The changing concept of statues and their place in our society
It is important to remember that as times change, so the outlooks and meanings change with them.
The ‘Rhodes Must Fall’ debate has captured the attention of the world because it has a raised a controversial argument over the role of once celebrated figures and their places in history today. Cecil John Rhodes, a victorian empire builder who made his fortune in Africa, has been at the centre of this debate. A campaign, which began at the University of Cape Town to see the iconic statue of him there removed, has now spread closer to Rhode’s own home, as protesters seek the removal of another statue of Rhodes at the University of Oxford.
The movement is growing, however, and is spreading beyond Rhodes to other controversial figures who also hold legacies bound in the university such as Christopher Codrington, a seventeenth century West Indies plantation owner and notable slaver who also holds a statue in All Souls College at Oxford.
Whilst I do not in any way condone the awful and unsympathetic actions of historical figures who have achieved fame and fortune through the brutalisation and subjugation of others, I think it is important to understand how the concept of statues and legacies, and their meaning and use has changed dramatically through the ages.
Whilst studying History at the University of Manchester, I took a module that looked at the concepts of heroism and how the way we not only celebrate heroes has changed, but also the way we look to so called heroes of the past has changed. Whilst the idea of raising statues of figures was, at point, simply to celebrate their deeds, triumphs and accomplishments, nowadays they serve an entirely different purpose in society, namely to remind and create debate over how and why those supposed accomplishments were earned and what legacy they leave behind, be it bad or good.
In Rhodes’ case, it is obvious that statues of him were created to celebrate the triumphs of one of Britain's most successful empire builders. Today, however, those statues of him exist to serve purposes on several levels. On a more simple level, they remind us of a controversial colonial legacy that was built through the subjugation of others and the pillaging of resources and cultures of societies all over the globe, a legacy that is it important not to forget.
With regard to this first purpose, to remove a statue is an attempt in itself to sweep away a nation’s history and has dangerous implications, for that history, however uncomfortable it may be to remember, is a glue that shapes the culture of a particular nation. It is more important to remember and ask why then it is to forget and not ask at all, for in doing so, you risk repeating history.
On a more complicated level, however, statues serve to create debate over the roles, controversial or otherwise, of people like Rhodes and their contributions to the legacy of a nation, however uncomfortable that may be, and to understand how the ideas of hero-worship are constantly changing through the years, as is so much in society.
So to the protestors of the movement I say that we do not look upon Rhodes and other statues with awe and inspiration. We look instead to be reminded of how the concepts surrounding the uses of statues and of the worship of public figures in general have and will continue to change. For if that is not true, and we set a dangerous precedent by removing his statue, then we’d all better put our notepads away and get our hammer and chisels out, for we have a lot of work to do, the world over.
