It’s hats off to Samson

I had the great pleasure of meeting Malawian Samson Kambalu, whose artwork has been chosen to be displayed on the Fourth Plinth in Trafalgar Square next month.

Samson has created a sculpture of Baptist preacher John Chilembwe and European missionary John Chorley, titled Antelope.

On the face of it, it’s just a sculpture of two men wearing hats.

But that’s the whole point – in 1914, Chilembwe was forbidden to wear a hat in front of a white man, but he did it anyway.

Samson, who came to

Britain when he was 24 to study a Masters in Art at Trent University in Nottingham, said: “For me, the Fourth Plinth and my proposals were always going to be a litmus test for how much I belong to British society as an African and as a cosmopolitan, and so this fills me with joy and excitement.”

Congratulations, Samson. I’m really looking forward to seeing your sculpture.

Now that I’ve met you, it’s going to be even more meaningful.