What’s in a statue? Here are some memorials that have courted controversy

Some of the most impressive monuments of the world have backstories of debate that can give insights into the culture, history and priorities. Here are a few such memorials which have courted controversy:

Fallen Angel, Madrid Sculptor Ricardo Bellver’s Fallen Angel statue in Buen Retiro Park is said to be one of the few statues dedicated to Lucifer. It is rumoured to have been the meeting place for satanic rituals in the 1950s. Rising 666 metres above sea level doesn’t help stave off those whispers.

African Renaissance Monument, Senegal President Abdoulaye Wade didn’t win any popularity votes when he funnelled millions into the construction of a monument to the African Renaissance. The 160 ft colossus depicts a stylised man with a baby in his arms, emerging from a volcano and pulling along a half-naked woman and has been criticised for sexism.




Che Guevara, Bolivia Ernesto “Che” Guevara fought for the rights of the poor, inciting passions along the way. While some condemn his violent methods, to many in La Higuera, he remains “Saint Ernesto.” There, on the spot where he was captured and executed, residents dedicated a bust in his honour in 1997.




India Gate and Canopy, New Delhi Sir Edwin Lutyens designed the India Gate in 1931 as a war memorial to the fallen soldiers of undivided India during World War I. Three decades after the statue of King George V was removed from the canopy nearby, Indian sculptor Ram Vanji Sutar worked on a statue of Mahatma Gandhi as a substitute. However, feuds between urban planning councils and remarks from citizens have left the canopy empty.




Brown Dog Statue, London The statue in Battersea Park is a 1985 replacement of a statue with a troubled backstory. The original terrier was built in 1906 by a group opposed to the use of animals in medical experiments. It displayed a plaque condemning pro-vivisection students at the University College. Outraged, those students destroyed it.




SOURCE: HUFFINGTONPOST, BBC, TRAVEL AND LEISURE