Colonial statues in Africa have been removed, returned and torn down again – why it’s such a complex history
It also ignited debates about historical symbols of oppression, such as statues of figures associated with racial injustices.
- 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.
- As a scholar of African heritage, I recently published a study examining colonial statues and how they have been regarded in postcolonial Africa.
Colonial statues at independence (1950s-1980)
- As African countries gained independence from the 1950s to the 1980s, colonial statues faced three main fates: recycling; defacement or toppling; and on-site preservation.
- Recycling involved relocating statues from former colonies to former colonial metropolises.
- The reasons for these repatriations were multiple and included the desire to keep alive memory of colonial times and to feed colonial nostalgia.
- Some African leaders at independence were pro-Europe, having been educated there or having worked there during colonial times.
The empires strike back (1990s-2000s)
- It’s easy to see why: the millions of US dollars in aid that Belgium gives the DRC every year.
- However, this statue of Livingstone can also be seen as an international event, linked to colonial monuments built with France’s cooperation.
- This is notably the case of the 2006 Savorgnan de Brazza memorial erected in Brazzaville, capital of the Republic of Congo.
Renewed contestations (from the 2010s)
- Such protests have accelerated in recent years and have become more visible, thanks to social networks.
- The most famous case is the Rhodes Must Fall movement.
- This movement opposed neoliberal economic systems which had failed to respond to fundamental change, especially in areas such as education.
A complex issue
- While acknowledging successes in removing colonial statues, it is important not to overlook the substantial support for (neo)colonial monuments all over Africa.
- Such support can be explained by pressure from former colonial powers and the links of elites with these countries.
Sophia Labadi has received funding from the Humboldt Foundation and the Fritz Thyssen Foundation.