Lenin Was Never This Sweet

The famous Communist leader Vladimir Ilic Lenin is still praised by some, but his doctrine is hated by most. That didn’t stop a Romanian artist from making a sweet replica of him and placing it on a pedestal. Artist Ioana Ciocan hoped her countrymen would be able to get past their prejudices and horrible memories and accept Communism as part of Romanian history. On January 26, the birthday of former Romanian dictator Nicolae Ceausescu, she mounted a 3-meter-tall statue of Lenin on a pedestal, in the Free Press Square, a place closely linked to the Romanian anti-communist revolution. The giant replica was made of chocolate, rice and candy, and was on display for a single day. Unfortunately, her artistic effort was considered an insult to the martyrs of the Romanian revolution of 1989. As a Romanian, I can’t say I’m that insulted by Ioana Ciocan’s gesture, but then again, I was only 5 years old when people fought and died for freedom. I am however insulted by the ugliness of the sweet statue.