Feed Leopold to the birds
The association ACED ‘citizens for a decolonialised public space’ (Association Citoyenne pour un Espace public Décolonial) has removed the statue in honor of Leopold II in the Duden Parc in Brussels in protest to the violent colonial history in Congo. A day later a version of the buste made out of birdseed appeared. The case was widely mentioned in the Belgian press. There’s a real urgency to have a public debate on representation of colonial history in Belgium. The action is a great initiative that deserves follow up. Below the images there are some links to articles and sources.
RTBF article (French):
This article contains several extracts of the press release by ACED.
“Although we are against violence, we were forced to take this radical measure. This is because the rulers avoid any serious form of debate about statues in honor of the colonial past, and more importantly, refuse to deal with this dark page of our history in a conscious way. We find this ostrich policy an insult to the values of a society that calls itself democratic.”
https://www.rtbf.be/info/regions/bruxelles/detail_parc-duden-a-forest-le-buste-de-leopold-ii-a-t-il-ete-deboulonne-durant-la-nuit?id=9808178
De Wereld Morgen article (Dutch):
http://www.dewereldmorgen.be/artikel/2018/01/11/aanklacht-tegen-verering-van-kolonialisme-buste-van-leopold-ii-in-brussel-ontvoerd
BX1 article (french)
https://bx1.be/forest/forest-imitation-graines-buste-de-leopold-ii-apparu-parc-duden/