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UK statue remains eternal tribute of late Guyanese sculptor
United Kingdom – An African mother holding a baby stands proudly in Stockwell Park, her gaze firmly fixed upwards. She has come to represent the enduring strength of black women.
The 10-foot bronze sculpture was the brainchild of Guyanese-born Lambeth resident Cecile Nobrega, who passed away on November 19 last, aged 94.
Since then tributes have rolled in to pay respect to the teacher, sculptor, poet, musician and community activist.
Bridgit Sam-Bailey, chair of the Guyana Friends Association, described how Nobrega inspired her. She said: “Her tenacity, her strength, her perseverance and her resolve, urged me to emulate her.”
Sculptor Cecile Nobrega and the Bronze Woman
As an educator, Nobrega started two schools in Guyana and when she migrated to the UK she retrained as a specialist teacher and taught in Hertfordshire and Brent. She was active in the National Union of Teachers (NUT) and championed adult literacy. She also campaigned against the misplacement of misunderstood ethnic minority children into special education.
During her writing and music career she joined the PEN Writers group and wrote acclaimed plays, such as Stabroek Fantasy. She also won several classical music awards.
Nobrega was an avid advocate of woman’s rights and was very active in the International Alliance of Women (IAW) and the Commonwealth Countries League. She attended conferences in New York, Kenya, Greece, Japan and India to address the issues of women across the world.
But though she is credited with many accomplishments, her greatest legacy, those who knew her said, is the Bronze woman, which made history as the first public statue of a black woman in England.
Ex-politician and gay rights activist Linda Bellos, described the statue as a reminder of the struggle for equality and freedom that women were forced to endure.
She said: “It was an important project because there were so few monuments to Caribbean women anywhere in the UK.”
Guyanese High Commissioner, His Excellency Laleshwar Singh, who was involved in the erection of the statue, said he observed first-hand Nobrega’s determination and commitment as she lobbied and fund-raised for ten years.
He said: “Cecile was a remarkable woman who has given so much to her community and to the land of her birth Guyana.”
Kate Hoey, MP for Vauxhall, who was also involved in the project, described Nobrega’s tenacity.
She said: “She championed the role of women, especially those from the Caribbean community. She was someone you could sit down and talk to for hours.”
Nobrega is survived by three children, three grandchildren and six great great grandchildren. Her daughter Eve credits her with instilling a motivation and drive that has helped her throughout her life. Her son Bruce remembered how she used to “always have a tune in her head.”
“She would get up early in the morning at four to compose and write,” he added.
John Mayford, Chief Executive of Olmec, who was instrumental in the construction of the Bronze woman, described Nobrega as an “amazing woman”.
The community organisation honoured her at its 10th anniversary celebration. They also worked with Community Roots to create a short documentary, on the Bronze woman.
The poem that inspired the statue, Singh said, will be Nobrega’s eternal tribute. (voice-online.co.uk)
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