(Photo: Bahamas.com)
A PETITION to remove the Christopher Columbus statue at Government House has garnered nearly 8,000 signatures.
The online petition, hosted on Change.org, says the statue should be removed due to Columbus’ “torture and dismemberment while serving as governor of a Spanish colony in the Bahamas/Caribbean earned him a reputation for shocking sadism.”
Many Bahamians also took to social media to voice support for the statue’s removal, while some appeared ambivalent about the issues and said more pressing matters should be addressed like hunger or poverty.
“I knew from grade 10 Columbus wasn’t worthy to be honoured and I graduated high school over 29 years ago. Even though the history books said he was some sort of hero; anyone who read more than just their junior high history textbook knew Columbus was a problematic historical figure,” one person wrote.
“Remove the statue, it’s overdue and put Sir Lynden Pindling or Dr Myles Munroe in place of it please,” another person suggested.
The calls to remove the statue came after protests erupted in the United States over the killing of George Floyd, an unarmed black man, by a white police officer in Minneapolis. Several confederate statues, which may see as a symbol of racism, have come down across the US in the wake of his killing.
Columbus is credited with “discovering” the new world when he landed on San Salvador in 1492. A statue was erected in his honour in 1830 and it stands at the front of Government House, the official residence of the governor general.
Some see the controversial figure not as a discoverer, but an invader who met indigenous people when he arrived in the Americas and led to their brutal oppression and decimation.
A holiday commemorating Columbus, known as Discovery Day, was changed to National Heroes Day several years ago to celebrate Bahamian icons.
Comments
joeblow 4 years, 5 months ago
Imbecilic followers of US protesters throwing down statues. Columbus is a part of our history like it or not. It is possible to celebrate both holidays together, after all this nation only has made up heroes! The real heroes have been relegated to the dustbin of history!
moncurcool 4 years, 5 months ago
So what do we celebrate Columbus for? How do you "discover" what already exists?
joeblow 4 years, 5 months ago
... this side of the world was unknown to that side of the world. By taking a bold and innovative step, maritime exploration grew by leaps and bounds. Its why we acknowledge Marco Polo, Lewis & Clark or trailblazers in science like Newton and Einstein. Discovery is simply bringing that which lies out of the view of the masses into view. Their contributions to the furtherance of knowledge has nothing to do with their character, but the risks they took in pushing the boundaries of knowledge. Something few Bahamians know anything about!
RealTalk 4 years, 5 months ago
Cambridge dictionary defines discovery as: "the process of finding information, a place, or an object, especially for the first time, or the thing that is found"
Not sure where you got your definition from
joeblow 4 years, 5 months ago
... that was the obvious and easy part and when that happens it is brought to the attention of the masses (those who were previously unaware), that is why discoveries are usually announced!! A discovery that remains hidden is of no benefit to mankind!
RealTalk 4 years, 5 months ago
Let's look at this scenario.
You found a gold mine in your backyard. You tell all the people on your island so tens of thousands of people already know. But you do not go to the news and tell the people in America or Europe.
But what if an American decides to travel to your island out of curiosity. He comes over and visits your house. He sees the gold mine and takes it from you. He then shares the news with CNN and BBC of the gold mine which allows the masses (millions) to hear of it.
Did he discover it? or Did you discover it?
joeblow 4 years, 5 months ago
... I refer you to the definition you supplied above!
K4C 4 years, 5 months ago
Well it was just a matter of time, history can not be reversed for any reason, what next protesters demanding removal of all European history in the Bahamas ?
truetruebahamian 4 years, 5 months ago
I say keep it! Most will agree!
bahamianson 4 years, 5 months ago
keep it and let us deal with our general condescension of Haitians and white people we call foreigners.
TigerB 4 years, 5 months ago
I was thinking about this. Oct 12, 1492... it was like the Bahamas was born. .. and the holiday on that date reflects it. History shows that Columbus did alot of foolishness and introduce the Europeans to islanders and they took it even further. But we can't ignore the fact that even though he did foolishness he also responsible for Bahamian history, that is all we know. I'm sure those who sign the partition would not be signing it had this George Floyd incident didn't arise. But I do see their argument.
moncurcool 4 years, 5 months ago
Did the Bahamas exist before 1492?
joeblow 4 years, 5 months ago
@moncurcool... did electricity exist before Benjamin Franklins kite experiment or did molecules exist before Einstein described Brownian motion or gravitational forces before Newton described them? Did the outer reaches of space exist before telescopes or Hubble?
