Another call being made to move Nelson’s statue

It is about time that the statue of British Admiral Horatio Nelson be moved from Heroes’ Square.

This comment was made by guest speaker, Robert “Bobby” Morris, as he delivered a lecture on the topic “Republican Status and the Post Colonial Agenda”, during the 25th lecture series hosted by the Louis A. Lynch Foundation, which took place at Frank Collymore Hall on Tuesday night.

“Move Nelson! My position is that Nelson should not occupy the place he now occupies,” he asserted.

“You cannot pass legislation calling that Heroes’ Square, in a period of postcolonialism, and keep him there. Put him somewhere else. I’m not saying get rid of him, just put him somewhere else. It’s very important in terms of your natural psyche that we stand together on this. So find a more appropriate place for him.”

He added that in his training and his understanding of heroism, Nelson was a hero for the British. To him, he noted that it seems as though Nelson was willing to give his life for his country, which would therefore define him as a British hero.

“So find someplace else for him, not in Heroes’ Square; and we have to come together and give Trevor Marshall support. I will not allow him to stand out there by himself and have Barbadians not willing to stand behind him,” he said.

Morris said that in a postcolonial era it was not right that the symbol of our oppressor should be so prominently placed in our city. He explained that we are currently more than 50 years into the process of constitutional decolonisation, and having the statue in such a prominent place was counterproductive.

Morris added that having a discussion on the post-colonial agenda and republic status of the island is timely as there are some concerns as to where the country is at this time.

“A united struggle for reparations from our former imperial power, the removal of Nelson to another location, and the adoption of a Republican status are important items in any post=colonial agenda,” he said.

“These things are a must for something to happen.”