A Baule sculpture of two men, Ivory Coast, one man is sitting on the shoulders of another man, this motiv, which outspread in many ethnic groups of Africa, is a symbol of friendship.

Once, while traveling in Lobiland with a guide and interpreter for local Dsorachs, we crossed a small river that was about 30 cm deep. When I—like my guide—wanted to take off my shoes, he said, "Keep your shoes on, I'll carry you across the river on my shoulders." Another companion on our explorations in Lobiland then took a photo of us crossing the small river. I thanked him, and when I returned to my hotel, Hala, in Gaoua, I posted the photo of our crossing of the small river on Facebook. I immediately received multiple responses: How could I behave like that in Africa and, on top of that, publish such a photo? That was "pure colonialism"! A white man lets himself be carried across a river on the back of a Black man. There we go again, echoed the woke "Black Lives Matter" crowd. These Western moralists should take a look at African history. A sculpture like the one depicted here provides the answer: It's a sign of friendship, and just as—if I were as strong as most Africans—I could carry a black man across a river on my shoulders.

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Height: 52 cm
Weight. 1 kg