What happened to the demolished statues in the world?

George Floyd’s death in May ignited anti-racist sentiment around the world, and many people took to the streets to protest and express their dissatisfaction. In this context, a movement to demolish statues of celebrities has also begun.

Statues of historical figures such as Churchill, Robert Lee, Columbus, Edward Carmack and Thomas Jefferson have been demolished or damaged. These historical figures have made outstanding contributions in the past, and later generations have also made statues for the purpose of commemoration. However, under the values of equal rights in the 21st century, these historical figures can no longer stand scrutiny. Their statues were demolished as part of the anti-racism movement.

So, when the statues of historical celebrities are not currently recognized by people or lose their value after being demolished, what is the best way to deal with it? Is it possible to protect this statue and solve the problems left by celebrities? Or let it develop? To this end, the BBC conducted a special investigation into this issue. The reporter Cavitapri chatted with four interviewees to try to discuss how Iraq, Germany, India and the United States deal with this issue, and what lessons they can learn from it.

Iraq-Saddam Statue

In April 2003, on a sunny spring day, living in Baghdad, the neighbors of Gais Abdul in the east shouted to him: "People are coming." Ahad then took to the street and saw him in uniform. Of American soldiers pointed a gun at him. At that time, soldiers from the United States and a large number of people from Baghdad were walking towards Ordos Square. In the center of the square is a huge statue of President Saddam Hussein of Iraq at the time. The statue depicts Saddam's right arm reaching the sky, waving like his own people.

The square was crowded with Iraqis. "Obviously, the city has fallen," Ahad said. Many people gathered in front of the statue and tried to push it down with their bodies, but without success.

Saddam Statue

Then an armored vehicle from the United States appeared. A Marine got out of the vehicle and put a huge rope around the statue. The soldier held the United States, the national flag climbed to the top of Saddam's statue, and then raised the national flag high. Ahad witnessed all this at the scene, "No, don't do this." He thought at the time.

With the help of ropes, the statue was torn down by people and then dragged into the street. Then, an iconic scene appeared. People took off their shoes and angrily slapped the statue of Saddam lying in front of them. "This is a way to break the regime," Ahad said. Angry people beat Saddam statue with their shoes

In the past, in Iraq, the capital of Baghdad, there were many statues of Saddam Hussein. These statues have always been regarded as symbols of oppression. "No matter where you go, Saddam's eyes and beard will follow you," Ahad described. "The moment the statue fell, you realized that the oppressive reign that lasted for 30 years was finally over. The man who once ruled our lives finally left."

Seventeen years later, Ahad is now a reporter for the Guardian. He told a BBC reporter, “If you come to Baghdad again in 2020, you won’t see any statues of Saddam’s time. I think this will help make history disappear completely.”

In the past, a large number of statues were demolished, some were melted, and some were sold to collectors. But no one knows what fate each statue has experienced.

The concrete base where the statue of Saddam was once placed has also been vacant for a long time. After Saddam's fall, Iraq experienced a long sectarian war. Should it be replaced by Shia, Sunni or Kurdish monuments? No one can make a decision. Finally, the thick concrete base was completely demolished, and the area is now a park.

Personally, Ahad does not want Saddam’s statue to appear again in downtown Baghdad. However, he still hopes that Saddam's statue can be placed in a domestic museum or park. He is worried that if Saddam's traces are completely removed, that period of history will be completely forgotten by future generations. He said that the most important reason for wanting to keep this statue is: "Now, Iraq, the younger generation or children in 100 years, can look at it and say, ‘He used to be the dictator who ruled Iraq’"

German Nazi statue-

Nowadays, in cities in Germany, you can hardly see any statues from the Nazi era.

Many statues were destroyed by heavy artillery fire in World War II, then melted and reused in the reconstruction process. In order to eliminate the traces of the Nazis, in 1946, the allied forces of the victorious nation issued a special regulation stating that any representation of the Third Reich, including statues, was illegal and should be destroyed.

"How does a country preserve statues of oppressors and dictators?" Daniel Leigh, architect of the Jewish Museum in Berlin: You must abandon everything that offends justice and truth. This is what Germany does. '

But throwing away the statue does not necessarily mean erasing the memory of history. Germany chooses to pay attention to its crimes and their victims.

For Germany, the commemoration was not carried out immediately after the war. In the 1960s and 1970s, Germany began to reflect on its difficult past. Nowadays, teaching about the Holocaust and the Nazi era is a compulsory course in German schools. Almost all students have been to concentration camps, Holocaust memorials or museums. Lodz, Poland, the son of Holocaust survivors, Libeskind, believes that Germany has made an amazing statement to the world that it may become a successful democracy in the face of unspeakable crimes.

