Port of Spain to Remove Columbus Statue, Honour Genocide Victims and Pan-African Hero Kwame Ture
Jamaica Live Regional News- Aug 14-2025
Port of Spain, Trinidad – August 1, 2025 – In a historic move aimed at reckoning with the city’s colonial legacy, the Port of Spain City Council has remove the bronze statue of Christopher Columbus from the capital’s Columbus Square and rename the landmark in honour of the victims of genocide, the trans-Atlantic slave trade, and colonialism.
The announcement was made by Mayor Chinua Alleyne during the Kambule Street procession marking the 187th anniversary of the emancipation of African slaves. The Mayor declared that the council’s decision was part of a broader push to honour local heroes and ensure that future generations understand history in its full context.
From Colonial Tribute to Historical Reckoning
The Columbus statue, installed in 1881, was a gift from Hypolite Borde, a wealthy cocoa planter and merchant from Martinique, who funded the refurbishment of a neglected cemetery that later became Columbus Square. For over 140 years, the monument stood as a tribute to the controversial navigator whose voyages opened the door to European conquest and the decimation of Indigenous populations in the Caribbean and the Americas.
Mayor Alleyne stressed that healing required a shift in public symbols:
“Restoration and repair require that, as we ensure the yet-to-be-born revere our ancestors like Kwame Ture, we also ensure they learn our colonial history in its most appropriate historical context.”
The statue will be transferred to the National Museum and Art Gallery, where it will be displayed with proper historical interpretation. A committee will be established to select a new name for the square and commission a new monument honouring the victims of colonial atrocities.
Honouring Kwame Ture
The City Council also announced that a section of Oxford Street, from Argyle Street to Charlotte Street, will be renamed Kwame Ture Way in tribute to the internationally renowned Pan-African revolutionary. Born Stokely Carmichael in Port of Spain on June 29, 1941, Ture was a leading figure in the U.S. civil rights and Black Power movements, as well as a champion of Pan-African unity.
Mayor Alleyne highlighted Ture’s enduring influence:
“Kwame Ture once famously said that the job of the conscious is to make the unconscious conscious. It is our hope that those yet to be born will grow up inspired by the work of this global Pan-African hero from behind the bridge in Port of Spain.”
The National Trust has already recognised Ture’s birth home as a heritage site, but city leaders believe the renaming will further cement his legacy.
A Shift in the City’s Symbolism
Mayor Alleyne underscored the power of names and monuments in shaping collective memory:
“Ladies and gentlemen, a name is a powerful thing.”
By removing colonial symbols and elevating local and Pan-African icons, the Port of Spain City Council aims to foster a deeper understanding of history, celebrate resistance, and inspire future generations to continue the work of restoration and repair.
