A public memorial, memorializing West Africans lost in the Atlantic Ocean is to be constructed in The Gambia on the Atlantic coast, The Standard has been informed.
According to a write up shared with The Standard, the Minister of Tourism and Culture, Abdoulie Jobe, along with the families of missing Gambians has approved of a proposal by trans regional humanitarian artist Lech Szporer for the construction of a large-scale public memorial.
The statement went on to explain that the Memorial for Africans Lost at Sea will address both the historical account of the Transatlantic Slave Trade and the contemporary crisis of “backway migration.”
“The artist will work directly with Hassoum Ceesay, Director General of the National Center for Arts and Culture, on the development of the memorial project.
The artist hopes the memorial will both inspire Gambians and possibly save Gambian lives by making people think twice before risking their lives in the open sea. The artist thought of the memorial after losing a close Gambian friend to the backway.
Lech Szporer and his production company Tactical Aesthetics, which focuses on the role of art in relation to human rights, also recently shot a short documentary in The Gambia on the present crisis of backway migration and how it is affecting Gambians:
“From the history of the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade to modern day migration issues, we have seen the Atlantic Ocean swallow up countless brilliant, young, and eager African lives. The growing trend of young people leaving Africa today continues to hurt The Gambia, draining the country of its ambitious youth and thus its hope for a more positive future.
In order for young people to appreciate their home and to invest in their own country, The Gambia needs to provide opportunities for the next generation. But providing a future for Gambians involves more than better infrastructure, educational and employment opportunities, and a stronger health care system – Gambians also need to be inspired and invigorated to participate in the building of a better future. And this is where the importance of arts and culture comes into play.
A public memorial has the power to transform collective trauma into a site of communal healing and recovery, restoring the connection between survivors and their communities, between the people alive today and the ancestors they come from, all the while beautifying its surroundings with the visual and interactive social practice of engaging with history, meaning, and shared memory.”
Memorial Description:
“Memorial for Africans Lost at Sea is a large staircase ascending from the sandy beach up into sky over the ocean water, depicting a ‘stairway to heaven’ or stairway to one’s dreams and aspirations.
The memorial will be interactive. People will be able to safely walk up and down the staircase. At the top of the staircase will be a viewing platform, a high point from which people will be able to look out over the ocean.”
A televised inauguration ceremony with representatives of the government, family members of missing Gambians, and important public figures of Gambian culture will be hosted with the possible involvement of a well know Gambian musician to perform during the event.”
