Rawson Square

Two worlds collide at the adjoining Rawson Square and Parliament Square, central bearing points in downtown Nassau. Rawson Square houses a half body bronze bust of Sir Milo Butler, the first governor-general in an independent Bahamas. Directly opposite in Parliament Square there is a provocative full-bodied statue of Queen Victoria sitting on a throne. Queen Victoria is a symbol of the country’s violent colonial past and Sir Milo is a symbol of the country’s promise of a new beginning. These public gathering grounds are primarily used as pedestrian thoroughfares and backdrops for great photo opportunities, but their true significance is in their socio-political history, as sites of protest, politics and governance.