The University of Ghana has taken down the statue of India’s independence leader, Mahatma Gandhi, erected at the recreational quadrangle of the university.
This follows a vicious protest in 2016 for the removal of the statue by some academics of the university who argued that Gandhi was a racist and had no place in the school.
The men, in the company of university security, who carried out the demolishing of the figure of the civil rights leader which stood in the heart of the university, only said that they had “received an order from above” and could not speak to why or who exactly had given the order.
‘We received an order from above and we can’t tell you why it is being taken down’, one of the security men told #UniversNews.
For many Diplomats including Ghana’s former High Commissioner to India and current Speaker of Parliament, Prof. Aaron Mike Ocquaye, the decision to demolish the statue might have implications on diplomatic ties between Ghana and India.
The decision to take down the figure, which was donated by the Indian government and unveiled on 14th June 2016, has been hanging in the balance for about 2 years after an online petition was brought to the members of the University of Ghana Council and the then chairman Kwamena Ahwoi.
Update: Mahatma Gandhi statue relocated to Kofi Annan Center of Excellence
While some have argued that the racist comments he’s accused of making come nowhere close to his humanitarian activities and the impact he had on the entire world, others are extremely unforgiving.
In one of his early writings in South Africa, Gandhi is quoted to have advanced arguments to paint the African race as totally inferior.
‘Ours is one continual struggle against a degradation sought to be inflicted upon us by the Europeans, who desire to degrade us to the level of the raw kaffir [Africans] whose occupation is hunting, and whose sole ambition is to collect a certain number of cattle to buy a wife with and then pass his life in indolence and nakedness’, one of his writings said.
Background
In September 2016, a group of lecturers and students launched a hashtag #GandhiMustFall to get the authorities to remove the statue of the man accused of racism.
This was in reaction to the erection of the statue of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi at the Sam Aboah quadrangle of the University of Ghana.
The “Gandhi Must Fall” movement was spearheaded by a former Director of the Institute of African Studies (IAS), Professor Akosua Adomako Ampofo.
According to her, the statue of the man widely acclaimed for his doctrine of non-violence is undeserving to be mounted on campus because he was a racist.
Before now, Gandhi’s statue remained the only figure of a historical personality on Legon campus.
By: Manuel Koranteng & Elliot Nuerttey | www.universnewsroom.com
I don’t think it bad demolishing it, After all there are more prominent people in Ghana So What is the statu of an india man doing in University of Ghana.
I personally Have a problem With that statu.
Good question Adjoa. Wondering if there is a statue of any African in any Asian country.
What was the reason for erecting his status in Ghana? apart from He being a racist and tagged Mahatma Ghandi I this was one of the those leaders who fought seriously concurrently with Dr.Kwame Nkrumah of Ghana,Nnamdi Azekiwe of Nigeria,etc
What was the reason for erecting his status in Ghana? apart from He being a racist as tagged Mahatma Ghandi I think was one of the those leaders who fought seriously concurrently with Dr.Kwame Nkrumah of Ghana,Nnamdi Azekiwe of Nigeria,etc
Story would have been better showing an example of Ghandi as demeaning to Africans rather than just saying it. Demonstration beats conversation. What did he say or do? Where and in what context.
Dear just google what he said about Africans and if you agree to it then I don’t know what to say to you
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-34265882
Gandhi, the authors write, was indifferent to the plight of the indentured, and believed that state power should remain in white hands, and called black Africans Kaffirs, a derogatory term, for a larger part of his stay in
Wiser point. Wise man.
Google Ghandi’s quotes!
Google it. He made statements against Black South Africans while hedging for Indians rights in that country.
Ghandi was quoted in a news article condemning the race as a whole, stating that African people are inferior do not learn well and are monkeys… so how do you feel abt him now there are 6 quotes from him read em
He aligned himself with the coloreds of South Africa which means he bought into the racist system of apartheid. He aligned with the colonial British Empire along with racist statements about the inferiority of Africans
Start a campaign to remove every statue across the continent that have nothing to do with Africans especially white men, Indians and white men again. Replace them with our own people. You do not see any statues of African people in European countries unless they are slave depictions.
Is there Nkrumah’s statue in India?
I love to see Nkrumah’s statute in every Failed African states, especially in Sierra Leone!
