{"id":33074,"date":"2022-10-20T21:16:55","date_gmt":"2022-10-20T21:16:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/malawi\/all-news\/whats-the-relevance-of-having-john-chilembwe-statues-in-london"},"modified":"2022-10-20T22:11:32","modified_gmt":"2022-10-20T22:11:32","slug":"whats-the-relevance-of-having-john-chilembwe-statues-in-london","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/malawi\/all-news\/whats-the-relevance-of-having-john-chilembwe-statues-in-london","title":{"rendered":"What\u2019s the relevance of having John Chilembwe statues in London?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – Malawi. <\/strong><\/span>What\u2019s the importance of erecting the John Chilembwe statue in London? A debate has ensued on social media where some Malawians are sharing different views and this article aims at providing some answers to those questions. In the analysis, some explanations and reasons are given…<\/b><\/p>\n

Malawian-born artist Samson Kambalu designed the piece to make Chilembwe much larger than Chorley. His statue stands at five metres towering over that of Chorley\u2019s.<\/p>\n

\u201cBy increasing his scale, the artist elevates Chilembwe and his story, revealing the hidden narratives of underrepresented peoples in the history of the British Empire in Africa, and beyond,\u201d says the Mayor of London\u2019s website.<\/p>\n

Although the monument takes centre stage in London, Chilembwe remains an unknown figure to many. \u201cMany people may not know who John Chilembwe is. And that is the whole point,\u201d says Kambalu, an associate professor of fine art at the University of Oxford in England.<\/p>\n

Kambalu agrees saying he hopes the statue \u201cwill start a conversation in Britain that is still coming to reckoning with their colonial past. \u201cThe sculpture brings to light the forgotten histories of the empire, and society is looking for that recognition.\u201d A statue is a three-dimensional representation usually of a person, animal, or mythical being that is produced by sculpturing, modeling, or casting.<\/p>\n

Statues have been produced in many cultures from prehistory to the present; the oldest-known statue dating to about 30,000 years ago. Statues represent many different people and animals, real and mythical. Many statues are placed in public places as public art.<\/p>\n

A statue might be considered to be a remembrance of history and culture at face value; however, they are much more than that: \u201cThey guide people in their thinking about those facts from the past, how to act in the present, and what possible futures to seek, they also direct people\u2019s views of themselves\u201d<\/p>\n

There is a purpose for statues and monuments. A monument is a type of structure that was explicitly created to commemorate a person or event, or which has become relevant to a social group as a part of their remembrance of historic times or cultural heritage, due to its artistic, historical, political, technical or architectural importance.<\/p>\n

Statues symbolize many things. The statue, the character wishes, should serve as a denunciatory symbol, a reminder of where one is bound to end up if they were to choose to pursue such a way of life. Traditionally though, erecting a statue is considered the highest honour that can be given to a person or the idea that the person stood for.<\/p>\n

Public art adds enormous value to the cultural, aesthetic and economic vitality of a community. It is now a well-accepted principle of urban design that public art contributes to a community\u2019s identity, fosters community pride and a sense of belonging, and enhances the quality of life for its residents and visitors.<\/p>\n

Sculptures play an important role in history. Together with architecture, it was the principal form of monumental religious art which for centuries (c. 400-1800) was the driving force of European civilization. Even today, although continuously evolving, sculpture is still the leading method of expressing and commemorating both historical figures and events.<\/p>\n

Taking down a statue or changing a name does not mean removing that person from the history books or diminishing their contributions, but it does mean reshaping and reframing the conversation.<\/p>\n

The following statues were controversial. (1) Statue of King George III (1776) (2) Haymarket statues (1900) (3) Sacco and Vanzetti sculpture. (4) Pioneer Woman\u2019s Statue.<\/p>\n

(5) Bust of United States Senator Joseph McCarthy.<\/p>\n

(6) The Races of Mankind (1969)<\/p>\n

(7) Vietnam Veteran\u2019s Memorial.<\/p>\n

(8) Captain John Mason and the Pequot massacre (1996)<\/p>\n

Statues can be pulled down for some reasons. In the context of racial inequalities around education, health and incarceration, statues glorifying the life of slave owners such as Colston, make many people feel unsafe, unimportant and unwelcome. Tearing down statues is a key symbol of decolonising space and making it more accessible to black and brown people.<\/p>\n

However, statues have a purpose. They represent what people in the Past chose to celebrate and memorialise, they do not represent history. Indeed, teaching history is almost never the reason why they are erected. Instead, statues in public spaces since Antiquity have most typically been used to represent power and authority.<\/p>\n

For More News And Analysis About Malawi<\/a> Follow Africa-Press<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – Malawi. What\u2019s the importance of erecting the John Chilembwe statue in London? A debate has ensued on social media where some Malawians are sharing different views and this article aims at providing some answers to those questions. In the analysis, some explanations and reasons are given… Malawian-born artist Samson Kambalu designed the piece […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":84,"featured_media":33073,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,6],"tags":[233,371,234],"class_list":["post-33074","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-all-news","category-files","tag-africa-press","tag-africa-press-malawi","tag-malawi"],"yoast_head":"\nWhat\u2019s the relevance of having John Chilembwe statues in London? - Malawi<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"What\u2019s the importance of erecting the John Chilembwe statue in London? 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