Why colonial statues in Africa is such a complex history
The Rhodes statue being detached at the University of Cape Town, South Africa in 2015 at the peak of the Rhodes Must Fall campaign that called for its removal. PHOTO | X via @ibramxk
In 2020, the murder of George Floyd in the US served as a catalyst for the global Black Lives Matter movement. It sparked widespread protests against police brutality and systemic racism. It also ignited debates about historical symbols of oppression, such as statues of figures associated with racial injustices.
These debates presented colonial statues in Africa as having been contested and toppled for many years, ever since African states gained independence. Indeed, colonial statues were at the heart of the colonial world, symbolising its violence, white supremacy and the erasure of precolonial history.
