in the second-floor exhibition space from 2014 until 2016 , at which point they were removed following protests by members of the Afro-Portuguese community . Although the creation of a proper memorial and visitors ’ centre to recognise Lagos ’ s role – and the broader role of Portugal – in the slave trade has been discussed , very little has been done to date beyond the small museum , which itself has a controversial history . 3
The Lagos study on the Mercado de Escravos is one of the more than 500 case studies , from 130 countries , collected by the Contested Histories project since 2016 , a joint initiative led by the Institute for Historical Justice and Reconciliation and EuroClio – the European Association of History Educators , in cooperation with the International Bar Association , Salzburg Global Seminar and Memory Studies Association , with research support from Harvard University , the University of Oxford and the Erasmus University , in Rotterdam , among others . The objective is to identify statues , monuments and sites , as well as place names , with complex historical legacies , ranging from colonialism and slavery to imperialism , fascism and communism , to authoritarianism , anti-Semitism , gender inequality and sexual violence .
Each case study examines the reasons behind the controversy , the historical background , the stakeholders involved and the decision-making process undertaken to address the contention , as well as lessons learned and best practices that could prove useful for stakeholders interested in these histories : local and national authorities , policy-planners , civil society activists , journalists and educators . The project has been supported by research and funding from a diverse range of sources , including the International Bar Association and the European Commission ’ s Europe for Citizens programme .
Of the 500 case studies , 180 relate directly to colonial and slavery-era legacies . They range from the island of Gorée in Senegal , to the Coolela Monument in Mozambique , to the Josephine Bonaparte statue in
3
For further information , see Contested Histories Case Study # 130 ; ‘ Portugal : Old Slave Market , Lagos ’, available here : https :// contestedhistories . org / resources / case-studies / old-slave-market-in-lagos /
Martinique , to Valongo Wharf in Brazil , and more than a dozen sites in continental Europe . The case studies related to slavery can be divided into three categories : ( 1 ) contested statues and monuments erected in an earlier century that honoured discoverers , philanthropists , merchants who made their communities and themselves wealthier at a cost to enslaved and / or indigenous peoples ; ( 2 ) contested sites linked to the history of enslaved people where that history is presented in a narrative that excludes or marginalises the larger multi-perspective reality of the time ; and ( 3 ) contestations that are , in fact , an expression of underlying social issues such as racism and disenfranchisement that are linked to legacies of slavery-era injustices . While each case exhibits its own unique set of political , social , legal , cultural and even economic dynamics , they all have a common denominator : the contestation today is a reflection of a society in flux , where the values of the past are no longer broadly accepted without question or wider reflection .
Statues of historical figures tend to be the most visible objects of historical contestation , as has been seen in mass protests over colonial slave traders such as Edward Colston in the United Kingdom , and Jan Pieterszoon Coen in The Netherlands . Previously lauded for bringing riches to their homelands , both individuals have been reappraised in light of their role in how that wealth was acquired – namely through the trans-Atlantic trade in enslaved people . Christopher Columbus has experienced a similar reappraisal . For centuries , Columbus was lauded as the “ discoverer ” of America , with cities , rivers , streets , schools , universities , public spaces – even the country of Colombia – named in his honour . Little was said about the atrocities perpetrated in the Americas under his command or the enslavement of indigenous peoples . As early as his first voyage in 1492 , Columbus returned to Spain with six Taíno men he had kidnapped . By the mid-1500s , there were only a handful of Taíno people remaining on the island of Hispaniola , an eradication of the indigenous population that constitutes an act of genocide . One of the tallest Columbus monuments in the world is in Barcelona , where it stands 57 metres tall near the
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Observing Memories Issue 6