Ghana University pulls down 'racist' Gandhi statue donated by Pranab Mukherjee

The Gandhi statue at the University of Ghana has been pulled down after several professors and students launched a petition claiming that Gandhi was a racist. When questioned, the men who pulled down the statue said they were acting on the instructions given to them by the higher ups.

The statue was donated to the University by the then Indian President, Pranab Mukherjee to improve diplomatic relations between the two countries. In 2016, a group of professors and students started a campaign called 'Gandhi Must Fall' alleging that the freedom fighter was casteist and racist in his views. The professor who led the campaign, Director of the Institute of African Studies (IAS), Professor Akosua Adomako Ampofo and his supporters quoted passages from Gandhi's books where he says Indians are "infinitely superior" to Africans.

The campaign also urged students to focus on African leaders and heroes first and foremost. Gandhi lived in South Africa for 21 years and has been highly criticised by the black Africans for holding racist views. He is believed to have argued about how Indian and Africans cannot be grouped together because "Anglo-Saxons and Indians are sprung from the same Aryan stock". Not just Ghana University, several other campuses have also debated and protested against the installation and idolization of the freedom fighter. 

Ghana’s foreign ministry have stated that they are “deeply concerned” about the issue and were contemplating relocating the statue.