Equestrian statue of Hubert Lyautey

The Equestrian statue of Hubert Lyautey is a public sculpture that commemorates Hubert Lyautey, the first Resident-general of the French protectorate in Morocco, in Casablanca, Morocco.

The statue in the late 1930s or 1940s
The statue relocated in front of the French consulate-general (2005)

History

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The statue was created by French sculptor François Cogné[1] and inaugurated on 5 November 1938 in front of the city's courthouse on Casablanca's main square, now Muhammad V Square. Sultan Mohammed V, Resident-general Charles Noguès, Lyautey's widow Inès de Bourgoing, French minister Guy La Chambre, and other notables attended the ceremony, at which French Academician Louis Gillet gave a florid speech.[2]

A Moroccan stamp of 1946 pictures the statue.[3]

In April 1959, the statue was relocated to the grounds of the nearby French consulate-general in Casablanca, where it remains visible from the square.[4] In 2020, a petition requested the removal of the statue from public view, given its symbolism of Colonial oppression under the French protectorate regime.[5]

See also

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Notes

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  1. ^ Kees van Tilburg. "Louis Hubert Gonsalve Lyautey". Equestrian Statues.
  2. ^ "Inauguration d'une statue élevée en l'honneur du maréchal Lyautey, à Casablanca, le 5 novembre 1938 : Discours de M. Louis Gillet, de l'Académie française". Académie française.
  3. ^ "Stamp catalog : Stamp › Equestrian statue of Lyautey in Casablanca". Colnect.
  4. ^ A.F.P. (28 April 1959). "La statue du Maréchal Lyautey a été transférée dans le jardin du Consulat général de France à Casablanca". Le Monde.
  5. ^ "Une pétition pour retirer une statue "coloniale" du sol marocain". bladi.net. 20 June 2020.

33°35′25″N 7°37′05″W / 33.59019°N 7.61812°W / 33.59019; -7.61812