I'm unsure what I think about attempts to re-engineer the past. Statues, such as those of Cecil Rhodes. I wonder whether Rhodes would have been a fan of The Clash.
... if you want me off your back
Well, come on and let me know
Should I stay or should I go?
I generally approach these apparently binary issues with a touch of cynicism. I doubt they are simple matters. In the case of Rhodes, it may boil down to what a statue is for. Things change; the culture of a nation changes, as do the values of humankind. Statues don't; they are either there or not (ask Saddam Hussein). Perhaps statues should be temporary, with a limited lifespan. He's no longer interesting; let's put her up instead for the next year or so. Made of some cheap material to facilitate that. Or holograms, with a coded time limit; you wake up one morning and discover that David Lloyd George is no longer in Parliament Square Garden. "Oh, we switched him off; his time was up; Madonna will be there next week."
I know virtually nothing about Cecil Rhodes so am unwilling to venture an opinion of his suitability for deification in concrete. I can consider the arguments on both sides: leaving the statue standing is a necessary reminder of how we, the British, condoned genocide vs removing the statue means we no longer share those imperial values and should not appear to celebrate them. Both arguments seem to me flimsy, sounding a bit Orwellian. I suppose I think statues coagulate the past and I am much more interested in the future.
I rather think Rhodes would have echoed The Clash:
If I go there will be trouble
And if I stay it will be double
So ya gotta let me know
Should I stay or should I go?
There’s a whole heap of unpleasant men memorialised in statues. The good thing is that no one notices them because they are as much part of the street furniture at lampposts.
ReplyDeleteUntil, that is, someone draws attention to it.
It’s not just statues or changes in society’s values. What of someone’s art or other contribution? Should an organisation who previously received a donation of cash or property from someone later vilified return or get rid of it?
ReplyDeleteShould we stop listening to the music or read the books of people who either fall well below our future values or do something abhorrent in later life?
I don’t know the answers. Very difficult ground.