The Broken Chair
Did the Swiss become lazy…
by Fida Wild
…and left a broken chair unmended? Not likely. The reason why this three-legged Broken Chair is standing on the Place des Nations, Geneva, right across the sprawling complex of the United Nations, has a very serious reason.
The statistics of landmine victims are still staggering. Each year between 15,000 and 20,000 people - mostly innocent and defenseless civilians - tragically suffer the loss of limbs and lives.
The Broken Chair at the Place des Nations, Geneva
Paul Vermeulen, a former member of Medicines Sans Frontier knows first hand what it means to be a 'statistic of landmines.' When he co-founded Handicap International Suisse and became its Director, he was determined to give the cause a symbol that would grab the attention not only of politicians but also be a daily reminder to the officials at the European Headquarters of the Untied Nations as well as to the hordes of daily visitors to Geneva.
He commissioned Swiss Artist Daniel Berset to design a memorial that would symbolize the fragility of humans; hence, Berset chose wood for his Broken Chair, a material as fragile as bones.
The splintered leg of the monumental chair reminds us of the fractured limbs of the injuries caused by landmines, and yet, the chair stands firmly in place, much the same as victims of landmines do, that is, if they survive the horrific accident.
Initially the 5.5-ton heavy and 12 metres (39 ft) high installation was planned to stay at the Place des Nations for only three month, until The Mine Ban Treaty, also known also as Ottawa Treaty, would be signed in December of 1997.
United Nations, Geneva
But then, not every country signed the treaty and it was decided to keep the chair in place as long as it was needed as a reminder.
The Place des Nations was little more than a dirt patch until 2005 when finally the busy intersection and main tram-line stop received a much-needed make over. For that reason, The Broken Chair had to be removed and stored.
The Broken Chair was reinstalled at the renovated Place des Nations in 2007, the same year when The Convention on Cluster Munitions was called to action, and The Broken Chair was adopted as its symbol as well.
Although, more and more countries sign both treaties, some still have not, amongst them the USA and Israel, who used them in the Iraq war and in the bombing of Lebanon respectively.
List of countries who have and have not signed the treaties.
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Powerful symbol
It is one of the most powerful symbol, silently speaking the facts.
There is something about it which makes you think when you see or pass thru it....
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