After years of debate about colonialism, a prominent statue of former US President Theodore Roosevelt in New York has to give way.
The New York City Public Design Commission advocated removing the statue in front of the American Museum of Natural History and handing it over to a cultural institution dealing with Roosevelt’s life. A city representative said the artwork was not created with malicious intent. His composition is in a thematic framework with racism and colonialism.
The move follows years of protests and critical media reports that classified the bronze as racist and condemned it as a symbol of colonialism. The statue shows the 26th President of the United States towering high as a horseman, flanked by the nameless figures of a Native American and an African in a serving position.
This message was broadcast on June 23rd, 2021 on Deutschlandfunk Kultur
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