On My Walk
I went into St James’s square to look at the beautiful cherry blossom and came across this powerful ‘Mother and Child’ sculpture by Rebecca Hawkins. It was commissioned to raise awareness of the plight of the Lai Dai Han in Vietnam. The Lai Dai Han, meaning ‘mixed blood’, are a group of thousands of men and women of Korean and Vietnamese ancestry who were born as a result of rape during the Vietnam war between 1964 and 1973. These individuals are still ostracised by their society today.
The artist says “These women and their children have faced an enormous trial of strength through adversity. They stand up again and again to tell these intimate stories of how their lives were turned upside down, with such courage and dignity… meeting people with this kind of strength of human spirit is both humbling and inspirational.” Mother & Child’ is based on the concept of the Strangler Fig tree, a parasitic plant which takes over a host tree by entwining itself around its roots, trunk and branches, and is common in Vietnam. The mother represents one of the Vietnam War’s many victims of sexual assault at the hands of the South Korean soldiers. The child represents one of the Lai Dai Han, born as a result of these acts.
This sculpture was unveiled by Nadia Murad, the 2018 Nobel Peace Prize Winner, at Church House, Westminster, on Tuesday 11th June 2019. It was always intended that it would be displayed outside somewhere in Central London. This beautiful location is a powerful contrast to the horrors it represents.
