Samson Kambalu next to his work Antelope which has been chosen for the Fourth Plinth
(Picture: Samson Kambalu James O’Jenkins )Millions are set to learn the story of an African preacher who defied colonialism when a statue of John Chilembwe appears on the fourth plinth in Trafalgar Square.
Malawi-born artist Samson Kambalu has been commissioned to create the fourteenth contemporary artwork for the plinth in central London.
His work Antelope restages a 1914 photograph of Baptist preacher Mr Chilembwe and John Chorley, a European missionary, taken at the opening of Mr Chilembwe’s church in Nyasaland - modern day Malawi.
Mr Chilembwe led anti-colonial marches, with Nyasaland having been taken over and established as a British protectorate in 1907. British rule lasted until 1964, when it became independent and renamed Malawi.
He was killed in an uprising in 1915, one year after the picture was taken, aged 43.
John Chilembwe Day is now honoured on January 15 every year in Malawi to remember his efforts against forced labour and African involvement in the First World War. The church, which had taken years to build, was destroyed by the colonial police.
In the sculpture, Mr Chilembwe is wearing a hat - which was seen as an act of defiance as colonial rule forbade Africans from wearing hats in front of white people.
Antelope was selected last year by the Fourth Plinth Commission Group, following thousands commenting favourably on a prototype at the nearby National Gallery.
Oxford-based Mr Kambalu said: “Antelope on the fourth plinth was (only) ever going to be a litmus test for how much I belong to British society as an African and a cosmopolitan. This commission fills me with excitement and joy.”
The statue will be unveiled on September 14. Current exhibit, THE END by Heather Phillipson - which shows a fly and a drone on an ice cream, will be on display until August 18.
The fourth plinth project has been running since 1998 and is funded by the Mayor of London with support from Arts Council England and Bloomberg Philanthropies.
Justine Simons, deputy mayor for culture and the creative industries, said: “I can’t wait to see Samson Kambalu’s sculpture unveiled on the world-renowned Fourth Plinth in September.
“His work shines a light on a hidden narrative of the British Empire and will reveal how a simple hat became a symbol for the fight for equality.
“Heather Phillipson’s THE END has shown the power of the fourth plinth to spark conversation, and I’d urge anyone who hasn’t seen her sculpture to take a chance to enjoy it before August 15.”
