History from Below: Memorialization Projects
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Description
A statue of an enslaved sugar cane worker is situated at the entrance of the Sao Marcelo Fort. This location was chosen for its seclusive geography, encompassed by the surrounding ocean. The memorial located at this location would be of a sugar cane worker encircled by sugar cane stalks. The physical statue of the emaciated man draws a striking comparison to the skinny shape of the sugar cane. The sugar cane encircling the worker is representative of the enslaved man's withering and deteriorating life will, and body trapped within a cell. He is but a tool for the sugar cane and the physical comparison establishes that he is worth no more than the sugar cane either. The statue is thoroughly life sized in every dimension, bringing attention to realistic physical attributes where the viewer could compare themselves physically to that of the worker. The memorial aims to achieve an emotional effect in the viewer, enlightening those of the turmoil of slavery and the impact it had on the lives of the enslaved.
Publication Date
2020
Publisher
Columbus State University
City
Columbus
Keywords
Sugar Cane, Slavery, Transatlantic slave trade, Sao Marcelo Fort
Disciplines
History
Recommended Citation
Mazzola, Amber; Ellerbee, James; Adamian, Ashley; and Jenkins, Octavia, "Sugar Cane Memorial" (2020). History from Below: Memorialization Projects. 30.
https://csuepress.columbusstate.edu/historyfrombelow/30
