Colonial statues in Africa have often been analysed as isolated case studies. Moving beyond a one case study model, this presentation adopts a regional, thematic, and historical approach to elucidate the diverse ways in which African nations have grappled with colonial statues from the time of independences. The paper begins by examining the fate of colonial statues at the time of independences, exploring why certain monuments were removed, repurposed, or preserved. Subsequently, the paper delves into the reasons for the revival of (neo)colonial statues in the 1990s and early 2000s. Finally, the paper discusses recent and renewed contestations of colonial statues from the 2010s, in the light of global movements against symbols of oppression. This presentation aims to shed light on the complex dynamics of power, memory, and identity in postcolonial Africa, and to contribute to broader discussions about the role of monuments in postcolonial societies.

 

Sophia Labadi is Professor of Heritage at the University of Kent in the UK, Professorial Fellow at the Global Heritage Lab, University of Bonn, and the recipient of the 2023 Reimar Lüst Award from the Humboldt Foundation.

 

 

You will find more information here: https://shorturl.at/fioW7 .