Figurine heads in Zurich school not considered discriminatory

The 16 carved figurine heads in the auditorium of the Hirschengraben school building in Zurich are not discriminatory, according to an independent expert report. However, the report recommends placing the figures in a historical context. +Get the most important news from Switzerland in your inbox The report suggests a "conscious approach" to the depiction of peoples and makes clear recommendations, the Zurich Department of Education announced on Friday. Specifically, the figures should be preserved, but contextualised with information. The city intends to follow these recommendations and examine implementation options, it said +Switzerland and its colonists. The expert opinion was triggered by the 2021 report "Possibilities for dealing with colonial traces in the urban space", which recommended a refurbishment for this assembly hall. The eight pairs of peoples were created in 1894/95 and symbolise cultures from all over the world. The depictions are stylistically uniform, without ...