General Faidherbe | Lille | France
Louis Faidherbe is one of the great figures of French
colonialism. He was governor of Senegal for many years. It is known
to have started a massive - and violent - extension of its territory
but also to have stimulated a first economic boom. On the occasion of
the bicentenary of his birth, in 2018, the collective "Faidherbe
must fall" had sent an open letter to the town hall of Lille to
request the removal of the statue present in town. The message
denounced a character who would have waged "a war of
extermination" and led to "the imposition of a system of
racist oppression". With the latest events, this statue is again
the subject of debate.
