Christopher Columbus | Barcelona | Spain
Today, the
figure of Christopher Columbus is still highlighted by the myth of
discoveries as a conquistador and the first man to discover the
Americas. A typical history with capital H, in which the victor and
slave trader is the narrator. A fantasy that no longer should cover
the murder, rape, torture and genocides he did to peoples in the
Americas. Columbus was a tyrant that colonized, enslaved and
mass-murdered millions of peoples in the Americas. In 1977 the
International Conference on Discrimination Against Indigenous
Populations in the Americas, sponsored by the United Nations in
Geneva, Switzerland, began to discuss replacing Columbus Day in the
United States with a celebration to be known as Indigenous Peoples'
Day. Today more than 100 cities, towns and counties across the
country replaced the Columbus Day with Indigenous Peoples’ Day.
Around the
world Columbus statues have been defaced, decapitated, re-customized
and toppled down. Many cities have decided as well to legally remove
their Columbus statues. According to Catalan News, Barcelona
mayor Ada Colau said "This statue is iconic of Barcelona, for
good and for bad, with all the implications".
