‘Musical Statues’
On July 7th we all watched as the statue of Edward Colston was toppled over and pushed into the Bristol Harbour. As a Black woman I watched with a mixture of emotions. Firstly I was elated that what had once stood as a painful reminder of racial oppression had been removed. It was reminiscent of the removal of the Saddam Hussein statue or even the Berlin Wall coming down. The people had spoken and more importantly acted. I sat with the small victory. As the backlash started to unfold, I felt that overwhelming and all too familiar sense of dread. Was this a step too far? The BLM protests were met with such disdain and now we had the audacity to remove statues. ‘Fortune favours the brave’ but history has taught us that it does not favour the Black and brave. Still, it allowed discourse and debate about other statues.
A week later on July 15th at 5am, artist Marc Quinn erected a new statue, ‘ A Surge Of Power’. His muse for the piece was Jen Reid, a BLM protester who climbed the plinth after Colston had been removed. Her husband took a photo which went viral and caught Quinns attention.
Here I was again, it was a triumph. This kind of representation is what I dream of. A statue of a woman, a Black woman, fist aloft, afro out and standing proud.
So why do I feel so conflicted? We cried out for allies to come through and support us. Isn't that exactly what he has done? It is not lost on me that the artist in question is a white male. He’s wealthy and has notoriety. Has he used his privilege to further the conversion or has he hijacked this moment? Would I feel better if the artist were Black?
Quinn erected the statue without the permission of the Bristol council, therefore he must have known that it would not remain for long. It would appear 24 hours was enough for Quinns name to be on everybody’s lips. Altruistic or Opportunist?
But is this what ‘White Britons’ think the Black community wants? To make all statues Black people? Rewrite history? Out of sight out of mind?
I think this is the source of my conflict. It is often said that the BLM movement is just that: a movement, not a moment. In order for real change we need the democratic process to work with and for us. The Council has said what replaces Colston should be the choice of all Bristonians. So take it back to the Council. There are many Black men and women that have done amazing things for Bristol, just as there are many white men and women without the colonial past. Make a list and let the people vote. Why not have two statues? You could change it every 5 years, or have none. I don't know.
What I do know is, removing it with no education about why it was removed is counter productive. Replacing it surreptitiously further feeds into the notion that we do not belong.
It is clear that we are in need of change, but lasting change.
Written by Natasha Pierre-Louis
My name is Natasha. I live in East London with my amazing 17 year old daughter, who simultaneously manages to keep me young and age me. I work for Levi Strauss as the Training & Admin Manager. I am also the founder of WMNKIND™ a community for Women and Young girls. I have always written but have never considered myself as a writer. But maybe, just maybe my English teachers were right……...