Ghana has expressed its intention to remove a statue of Indian independence leader Mohandas Gandhi from a university in the capital, citing a controversy over what critics call his “racist identity.”
But the government made clear the move would be for the statue’s safety, telling the critics that “we must remember that people evolve.”
Professors at the University of Ghana launched a petition last month calling for the removal of the statue, which was unveiled by Indian President Pranab Mukherjee in June.
Ghana’s foreign affairs ministry said the government “would want to relocate the statue from the University of Ghana to ensure its safety.”
Obadele Kambon, one of the petition’s organizers, said Thursday there was no confirmation the statue would be removed. He said moving the statue to another location in Ghana would be insufficient.
He urged the government to send it back to India.
“We don’t think the statue would be well received anywhere in Ghana,” he said.