Museum designed by Libeskind

In the 1980s, Libeskind participated in a design competition for the Jewish Museum in Berlin. He eventually won the competition and took a heavy responsibility throughout the process. "It's not just the design of the building," he said. The real challenge is how to convey the historical truth to those who have never experienced that era.

He created a space in the middle of the museum. "The center of the museum is an empty space. There is no real thing on display in this space, but you will feel that this blank tells you what happened in history, which cannot be displayed." Libeskind Say.

India-Statue Cemetery

In the north of Delhi, India, there is a large park called Coronation Park. The park was empty and chaotic, with stray dogs wandering around and some children playing cricket in it. This sounds no different from the ruins of other cities. What really makes this park special is that there are many dilapidated statues in the park, some of which are covered in graffiti.

A ruined scene in Coronation Park (2007)

After India's independence in August 1947, no one asked for the removal of the statues of the British monarch and governor on the boulevard of the capital. Over time, some of these statues were sold to the United Kingdom, while others were moved to Coronation Park.

During the colonial era, Coronation Park was the place where a luxurious "wedding" was held when Britain ascended to the throne. According to the founder, Menon, the National Art and Cultural Heritage Trust of India now manages the Coronation Park, where statues of former colonial officials are stored

This is the name-"Statue Cemetery".

Among these statues, the most representative one is King George V, which is about 70 inches tall and originally stood in Delhi, near the India Gate in the center. More than ten years after India's independence, the statue of the British King was placed in this conspicuous position, which is obviously inappropriate. As a result, the statue of George V was torn down and placed in the place where he once held the enthronement ceremony.

Menon hopes to tell the history of Delhi through the statues in the cemetery. He originally hoped that the Coronation Park would be renovated in 2011, the 100th anniversary of King George V's accession to the throne, and explained the historical background and explanatory signs of this statue. "We have to admit that something happened. There is a colonial government here, and this is where it happened. Let us celebrate the fact that this is the starting point for New Delhi," He said. However, after the renovation project began, the government quickly withdrew Funds, and canceled support for the project. At present, this park is still deserted, and the fate of the park may depend on India's social status. Menon said it is still difficult for Indians to talk about past colonial history. "Some people in India are not used to talking about this, but I don't know why, it is still a very intense political fuel," Menon said. "So it does have infinite power."

Although the statue of George V has now been placed in the "cemetery", the base of the statue still stands in the center of Delhi

It is still placed on the base of the statue of George V in the center of Delhi.

United States-the statue melted into bullets

Currently, many statues commemorating the leaders and soldiers of the Confederate League are scattered throughout the United States and the southern states. They fought to defend slavery during the American Civil War but ultimately failed in the Civil War. In the United States, decades after the end of the Civil War, memorial statues commemorating Confederate veterans began to appear in the squares of various towns.

The famous statue of Robert E. Lee

Sarah Besham, head of the liberal arts department at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, said that many statues were built on the lawn of the county courthouse. Before the end of slavery, many Africans will be tried in these places. "The text on the monument also draws on the expression of the ancient Roman victory monument."

Besham said that although the civil war brought equal rights to blacks, apartheid still exists in practice. "These memorial statues are victory monuments to win the Shadow War," Besham said. For example, the statue of Federal General Robert E. E. Lee erected in Richmond, Virginia in 1890 is the core of the continuation of the federal movement and a symbol of white supremacy.

When the leaders of the Confederate League opposed these statues, the southern states also defended the existence of these statues, saying that they were a tribute to the heroism of the Confederate League, not a defense of slavery. Others believe that the civil war is a defense of the rights of the states and opposes the power of the federal government.

The movement to dismantle the statue of the Confederate leader began in 2015.

The fuse of the incident was the shooting and killing of 9 black members in Emanuel Church, Charles, Carolina. The murderer was captured with a pistol. Confederate flag Besseman pointed out that it was this incident that caused people to begin to associate violent attacks with the history of racism symbolized by the Confederacy and memorial statues, and shouted that "Black lives are vital. Slogan.

At present, the death of George Flo Yide has ignited anti-racism sentiment in the United States. Large-scale protests have erupted in various parts of the United States, many of which revolve around statues that symbolize the history of racism. Angry people vent their emotions by demolishing the statue. On June 10, the Jefferson Davis statue in Richmond was demolished

Besham said: "Statues are not history, but historical objects. The fact that people attack them today shows that we really care about them. To some extent, we think they reflect ourselves and our own values."

She said that the statue of King George III of England standing in New York is a good example. During the Revolutionary War, the statue was destroyed by the Americans, and the metal was dissolved and made into 40,000 bullets, which were then used against the British.

Now, due to social pressure, the statue of Robert E. Lee in Richmond will be demolished. At present, there is no clear way to deal with the dismantled Robert E. E. Virginia statue, saying that the Robert E. E. statue will be demolished and preserved first.