History Made As London Confers Great Honor On African Legend Who Fought British Rule

• The United Kingdom has honoured an African legend, John Chilembwe, who was known to have fought the British rule during the colonial era
• Chilembwe was a Malawian Baptist preacher and pan-Africanist, whose statue had just been built at the historical Trafalgar Square in central London
• The new sculpture is named Antelope, and it is the newest Fourth Plinth, which is regarded as one of the world's most famous art commissions

London, United Kingdom - The British empire has unveiled a new status in central London, the historical Trafalgar Square.

Contrary to popular expectations, the new status is not one of the United Kingdom (UK) war heroes or kings, but an African, BBC News Pidgin.

Read also

Nigeria's Independence: 11 photos from 6 decades showcasing historical events that can never be forgotten

Who was the African legend that the British honoured?

It is a very big statue of the Malawian Baptist preacher and pan-Africanist John Chilembwe, who fought against British colonial rule.

The new sculpture, Antelope, is the newest Fourth Plinth, regarded as one of the world's most famous art commissions.

Chilembwe’s five-meter statue is the first African statue at Trafalgar Square.

The statue is built with bronze. Antelope restaged a popular photo of Chilembwe taken in 1914 when he stood by the British missionary, John Chorley, outside his church in Mbombwe village, southern Malawi.

What had the African legend done that caught the British attention?

The photo showed Chilembwe wearing a wide hat, a vivid explanation of his move against an unwritten rule that said Africans should not wear hats in front of the white colonial masters.

Read also

List of African countries that gained independence in 1960 like Nigeria

While the two were standing together, designing the status, the sculptor added one twist that made the image of the Malawian attractive to people.

The Chilembwe statue was designed by a Malawian-born artist, Samson Kambalu, making him bigger than Chorley. The statue stood at 5 meters, higher than that of Chorley.

List of African countries that gained independence in 1960 like Nigeria

Legit.ng earlier reported that the year 1960, the same year Nigeria gets her independence, has always been referred to as the “Year of Africa” because of the series of events that took place during the years.

The year was significant because no less than 17 African countries highlighted the growing pan-African sentiments in the continent, Nigerian Tribune reported.

Between January and December 1960, 17 sub-Sahara African countries, 14 of which are French colonies, gained their independence from their former European colonial masters.

Source: Legit.ng