Whenever we had studied about Mahatma Gandhi in our childhood, the first thing told to us was his resistance to racism on an African train, after which he left Africa and decided to free his own country from the rule of the “whites”.

mahatma-gandhi-statue-letsdiskuss (Courtesy: time.com)

This image of Gandhi has won him a place amongst the likes of Nelson Mandela and Martin Luther King Jr., as a representative of world peace. He is counted amongst one of the most influential personalities of the 20th century.

Owing to this reputation of Mahatma Gandhi, a statue of him was inaugurated in the University of Ghana in Africa, two years ago by the then Indian President, Pranab Mukherjee. The statue was symbolized as the token of friendly relationships between Africa and India.

Also read: Why do some people hate Mahatma Gandhi?

Since then, however, the university professors and students had campaigned against the statue and had demanded its removal. The reason behind this resistance is the views and philosophy of Gandhi, which is problematic for the natives of Africa.

Recent studies and publications have proved that Mahatma Gandhi was a racist. Gandhi even called the Black Africans as Kafir, which is as derogatory as the N-word. According to his philosophy, Indians were better than the “Blacks”, the natives of Africa.

“About the mixing of the Kaffirs with the Indians, I must confess I feel most strongly,” wrote Mahatma Gandhi in one of his letters. (Source: The Guardian)

Now according to the students and professors of the University of Ghana likewise, the statue in the campus would mean that they agree with the ideologies of Gandhi, which is far from the truth. Also, that’s a betrayal to the true identity and self-dignity of the natives of Africa. Although there were claims of the relocation of the statue, nothing like that has been done till now. There is even another campaign going on against one more Gandhi statue elsewhere in Africa.