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HM Stanley - Presumably?

Since the fall of the statue of Edward Colson in Bristol on 7th June 2020 there has been a lot of debate about such memorials to those involved in African slavery and colonialism. 

The story - and memorials - of one Welsh born man involved in Africa is a complex one: Henry Morton Stanley, born as John Rowlands in Denbigh in 1841.

There are two statues in memory of Stanley in Denbighshire, both erected in 2011.  The statue outside the library in Denbigh by Nick Elphick (right, photo author's own) shows Stanley offering his hand to Dr David Livingstone, at the famous "Dr Livingstone, I presume" moment of their meeting at Ujiji, near Lake Tanganyika in 1871.  It should be mentioned that Stanley certainly never actually said the line.

Stanley's first encounter with slavery would probably have been on his arrival in New Orleans in 1859.  The city was the largest in the southern "Cotton States" and the existence of slavery in the southern United States would have been inescapable. With a new life in a new country came a new name - John Rowlands took the name of his benefactor Henry Stanley, a wealthy merchant. Thus it was as Henry Stanley that he entered the Confederate Army, probably reluctantly, only to be captured in his first major battle, Shiloh in 1862.

 

The events of Stanley's life are commemorated on the second statue to Stanley the "totem pole" style memorial by Gary and Thomas Thrussell in St Asaph (right, photo author's own).

The statue, which caused some controversy, not only for its form but also for its commemoration of a man who many thought should not be celebrated for his connections to Colonialism

The main charge against Stanley is his role in opening up the Congo to exploitation by the forces of King Leopold II of Belgium.  Leopold had set up the International African Association in 1874. This was a cover for the commercial exploitation of the interior of Africa and the setting up of a state under Leopold's rule. 

Stanley was engaged as Leopold's agent in 1878.   He  set up trading stations along the Congo, building settlements and roads, opening up the interior.  Stanley was engaged for 5 years at the salary of £1,000 a year.

Stanley told Leopold of the difficulties of the task, but was kept in the dark about Leopold's true intentions.  Apparently shocked when he discovered the truth, Stanley had signed treaties with local tribes - treaties that Leopold ignored or tore up when Stanley had left his employ.   It is claimed that Stanley shot Africans who stood in the way of the enterprise, but the evidence is anecdotal.

There is no doubt that Leopold's regime in the Congo was brutal and savage and one of the worst colonial European exploits in Africa.  Stanley did have a hand in opening up the Congo for Leopold, whatever his motives.  He was eventually sacked by Leopold, and it is known that Stanley was against direct Belgian rule in the Congo, but his dealing with Leopold is seen by some as the first chapter in the history of European cruelty in central Africa.

An interesting take on Stanley's work and the statues in Wales is this article by the Congolese journalist and writer Norbert Mbu-Mputu: Henry Morton Stanley,Bula Matari and John Rowland: A Devil or an Angel? Need for a Debate in Denbigh.

 

Detail of the statue in St Asaph showing incidents in Stanley's life by Gary and Thomas Thrussell.  The detail shows Stanley in the American Civil War. Photo, author's own.

 

 

 

 

 

Another detail of the statue in St Asaph showing Stanley's meeting with Dr David Livingstone at Ujiji.  Photo, author's own.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Detail of the statue in St Asaph showing Stanley in Africa.  Photo, author's own.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Nick Elphick's statue of Henry Morton Stanley outside Denbigh Library. Photo author's own.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For two views on Stanley in Africa, the best two books are probably Adam Hochschild's King Leopold's Ghost and Tim Jeal's Stanley: The Impossible Life of Africa's Greatest Explorer.

 

 

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