Thursday, December 8, 2011

World's Most Controversial Monuments

Monument to the Soviet Army
Associated Press


Outgoing president Alan García wanted to leave Peru a surprise and hoped a 120-foot statue of Christ would protect Lima. But not everyone likes surprises—not Lima’s mayor, informed only days before its June 2011 unveiling, and not locals frustrated that construction was outsourced to Brazil

García’s surprise statue certainly isn’t the first to spark controversy. Some of the world’s most impressive bronzemonuments have backstories of bickering, which, in addition to good gossip, give travelers insights into local culture, history, and priorities. Even when a monument’s construction is well publicized, a positive reception isn’t guaranteed, whether because of differing aesthetic tastes, costliness, or partisanship.
Outside Madrid, unhappy locals have railed against a certain site for so many years that the government has formed a commission to recommend modifications. Read on for the inside story on that and more monumental controversies.

Second World War Monument to the Soviet Army, Bulgaria. 

Second World War Monument to the Soviet Army, Bulgaria
Soviet-era war memorials honoring Red Army soldiers are often vandalized. But this WWII monument in the capital, Sofia. got an especially colorful makeover in June 2011: fresh paint transformed the bronze soldiers into Superman and other pop-culture figures. Tourists and locals flocked to see the monument, but the Bulgarian Culture Minister Vezhdi Rashidov was not amused, calling the makeover a “crime.” The soldiers have since been scrubbed to their original state.


Valley of the Fallen, Spain

Valley of the Fallen, Spain

Dictator Francisco Franco ordered the construction of this monument outside Madrid to honor those who died for his cause during the 1930s Spanish Civil War. And he enlisted political prisoners to carve the massive basilica into a mountainside—infuriating many Spaniards. After years of demonstrations and debate, in May 2011, the government assembled a commission to evaluate its future. Its initial recommendation calls for Franco’s body to be removed from the site.


Crazy Horse Memorial, South Dakota

Crazy Horse Memorial,
South Dakota

The Sioux fought unsuccessfully to block the development of Mount Rushmore on hallowed Native American ground. Out of defeat, they decided to erect their own monument: the bronze Crazy Horse Memorial, which is being carved into Thunderhead Mountain within eight miles of Mount Rushmore. Yet it has sparked its own controversy within the Native American community. Some view its construction as an attack on the landscape and an affront to Crazy Horse’s beliefs.


African Renaissance Monument, Senegal

African Renaissance Monument, Senegal

President Abdoulaye Wade didn’t win any popularity votes when he funneled millions into the construction of a monument to the African Renaissance. A waste of money wasn’t the only reaction to this 160-foot bronzecolossus unveiled in April 2010. It depicts a stylized muscular man with a baby in his arms, emerging from a volcano and pulling along a half-naked woman—and has been criticized for both skimpy clothing and sexism.


Christ of the Pacific, Peru

Christ of the Pacific, Peru

Former President Alan García may have thought he was leaving a gift for his public, but the 120-foot Christ of the Pacific has been nothing but a monumental headache since its surprise construction was revealed in June 2011. Lima’s mayor was angry at not being consulted, while others questioned why it was designed and built in Brazil, not Peru. The one aspect that can’t be debated: Christ of the Pacific is now the world’s tallest Christ statue.


Brown Dog Statue, London

Brown Dog Statue, London

A small dog statue in London’s Battersea Park looks harmless, but it’s a 1985 replacement of a statuewith a fraught backstory. The original terrier was erected in 1906 by a group opposed to the use of animals in medical experiments. It displayed a plaque condemning pro-vivisection students at the University College. Outraged and embarrassed, those students destroyed it. The new statue is plainer, sans fountain or plaque, but it is still a terrier, modeled after the pet of sculptor Nicola Hicks.

Che Guevara Statue, Bolivia

Che Guevara Statue, Bolivia

Infamous revolutionary Ernesto “Che” Guevara fought for the rights of the poor, inciting passions along the way. While some condemn his violent methods or philosophy, to the farmworkers in the town of La Higuera, he remains “Saint Ernesto.” There, on the spot where the leader of a guerilla Marxist movement was captured and executed, residents dedicated a bust in his honor in 1997.

Nativity Scene- A Symbol of the Season

December 7th, 2011
We can all recognize the signs of the holiday season approaching; Christmas trees, oversize stocking hung from the fireplace and force-feeding yourself more chocolate goodies than you ever thought possible.  Another often seen sign of this anticipated time of year is the Nativity scene.  Manynativity scenes are simply of the babe Jesus wrapped in swaddling clothes and cradled in the arms of the Virgin Mary with a protective Joseph standing above them but can expand to include the three wise men, farm animals and even the star that announced the Son of God was being born.
The nativity scene is a visual depiction of the Holy Bible’s books of Matthew and Luke.  The gospels describe Jesus being born in the little town of Bethlehem where he was laid in a manger because there was no room in the inn.  Angels proclaimed him a savior of the world for all people to come and adore.  The story continues with the wise men following the star to Bethlehem to bring Jesus expensive gifts.  Meanwhile the King Herod, ruler of the land, hears of the future king and orders a massacre of all the toddler boys in Bethlehem, the family flees safely and later settles in Nazareth safely.
Although this biblical story has been present since the creation of the Bible it is a man named Saint Francis of Assisi who is credited for creating the first three dimensional nativity scenes in 1223.  Saint Francis was an Italian catholic who, later in life, had a vision that he must return to his homeland, where he lost his taste for worldly life and began seeking spiritual order.  Eventually Saint Francis withdrew from society completely and began preaching the Catholic doctrine.  Saint Francis created thenativity scene as an effort to cultivate the worship of Christ within those around him.
Eventually the scene’s popularity became common in Western culture, Inspiring works of art all over the world from tabletop displays to life-size recreations of the biblical scene.  Today it is one of the most recognized signs that the Christmas season is upon us.

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