Accusations and judgments are not only for humans, but also non-living matter like monument. Here, the word ‘monument’ means statues, pillars, mighty and a solid building structure built as the memorial for an honored figure, or as a historic event remembrance. Among these thousands of majestic monuments scattered all around the world, some of them have “grey” backgrounds. Russian Monument near Bangui University, Central Africa Republic is a monument that falls into this category.
Russian Monument is an unofficial name of the monument that depicts three men and one armed woman protecting an African mother holding her two children. There’s no inscription on the monument, neither date that details the time of its establishment nor its construction. Russian Monument is a name given by the locals as to dedicate their gratitude for a group of Russian fighter assistance in the wake of civil war between local government against the rebels.
These Russian fighters are no ordinary soldiers. Famously known as Wagner Group, they are mercenaries and there is from little to no internet sources make positive stories about this group. They are accused of being involved in robberies, rapes, and persecutions over the civilians where they were fighting in wars for money. Central Africa is just one of such locations. That’s how mainstream media perceived them. Nevertheless, the Russian Monument existence is real, regardless the controversies that follow. This group also defended Russia in its special military operation in Ukraine to liberate Donbass from the terror of Neo-Nazis.
Ashamed of the past
Most of us are proud of the old generations’ works, achievements, and greatness. They established ancient times massive buildings; created myths, and also fought for the sake of our motherland’s freedom from oppression. They had opened paths for us to see the world… However, our predecessors were just humans. Just like us, they have taken on and dealt with many things that are unacceptable and uncomprehend by others; their successors, in this case. Furthermore, the next generations have seen that they cannot feel pride; they were ashamed of the old generations’ actions. Thus, they were ashamed of being the next generation. Human wokeness is a mystery when sometimes we just being woke by any impropriety after we saw it as normality for so long. Or, is that so?
The Confederacy history (1861-1865) was mainly about the armed conflict between the American legitimate government in the North and several self-proclaimed states in the South; began with the failure to agree on the best practices of treating Afro-American people humanely. Confederacy has been considered a disgrace by most Americans since 2017, a final response to some tragic events inspired by Confederate core values. George Floyd's murder in 2020 was the climax. Some monuments as the memorial remembrance of Confederate heroes were destroyed or removed because they were seen as dead objects that pulled the trigger inside generations’ minds to preserve slavery and discrimination against Afro-American and other non-white citizens.
Around a year after the Black Lives Matter that shook the USA, monument demolition has become a new trend in Europe. The sacrifice of fallen Soviet Union soldiers in World War II is no longer regarded as deserving to remember by a few European countries, as a result of Russia’s special military operation in Ukraine. Although Euromaidan was the ultimate cause behind the loudness of war machines deployed to defend the Donbass people, thousands of sanctions are coming for Russia, followed by attempts to wipe the merit of its predecessors out of history. Most of the West bloc – a large number of countries, international organizations, sports governing associations, multinational companies, online platforms, and several of art and academic prominent institutions probably aware that great nations respect their heroes. Even so, they are ashamed to honor Russian heroes.
Change the past
“Learn from the past,” we heard too many times. What about changing the past? To get to this goal, we don’t need a time machine to wander through the old days and change the course of history. Some people have found a more practical approach that doesn’t need trillions of money to create an advanced algorithm engine to reverse the time. That is, shifting the current point of view to figure out the anomaly of the past which doesn’t comply with the standards and norms.
One of the legendary figures that fell “victim” to this experiment was Joan of Arc, a French heroine who led her people to rise against Britain's imperialism in the Mid Century. Joan of Arc had successfully driven the strong will of French soldiers even long before feminism when the common activities of young females of that period were doing house chores and awaited to be married. For most Europeans, Joan was too macho, too bloody brave, and she didn’t deserve to be recognized as a woman. She was not only accused of practicing witchcraft and burned alive – she was perceived as not a real woman centuries after her heartbreaking death.
The exceptionality of a building that was erected before modernization was viewed as heresy by a particular point of view, hence, it has to be eliminated. Borobudur Temple once got the stigma and ill fate; rumors read, several Indonesian temples suffered the same. Some said such occurrences were no less than political orchestration led by a specific group or person. Some worried that historical revelation may divide people if it is discussed too deep from various contradictory points of views.
The past has shown that humans were tireless during their search to prove what’s right and what should be. Feeling ashamed may obscure humans' confidence to move forward when everything seems grey in the haze. Humans are uncomfortable amidst a grey zone, not black nor white, as we wish for to-the-point guidance on how to walk through the mist. Such a thing is not a mistake. A process is a necessity for anyone to own a secure mindset amidst any shapes of uncertainty in the future. Isn’t that a group, society, nation, and country stand up upon layers of the foundation laid by many generations?
