Members of the Windrush generation were “wept” by a new national monument that pays tribute to their ambition, courage and contribution to Britain, said the artist behind the sculpture.
A permanent monument to Basil Watson of Windrush pioneers who arrived in Britain after World War II was unveiled at Waterloo Station in London on Wednesday.
The statue, backed by £ 1m in government funding, depicts three figures – a man, a woman and a child – dressed in “their best Sunday” climbing a mountain of suitcases hand in hand.
“The community probably never felt this was going to happen,” Watson said. “I have seen some moved to tears because their personal experience and their enormous contribution to the development and culture of Britain is recognized in this way.”
Members of the Windrush generation and the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge gathered in Waterloo for the opening. The event was broadcast live across the country, including at Birmingham New Street Station and the National Railroad Museum in York.
The Queen also sent a message to mark the occasion. It read: “It is my pleasure to congratulate you on the creation of the Windrush National Monument. The opening of Waterloo Station on Windrush Day is a fitting tribute to the Windrush pioneers and their descendants, in recognition of the deep contribution they have made to the United Kingdom over the decades.
“I hope that the memorial will inspire present and future generations, and I send you my warmest good wishes on this historic occasion.”
Windrush Commemoration Committee Chair Floela Benjamin said the monument would provide a permanent place of reflection, celebration and inspiration for Caribbean communities and the general public.
Lady Benjamin at the opening on Wednesday. Photo: WPA / Getty Images
“This will act as a symbolic link to our past and a constant reminder of our shared history and heritage for future generations,” she said. “I hope it will be a catalyst for other monuments across the UK, marking the outstanding contribution of the Windrush generation to this country.
“I am grateful to the members of the Windrush Remembrance Commission for their unwavering commitment to ensuring that this monument takes place, and I hope the Caribbean communities we wanted to serve believe that we have done them justice.
Based in Atlanta, Georgia, Watson has designed public sculptures and monuments around the world, including China, the United States, Guatemala and Jamaica, on figures such as Martin Luther King, Usain Bolt and Merlene Otti. The Windrush Monument marks his first public work of art in the United Kingdom and was built in “record time”.
“Trying to figure out how to portray a generation spanning four decades, I thought: where along the line can I present design? I decided to start over, that’s where it all starts and moves on. So, this is the initial journey for the first coming family, a family that represents the past, present and future.
Suitcases, he said, represent the family’s belongings and culture, “everything they carry with them.” The father “looks to the future, the mother” looks home longingly in anticipation of what she will face and what she will leave behind. “
This is a significant commission for the artist, who spent part of his childhood in the United Kingdom after his parents traveled from Jamaica as part of the Windrush generation. “It simply came to our notice then. Both parents passed, but the stories I heard growing up that I didn’t pay much attention to came back. It connects a lot of points about what my parents went through, their aspirations, their journey. ”
His father, the artist Barrington Watson, came to the United Kingdom to study art, so it is a coincidence that his son will design this monument. “My parents would be very proud and excited,” he said.
In particular, Watson said he hopes Waterloo travelers will get rid of the impression that the Windrush generation is heroic in its mission and mission. “Today, when I travel, I am still connected 24/7 through technology. In those days, you left home, sailed abroad on a three-week trip, and would not be in touch with your family for another six months or a year. It will be years before you see your parents. So it’s almost as if after leaving home, they get lost for a long time. I can’t imagine how traumatic it would be for this generation to go out to sea. “
Watson was elected after extensive consultations with the Anglo-Caribbean community. Its design received the most positive feedback from the public before being selected by the commemorative committee.
The decision to install the monument in Waterloo was criticized when it was first announced. Arthur Thorington, co-founder of the Windrush Foundation, called for the monument to be in Windrush Square in Brixton, saying Waterloo Station had “nothing to do” with Windrush’s arrival in 1948. But Watson stressed the importance of his perseverance on one of the busiest railroads. stations in the UK.
“I know a lot of people will go through Waterloo. “The symbolism of the transit station is great because it speaks to the movement of people,” he said. “As an artist, I recognize the potential of public art and its contribution to society and human psychology.”
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There is also a juxtaposition of a public sculpture celebrating the installation of immigrants when the headlines revolve around government policy on refugees – whether those fleeing the war in Ukraine or facing deportation in Rwanda after arriving. in the United Kingdom with small boats.
“Human beings are migratory species,” Watson said. “I think the world is moving, sometimes not so convincingly, to become a global village. Culturally, the borders are increasingly dissolving – food music, art. And the physical boundaries will eventually dissolve. So I think this monument is eternal. Talk about, as Bob Marley put it, the movement of the people of Jah.
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