Ghandi must fall indeed
Am the happiest man today after seeing this news. Some men and women have laid their lives down for mother Ghana, and instead of saying thank you to them by erecting statues in their honour, our leaders could only give us a racist. When would our leaders love Ghana than their pockets? I am glad this finally came through. I am a 100% fun of this and an anti-ghandi statue fun.
This is the first time I have learned that Gandhi was a racist. I do know that some Indians treatments towards Africans over the years across the continent and in their own country, India, have demonstrated some deep rooted dislike of Africans as whole.
It is my hope that there is an evidentiary document about Gandhi that can establish his moral views about the blacks, specifically the Africans in particular to prove this allegation leveraged against him.
Ghandi lived in South Africa where he developed the idea of peaceful straggle technique, then went back to India where he demonstrated and succeeded removing coloniser Britain out of India. How could his movement then be called human right movement ? Ghandi fought for India’s human rights while calling other humans (Africans) monkey. Not only his statue his name should be deleted from the list of human rights activist as he was not inclusive of all. He was pure racist who fought without gun.
https://www.google.com/amp/s/thewire.in/history/gandhi-and-africans/amp/
Congratulations. Well done. This must be exemple to other afro countries.
This took too long to happen. Let the grandeur of Ghandi’s fight for independence from Britain be celebrated in India. Ghana must celebrate its African heroes; it’s proud blackness; those who fought and died for their freedom. Good decision!
I would like to know Andrew Youngs opinion.
The removall was overdue. Many thanks Ghana and professor
Why is the word ‘racist’ in single quotation marks? Gandhi’s writings make it very clear that he was an antiblack racist. What one makes of the man’s philosophy is one thing, but there’s nothing good to be said of the man.
I use to like most of Ghandi Quote, but not surprise that he called our legends bad name because he was playing politics with us to enable the white to give his people freedom, now I see African’s need to blow Africa Trumpet , else same way others we call us names, Rise up Africa the land of the King’s and Prince, the land of the Roaring Lions and the Gold soil, the River of honey, the sea of fruity juice with bless waterfall of milk.
Besides dehumanizing us as monkeys and ladders I haven’t even seen any record about him fighting racist Indian caste system and women oppression. The so called world largest democracy has a third of it’s citizens classified as untouchables worthless second class citizen. The majority of women graduate to only be assigned household tasks. Their share in the nation’s workforce is 36%. Gandhi was a bigot that fought for a certain caste of Indians to take over after the British.
This is not fair… Being a lawyer who came from India he was in company of whites… He referred to Africans in that manner only until he realized it was racist and he stopped immediately his letters to home revealed his hurt finding out the word was derogatory and his family have apologized and are still prominent leaders in society. Im a big advocate for African people and their plight but it is naive to not take the context into account. Especially since he was not a south African Indian and in the beginning was unaware of the magnitude of racism. On finding out Ghandi did everything in his power to fight against racism and led many peaceful revolts. Ghandi was assainated by his own people for being so inclusive of everyone and not having a discriminatory bone in his body… I am disappointed that this would be done in fact the statue should have been returned to India as it was a gift from the Indian government. When France gifted America a statue of an African women and America didn’t want it they put it in a different location and then France gave them a similar age of a white women statue of liberty which they used. It’s about diplomatic peace. It is an insult to the Indian government that extended kindness to Ghana. The question in the comment is the any African leader in an Asian country… Well did any African country gift an Asian county with a statue… No because African leaders are not even revered in their own country… African rarely teach African history in Africa schools and african African children are oppsessed with these American rappers to worry about building their own country and future It’s sad that African countries feel separate from other developing countries and refuse to acknowledge their strength and learn from them to better their own country. The Indian government had put many things in place in their country thst could benefit us if we try… Indian produces more engineers doctors and scientists than any nation in the world…. From abject poverty to working in multinational companies that is the strength of Indians that Africa needs to adopt. Upper Africans would rather be slaves in Dubai and Saudi Arabia than work in their country and enhance their country. Since everyone is so good with Google…. Google Africans in Saudi and watch the horror stories…
You’re drunk Priya, go home.
Please stop lying.
i never kew ghandi was racist until i seached it up or went to brain pop.com