November 2023. Madeiran artist Silvio Cró working on the Monument of Simulanbuco - Statue of Self-Determination. Three monuments exist in Cabinda commemorating the three treaties signed between the Cabindan nobility and the Portuguese Crown which turned the territory into a Portuguese protectorate, while guaranteeing the kingdom's political rights and territorial integrity. No monument existed in Portugal to remind people of its commitments, which were ignored when Portugal decolonised, handing over the territory to Angola, resulting in a protracted resistance war and decades of human rights abuses. The sculpture was made out of two copper plates from the Hinton sugar factory. Silvio's design evokes the idea of self-determination through the children's game where two people cross arms to make a seat for a third to sit, representing the idea that to sit in power requires the support and consenus of the ruled.


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