Relocation

Statue of Lord Nelson with metal railings around it in Barbados
#11

Admiral Horatio Nelson Statue in Bridgetown

Barbados

By Contested Histories Initiative July 2021

Originally erected in 1813, the statue of British Colonial Admiral Horatio Nelson, enjoyed 206 years of undisturbed tenure in the centre of Bridgetown. However, in recent years Barbados has undergone a journey of renewing national identity and demarcating new heroes, causing Nelson to come under scrutiny. This case raises questions… Read More

Statue of Lenin extending his hand surrounded by busts of Lenin on the ground at Grūto parkas in Lithuania
#96

Grūtas Sculpture Park in Druskininkai

Lithuania

By Contested Histories Initiative July 2021

The Grūtas Park was created to collect and display Soviet-era monuments that had been removed from public spaces following Lithuanian independence. This case study provides an example of an effective and alternate remedy to destruction or erasure of contested historical legacies, but also shows the political, social, and economic complexities… Read More

Statue of Mahatma Gandhi with staff in front of University of Ghana
#72

University of Ghana Gandhi Statue in Accra

Ghana

By Contested Histories Initiative July 2021

In June 2016, a statue of Mahatma Gandhi was gifted to the University of Ghana in Accra, by the Indian President. Shortly after, staff and students at the University circulated a petition calling for the statue’s removal due to Gandhi’s racist writings on Africans. In 2018, two years after the… Read More

Full shot view of Christopher Columbus Statue in Parque Colón, taken from the street with plaque visible
#4

Columbus Monument in Buenos Aires

Argentina

By Contested Histories Initiative

The Monument to Christopher Columbus has caused great controversy as part of the heritage and historical memory of Argentina. Opinions were divided between his legacy as a discoverer of the ‘New World’ or as a ‘perpetrator of genocide.’ After several legal disputes, the monument is now located on the coast… Read More