitarian issues. And in 2015, he co-founded the Adwa Movement, a Pan-African collective and social movement to commemorate the Adwa Victory Parade and celebrate African resistance and heritage.

“Throughout the year,” says Scheepers, “I usually have about three to six project-based learning events. These included Adwa and Salt River Victories Parade.”

The Salt River and the Adwa Victory Parades are held each year in Cape Town to commemorate the 1510 Adwa and 1896 Salt River victories of indigenous people in battles against colonial forces. In 2024, the parade welcomed many dignitaries, “reflecting the movement’s growing cultural and historical significance.”

Scheepers also organises Roots-Culture-Heritage and Decolonisation Week (RCHD) from the 26th of February to the 1st of March and co-directs the Africa Day Festival in George, now in its eighth year: “We unpack the challenges Africa faces due to the Berlin conference in 1884 and the sacrifices it took to liberate countries towards the establishment of the OAU/AU in 1963 - a creative understanding of the black liberation tradition and its gains. . . . I also organise Ashley Kriel Memorial Cypher on the 9th of July and the Slave Heritage Walk in George on the 1st of December, every year. We do this to undo the erasure, to ensure tradition and memory is not lost, and to remind us of young people who were convicted and trained to resist systems of oppression, and to remind communities that they have heroes. By raising awareness, we develop the collective consciousness of under-serviced communities experiencing structural challenges.”

Scheepers also participates in online discussions, film screenings, and workshops; he is a strong advocate of education as a tool to inform community members of their rights and responsibilities and of their opportunities to escape poverty.

His work has not been easy: “I have faced gatekeepers, naysayers, and some people have called my work too radical and that it was communism. My focus on building communities with radical praxis has impeded my income capacity. I have lost lovers and friends due to my persistence in pursuing a just world.”

In September 2020, Clicks, a pharmaceutical company, reportedly made a racist advert, sparking nationwide protests. Scheepers mobilised members of his community in a protest that led to his arrest on charges of public violence. He was released after the judiciary indicated that the arrest was political and invalid. Scheepers was also arrested because of his protests for cannabis rights.

Scheepers is aware of the price he continues to pay for his activism: “Being a leader, and having to be the voice, puts me at risk because the cruel forces that seek to oppress and exploit harmless and defenseless people can put my life in danger. When speaking truth to power, one is automatically at risk of being eliminated by the powers that be. This is what happened to the likes of Patrice Lumumba, Thomas Sankara, Chris Hani, Ruth First, and many other martyrs who stood up against oppression.”

Despite all these challenges, Scheepers vows to continue working for the cause of humanity: “It is a calling, and a purpose. My conscience does not allow me to lose principles or sway from the path of justice and humanity.”