LAST YEAR: The Columbus statue at Government House with an arm and a leg missing after being attacked with a sledgehammer. Photo: Racardo Thomas/Tribune Staff
By EARYEL BOWLEG
Tribune Staff Reporter
ebowleg@tribunemedia.net
THE statue of Christopher Columbus at Government House has been removed and will remain in storage until the government and stakeholders determine what to do with it.
This was confirmed by the director of communications in the Office of the Prime Minister, Latrae Rahming, yesterday. Mr Rahming was contacted after pictures circulated on social media showing the missing statue.
“I can confirm that the statue has been removed,” he told The Tribune yesterday. “It was an organised effort by Government House, the Ministry of Works, and the Bahamas Antiquities Monuments and Museums Corporation. The statue will be stored at the Ministry of Works until the government and stakeholders determine its future usage.”
Asked if there will be another Christopher Columbus statue in that spot, he did not answer directly. “That’s the only comment I have on this matter,” he said.
A 37-year-old man has denied allegations that he trespassed on Government House property in 2021 and caused $2,000 worth of damage to the statue.
In March, Press Secretary Clint Watson said the Davis administration had not decided what to do about the defaced Columbus statue.
Prime Minister Philip “Brave” Davis had previously said Cabinet will decide what will happen to the statue, the presence of which has been condemned because of Columbus’ legacy of murder and slavery.
In 2020, Mr Rahming joined a group of people who called for the Columbus statue to be removed from Government House. Reverend Sebastian Campbell was among those who urged the public to march to force the removal of the statue.
Comments
Flyingfish 2 years ago
The statue didn't deserve to be destroyed/defamed however the people should have the right to call for its removal, I just hope those same people would come up with a good replacement.
Maybe William Sayle or they can move Woodes Rodgers up their, at least those would be individuals who did things towards or nations development.
Perhaps Blackbeard seeing how this country has evolved.
sheeprunner12 2 years ago
A junkanooer representation should be sculpted and placed in front of Govt House.
Reflects the spirit of The People
carltonr61 2 years ago
Every nation has its unique historical tapestry, but The Bahamas is not a permanent place where we guard our lace in history. What The Creator designed was erased from our unique tapestry by a pen stroke which I hope was instead preserved for prosperity. To mere men, history is a whim and fancy represented by fleeting narratives without a cause. That Columbus died 200 years before the first black African came to our shores, but somehow ignoring the participation of the then Portuguese great sea power and their initial finding of gold in what is now Brazil we will find historical honesty.
One 2 years ago
Bravo
Columbus did take the natives back as slaves. But the point of there being other bad actors holds.
I think people in general want to make room for new historical figures who represent current societal values and inspire the desired future. Sure colonialism, slavery, piracy etc is part of Bahamian history which we should be aware of. But what figures inspire us now that we want to display in public?
If there aren't any then that's a problem. Seems like today besides politicians maybe the "number men" have had the biggest influence (most power) over the country.
One 2 years ago
From another angle.
The Columbus statue is a tourist attraction. A historical figure that many know of outside of the Bahamas. Reinstate as an attraction using money made from taxing the tourist industry.
If society has a problem with it, inform them clearly of the commercial value it has and let them vote if the loss of money is an acceptable trade-off to support permanent removal. Heck, you could probably install a plaque denouncing Columbus and tourists would still want to take pictures with the statue.
Let democracy decide.
bahamianson 2 years ago
Simple, fix, bring back.
themessenger 2 years ago
The radical priest and his rabid anti anything white followers, including white statues it would appear, are deluded in thinking that by attempting to sanitize portions of history that they are uncomfortable with or ignorant of by destruction or removal of monuments erected by the Colonialists will change that history one wit.
Their version of The History of The Bahamas was written in1967 and is just as skewed as their thought process.
