The literary scholar Aleida Assmann once referred to a metaphor by the English philosopher Francis Bacon: “Whoever carries the candle into the corner darkens the rest of the room.” Monuments and statues are like candles: They only illuminate a certain historical perspective, while other perspectives stay hidden.
The metaphor is also helpful because it takes into account the active character of memory: the candle is actively carried into a corner, part of the story is deliberately illuminated, another part is darkened.
This is also evident in Charlottesville, USA. A dispute over the interpretation of two statues came to a provisional end there last weekend. Four years after a march of hundreds of right-wing extremists, in which one counter-demonstrator was killed, the statues of Generals Robert E. Lee and Thomas Jackson were removed from their pedestals.
Both had fought in the civil war for the southern states, which opposed the abolition of slavery and against more rights for blacks. Their perspective was honored with the statues, while the people who suffered from slavery and fought against it received no appreciation.
In 2017, Charlottesville City Council voted to remove the statues of the generals; Years of legal disputes and right-wing marches followed. Now the statues have disappeared, with the help of large cranes and to the cheers of many people present.
New space for neglected perspectives
While the Charlottesville generals were officially removed, people in Canada unauthorized overturned statues of Britain’s Queen Victoria and Queen Elizabeth II earlier this month. This happened after the graves of indigenous children were discovered.
The queens are seen as representatives of Canada’s colonial history, which also includes the former re-education schools for indigenous children. So while here, too, part of the story was literally put on the pedestal, the other part remained un-remembered for decades.
It is a positive development that one-sided memories are recognized as problematic in many places. Initiatives to rename streets in Berlin as well as the collapse of monuments in the USA or Canada reveal previously neglected perspectives.
Too static for vivid memories
New memorials for long-forgotten events, more or less more candles in the room of remembrance, should also contribute. In Paris and Lisbon, for example, monuments are planned to commemorate the people who suffered from slavery.
It is of course important to publicly honor long-negated memories in particular, even in monuments that are visible places of recognition. However, this does not solve the problem that both new and old monuments are meant to remind stone, static forms of complex events.
Discussions can only take place in discussions and a constantly evolving process. Museums, events, lectures and guided tours around monuments and statues can help. You can multiply the light from the candle in the corner.
I am a technology author with 8 years of experience in journalism. My writing covers the latest technology advancements and trends, drawing on my expertise in news journalism and social media platforms. I have contributed to major media outlets such as The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and Reuters.
