Public Art: Pillar of Peace Sheds Symbols of War

Uganda Mon 12-04-2010

Public Art: Pillar of Peace Sheds Symbols of War
By Sophie Alal/AfricanColours.com

In the hub of Gulu Town’s main business centre is a sculpture by the renowned Ugandan artist David Kigozi - ‘Pillar of Peace’ unveiled in July 2009.

It was commissioned by the Dutch Embassy to commemorate their educational projects in Northern Uganda. And since Gulu is popularly considered the centre of Northern Uganda, to which the surrounding regions are culturally and economically linked, it was also a call to abandon arms. Therefore the sculpture seemingly radiates its steely shine to the whole region.

^{Pillar of Peace by David Kigozi photographed by Bryan Lupton}

When the ‘Pillar of Peace’ had just been put up, it depicted a life-sized boy and girl standing behind a neat pile of books.

They stared keenly at the page open before them, their arms leafing through large pages. At the sides of their feet were five guns cast aside. This symbolized their shift towards courting the acquisition of knowledge other than conflict.

The monument itself was a fête in mixed media, which included various metal alloys like steel and bronze while incorporating elements of collage.

Monuments like this are meant to reflect a strategic goal, in this case enduring enlightenment which is supposed to bring peace.

Kigozi is mostly known for his paintings. He is also one of the few young artists actively sculpting in Uganda, that is notwithstanding other accomplished sculptors like Ms Rose Kirumira, Prof. Francis Nnaggenda, Prof. George Kakooza and other legions of older artists.

How did he manage to stand out? He explained that, “Initially we had the Street Art Festival and I made a statue which they liked. And on that they gave me a commission…”

And thus began his work on the sculpture, after which various changes were made to suit the interests of the commissioners, and bring it in line with their principles.

His fabrication techniques included the use of metal plates that are tempered and welded into sections, creating folded spaces and voids within the sculpture.

Although Kigozi is soft spoken and at times self deprecatory, he makes some of the most imposing metal works in the country. One has to look no further than ‘The Stride’ erected outside the Parliament buildings in Kampala, and the Heroes monument at Kabamba Military Training School, in order to judge his expertise.

He was keen to note of the ‘Pillar of Peace’ that “The boy and girl are representative of the two genders.” The monument shows the two young people leaning slightly close to each other in a bid to share a stack of books, “There is a column of books actually, and this is the pillar of knowledge. For them they prefer education as equipment for a better life or a better future.”

The monument is supposed to depict a departure from taking up arms and turning to education instead: the abandonment of war, and the pursuit of enlightenment for peace. However barely a year on, only the stack of books remains, coated with a thick layer of dust that is only loosened by the dry gusts that blow in the dry season.

This work also bears a sinister story that is not often noticed by casual onlookers. What were once five guns embedded in the concrete at the feet of the children have all but disappeared.

There are now indentations in the newly cracked cement that bears etchings of violence; gouged outlines are filled with dry cracked mud, while sharp marks indicate splinters of gunmetal that look like AK 47s embedded in the concrete.

While the guns are now silent, a new era of peace looms in the area. But considering that the guns have been almost picked clean off the concrete, what sort of image does that convey?

“I think it is a journey…they cannot abandon what has prevailed in their lives for the past twenty or so years. Most of them here are riding boda bodas – motorcycle taxis – in town as an occupation but in the corner of their heads: say for the last twenty three years, he has been glued to the gun.

Much as the awareness is going on and the plea to come back, forget about the war, some people still think the gun is still a means of livelihood.

And it will take some time, we have to give it time. Especially when the war has ended, there has to be a time of healing, to abandon such acts.”

Now there is only one gun embedded in the cement, the other four having been stolen. A constant source of distress for the artist who regarded it as his attempt at recording history. “I think I was disappointed, because this is now a destruction of a monument.” his voice falters and he adds, “It is as if the whole monument has been put down, or vandalised.”

So should the last gun be broken out of the concrete, then the monument shall lose meaning. To preserve the deplorable history of the insurgency, and the gun-culture that almost completely atrophied the livelihoods of various communities at that certain time, the guns had to be there in order for the statement to be fully alive.

However their near total absence, coupled with suspicion about the whereabouts of the rest of the guns, leave Mr. Kigozi in distress. He has already been questioned as to whether he fulfilled the terms of his commission or otherwise. At another time, the giver of the guns asked him to account for the five guns.

“The reporter is saying there are three guns. Can you explain where the other two are?” Kigozi recalls with a wry smile. Fortunately for him they were still five then. For the alarm was due to a mathematical slip up on the part of a journalist. Other than that, the concealed actions of vandals have possibly jeopardised any more artistically risqué uses of the instruments of war.

At the moment, an earlier project which was intended to have incorporated disarmed guns into works of art has unfortunately stalled, perhaps indefinitely.

In Denmark, the Little Mermaid that sits tranquilly in Copenhagen harbour at Langelinie has been vandalised on several occasions since 1964. Her head has already been sawn off twice, to the revolt and shame of the Nordic nation.

After long drawn appeals, the iconic Fish- Tailed Lady is always restored to her former glory with her limbs either being returned or replaced. In the case of Kigozi’s ‘Pillar of Peace’ and its missing pieces, any hope of restoring the monument to its former flawless completion appears hopeless.

Into this gloomy outlook is the constant succession of underemployed youth milling about Gulu Town: ex- soldiers, former Local Defense Units, Home Guards and bounty hunters. Even if they gave up the gun earlier, the ghosts of a military past still haunt them. Therefore picking a gun off of a monument would not be far from acquiring a prized trophy. Returning it would be another matter all together.

Despite the vandalisation of the ‘Pillar of Peace’, it still remains a formidable piece of metal work.

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Your Comments

violet NANTUME: kogozi is one of the guys who captivates me."Kigozi be on guard am on my way there.i w'ld like 2 wok with u on yo next project, i have a lot of energy, dont worry.

KigoziDavid: sophie did you open my heart and soul? you write so well as well as the sculpted pillar of peace . as i read your article my heart melted down as you took me through the art work again ,on the admirer's sit its true i was dissapointed ,but the fact is alot was said when they took the guns . the one gun can represent the statment of arms in the composition of the monument,and at the same time it will be reserved in writing that 4 guns that went missing or stolen so to say ,tells of the community 's involvement with the statque , digesting and understanding the all idea and the time to heal. sophie thats my take on the guns it did say the status of the minds and that time will heal the wounds thx it time

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