Did man have a brain before autopsies?
tribanon 4 years, 5 months ago
Nothing but dumb mischievous jerks employed by government or without a job and nothing better to do than try rewrite history while blaming and stoking racism wherever and whenever they can as the cause for their own miserable existence. My suggestion is that we let these jerks tear down Christopher Columbus and erect in his place a huge statue of Hubert Minnis. Doing so should immediately improve their under-privileged position, self-esteem and economic standing in society. LOL
Cas0072 4 years, 5 months ago
This is such a ridiculous waste of effort and a trivial accomplishment if achieved. It is just a statue and Columbus’ name, good or bad, will forever be tied to The Bahamas. Why not just update the history books and use this copy cat energy to petition for better policing or something that is actually useful.
EricC 4 years, 5 months ago
Actually that statue has nothing to do with Columbus, that is a Cavalier, wrong era!
TalRussell 4 years, 5 months ago
More than has suspicious using Comrade Christopher statue as a tool agitation be gearing up pushin's the designing real campaign for calling snap general election campaign's expectation, whilst operating out sight off foreign soil - underway by interventionist vandalism plotting republican hired gun political consulates paid to steer the growing negative messaging away from the colony's embattled in failure governing party. Nod once for yeah, Twice for no?
RealTalk 4 years, 5 months ago
We should just put up statues of Cordell Farrington or Kofhe Goodman while we are at it. Since we have and want to keep a statue of Columbus; someone who kidnaps, tortures, rapes, and murders people. Let's just put up more statues of those types of people. Put up Farrington in Grand Bahama and Goodman by Goodman's Bay beach. They both made history in The Bahamas with the same despicable acts Columbus did.
It's puzzling to me that people would want to keep Columbus statue up. Is it because Columbus is white? or Is it because you people are also that sick in the head? Weirdos...
TalRussell 4 years, 5 months ago
'All Statues Matter, beside Comrade Christopher Columbus has less to do with the British than it has to do with the American Italians. Nod once for yeah cause few things in our colony still standing that go back 1830, Twice for no?
birdiestrachan 4 years, 5 months ago
leave the statue alone. it makes no sense to remove it. it is a part of Bahamian history good or bad, that is what it is history.
themessenger 4 years, 5 months ago
Idiots think that removing or destroying a few statues will change or sanitize history? What will our sheeple think of next? I watched a news report on BBC this morning, the British halfwits and some of their American kindred are calling for the removal of Cecil Rhodes statue, I wonder if they’ll still be quite so keen if the Trustees decide to cancel and cease funding any further Rhodes Scholarships which many people of color have been the beneficiaries of? From the sublime to the ridiculous in one breath, God help us!
tribanon 4 years, 5 months ago
If the Columbus statue is torn down and replaced with one of Poodling, Ingraham, Christie or Minnis, let's make sure the replacement statue is black and not white. Majority rule at least deserves a majority colour. We will of course have to keep our fingers crossed that the few mango and conchy joe skinned Bahamians among us don't get their noses bent out of joint. LOL
Hoda 4 years, 5 months ago
I wonder if taking the statute down will stop bahamians from "yes massa" when white people they think have money come around, from being rude and dismissive to people who look like them, but "yes massa" - ing when white people they think have money come around; will the ministry of tourism advertisments stop pandering to white people....no we cant rewrite history. I agree with the professor on the news, put it in a museum.
tribanon 4 years, 5 months ago
Unfortunately it's not just "yes massa" - ing to white people whom we 'think' have money. Ingraham, Christie and now Minnis have been "yes massa" - ing to communist yellow people whom they 'know' have money. I'm fearful the white colour Christopher Columbus statue will be replaced with a yellow colour statue of Xi Jinping.....donated of course by the Communist Party of China.
Topdude 4 years, 5 months ago
Given the increasingly acrimonious climate surrounding global contemporary race relations and the historical factors leading to where we are in 2020, the right thing to do here in the Bahams is to appoint a National Commission on the Updating of the Names of Streets, the Creation of New Monuments and Statues , the Disposal of Racist Monuments and Statues and the Use of And Introduction of African and Lucayan Languages to Replace the racist English Language . Let’s see how far we can go on this one? Take English out of the school curriculum. Proceedings in Parliament in Swahili, etc. African clothing to replace European clothing. Tribal customs to replace European Customs, e.g. polygamy, African laws to replace European laws, e.g. communal ownership of property, and obeah and voodoo to replace European religious practices. Facial scarring, female l genital mutilation and other native practices to reflect our African heritage. Uhuru.
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