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Statue of Lord Nelson removed from Heroes Square in Barbados

November 18th, 2020 | Tags:
Hundreds of Barbadians braved the inclement weather on Tuesday, November 17, 2020, to be a part of history and witness the removal of the statue of Lord Nelson from National Heroes Square. Photo: Caribbean News Now
CARIBBEAN NEWS NOW

Hundreds of Barbadians braved the inclement weather on Tuesday, November 17, 2020, to be a part of history and witness the removal of the statue of Lord Nelson from National Heroes Square.

And, Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley said the removal of the more than 200-year-old statue was a sign that Barbadians were ready to take other steps in the development of nationhood.

Mottley told those gathered, including school children, that Government was clear that national consciousness and identity must be at the core of the nation.

“If we do not know who we are, if we are not clear what we will fight for, then we are doomed to be exploited and to be colonised again, not necessarily in the same way that led to the ships coming in, but in the way that will allow the mental spaces to be dominated by stories, songs and messages that are not our own, and that are not intended to lift up our people to where we need to go in this world today,” she stated.

The Prime Minister said the time had come for parents to have different conversations with their children.

“To have the difficult conversations that ask young ladies and young men not to denigrate themselves; you can have fun and you can do all of the things that you want to do without making people objects of sexual exploitation.

“A country does not reach 54 years old without having difficult conversations, and I ask us to recognise that these conversations must be had in our homes, in our communities, in our churches and in our nation,” she stressed.

She said Government would embark on further public consultation to see how best the island’s heroes could be celebrated in National Heroes Square.

“Similarly, we are going to ensure as we did with Independence Square, that National Heroes Square must reflect our heroes. And while we accept that the statue of the Vice-Admiral Lord Horatio Nelson is an important historic relic, it is not a relic to be placed in the National Heroes Square of a nation that has had to fight for too long to shape its destiny and to forge a positive future for its citizens,” she stated.

Mottley disclosed that only last week, Government approved the framework for the work to continue in nearby Golden Square, to ensure the park would be properly landscaped.

She also said Government needed to rename the bus stand after Archbishop Granville Williams, whom she added, sought to create space for people to praise God in the way they wanted to.

After about three hours of work, the contractor and his team had the more than the 200-year-old structure on the truck, where it was transported to Block A, the Garrison. The statue will be eventually handed over to the museum.

8 Responses to “Statue of Lord Nelson removed from Heroes Square in Barbados”

  • DA Realist (18/11/2020, 23:00) Like (4) Dislike (0) Reply
    Well, I hope they replace it with Sir Garfield Sobers
    • Ruff (19/11/2020, 07:51) Like (1) Dislike (0) Reply
      Agreed, it will be a fitting Gesture to have the statue of Sir Garry there on Heroes square.
  • josiah'sbay (20/11/2020, 21:28) Like (3) Dislike (0) Reply
    It's time to acknowledge that their heroes aren't necessarily our heroes.
  • Kudos (21/11/2020, 07:24) Like (8) Dislike (0) Reply
    I am English born and bred but have worked in the Caribbean in the past. Here in the UK Nelson is idolised...by mindless fools! I totally agree with removing the statue! It is time other nations let go of the UK as being some kind of special kingdom to aspire too, as if you are from the UK like me...you know everything from the health care to especially the schools are horrific compared to Caribbean nations...yet I still receive some kind of special treatment when I go to Caribbean nations. Give me respect when I have earned it, not because my for-fathers managed to fool you into thinking someone from the UK is anything speical.
  • NezRez (21/11/2020, 18:24) Like (3) Dislike (0) Reply
    That's right! They erected statues of people who murdered, raped and tortured people. These people were racist opportunists. They do deserve being in the history books, as the cruel sick degrading people that they were who brought misery and death to innocent people, not erected as statues like they were some kind of heroes who did good things for enslaved people. Remove all statues of these crooks, and replace them with real heroes, who helped mankind. Never forget to put them in the history books, telling the truth about them.
    • Kudos (22/11/2020, 05:55) Like (5) Dislike (0) Reply
      As a white, multi-generational British person...I totally agree with your comments! Having been through the British school system, I can tell you we DO NOT learn about colonialism. We have no idea!!! Nor will we ever. Another of our biggest hero's is Winston Churchill. He is now on the back of our 5 pound note. He personally ordered the starvation of 5 5 million Indians during the second world war. This is the level of awareness we have. Shocking!
      • English too (23/11/2020, 16:05) Like (1) Dislike (2) Reply
        And stopped us being beaten by the Nazis in 1940; unlike the rest of Europe who then had millions of their citizens murdered in gas chambers or shot.
        • Kudos (11/12/2020, 17:56) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
          Yes I agree. But we (the british) seem to hold a pathetic level of intelligence...we either hold Churchill as a national hero, who won the war and kept a nation secure, motivated and strong...OR...as a horrific genocidal racist bigot who was responsible for as many deaths as the Nazi's. BOTH are true...but as us brits are utterly useless we seem to be able to only hold one view at a time. So pathetic. BUT...this is why Churchill could be an absolutely perfect way to learn about our history...to know that we hold these two opposing histories in our past, and learning about Churchill would be the perfect teaching vehicle for this.


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