LastManStanding 2 years ago
It is a cultural virus that is being imported from the United States. Sadly, I expect this kind of occurrence is going to become more common as racial tensions in the US come to a head.
birdiestrachan 2 years ago
L Leave the statue alone it is a great work of art , removing it will Not change history Bahamians follow fashion too much they saw it In the USA God told the people In the wilderness to ..look at the snake for healing
carltonr61 2 years ago
The Bahamas Historical Society did nothing to correct Bahamians on Columbus' lack of involvement in the African diaspora as the historical truth reads his search was for India by way of heading West. We are not sure if history could be determined mere accidental or destined during any era of enlightenment marked as discovery. The ancient Portuguese sailors, and according to National Geographics, the African sailors saw these islands as of questionable trading value. However, few nations at the time had mercantile resources hunger to place large cargo ocean ships to sea. Even our indigenous had the Florida keys under their oars. Quest for labor resources was not Christopher Columbus' mandate. W. E. B. de Boise. THEY CAME BEFORE COLUMBUS. We should question our history according to our slavers.
TalRussell 2 years ago
I really feel, however the official decision came about for the removal of the statue of the welcoming Comrade Christopher Columbus, which has stood in his honor since 1830, such an act committed by an official should result in their arrest and being charged with committing an act of statue mischief.
It's not so much about who was the individual made the official decision but it's the very thought of the permanent removal of Comrade Christopher, who has faithfully poised for 70,080 days from the steps Government House and without thought financial reward for 192 years of picture taking by Hundreds of millions tourists cameras.
Now the premiership of "Brave" Davis's, is threatening to keep him forever in storage, knowing it will be seen as an attempt by his premiership to tear down the colony's creation history.
If it is be the true intent of a black government to brung about what no hurricane could, the permanent demise of a statue that was paid for by money raised by the colony's 1829 black popoulaces ... After the statue's removal, it still will leave the 1829 wealthy whites who paid for and erected a statue in honour of Queen Victoria, with her limbs fully intact at the entrance of the House of Assembly ― Yes?
carltonr61 2 years ago
History should have no envy, as we all could make a mark. To remove a statue, an epic within our tapestry that begins with the Taino People, Portuguese and African Ocean voyagers, then Columbus and other Europeans then us Africans who remain a part of this fixture. What goes around will come around one day as the whims of a next generation may be enlightened and spiteful. History will judge our mark ad oh look these people replaced a global stature of universal epic proportions then out of envy replaced him with their a god of their own deserving of standing fifty feet tall on top of Fort Charlotte which lies naked of a statue. Only Lord Dunmore's ghost resides there.
Sickened 2 years ago
May I suggest fixing the statue, painting in black and naming it Pindling?
carltonr61 2 years ago
Some entity is well well motivated to have the tapestry of our history removed. Government House Grounds is non political and represents the Head of our Commonwealth, The King's Cypher shows a 👑 on top with C III then R. It is Royal Grounds not Bahamian Grounds for political heroes. Then what else could anyone make of this self worship mischief future. Columbus touched global transformational storm, but The Vikings visited America's North, The Chinese and Japanese ancient fleets showed maps of The America's East. Columbus was not the first Bahamian, but he surely did place The Bahamas on the renown eternal and epic global map of Earthly time of which the whole world accepts these shores for. Columbus' statue in its singular pose impacts where no other, dead or alive has for the spread of Christianity to the ancient New World. He firstly pierced our sands with the Crucifixe, bowed down then thanked God. Historical records read of raiders from Hispaniola to The Bahamas in search of free labor. A stone, carved crown molding within a historical and sacred building show what appears to be a market with Lucayans carrying turtles alligators, fruits to trade. Too little of our history is told from within. But old Bahamian Laws do mention the presence of Indians here. The least we could do is place a Lucayan village to the sea entrance of cruise ships complete with canoes in reverance and silence to the people who once lived here. We are still here both white and black but the Lebanese, Jews, Greeks, Spanish and French along with Germans who survived submarine sinking off Cat Island. World history places The Bahamas Christopher Columbus visit as the epoch changer in the events of civilization that is irreversible and cannot be replaced by a repositioned figure mere fronting faking and making a laughing stock mockery global greatness. We might as well replace the French built Statue of Liberty with a statue of American icon Trump for the sake of being American.
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