Ghanaian University To Remove Gandhi Statue Over Allegations Of Racism

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Ghana, there has been controversy over a statue of legendary Indian civil rights leader Mahatma GandhiThe Gandhi statue was unveiled on the Legon campus of the University of Ghana by Indian President Pranab Mukherejeduring his state visit to Ghana in June this year.
Some months after the unveiling, the University Council was petitioned to remove the statue.
Professor Akosua Adomako Ampofo, a former director of the Institute of African Studies at the Legon university, led a group of lecturers to petition the council for the statue’s removal. They gave their reason to some remarks Gandhi had made as far back as 1894 in South Africa.
They quoted Gandhi as saying: “A general belief seems to prevail in the Colony that the Indians are little better, if at all, than savages or the Natives of Africa. Even the children are taught to believe in that manner, with the result that the Indian is being dragged down to the position of a raw Kaffir,” and contended that these were racist comments.
The group based their arguments on what, they said, had happened at other world class universities recently and mentioned Yale University in the US where it said: “Former bastions of slavery, apartheid and white supremacy, statutes and other symbols associated with controversial persons have been pulled down or removed.
The Ghanaian government has however decided to relocate the statue.
A statement by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the decision was taken to ensure “its safety and to avoid the controversy on the Legon Campus becoming a distraction from our strong ties of friendship that have existed over the years.” 
“The unfortunate verbal attack on Mahatma Gandhi is effectively an attack on an Indian nationalist hero and icon, who is revered and cherished by over one billion people who are either citizens of India or persons of Indian decent.

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