Charles Darwin’s great-great-grandson, Andrew Darwin, and South African artist Johan Steyn unveiled a statue of Charles Darwin on 20 April 2025 in Simon’s Town. Darwin was 27 years old when he arrived there aboard HMS Beagle, on his voyage home after four and a half years at sea.
[See: Formula D’s article – https://formula-d.com/explore-darwins-legacy-with-formulad_-celebrating-science-discovery/]
I attended the unveiling of the statue, which portrays Darwin as a young man, as he would have looked when he docked in Simon’s Town. He spent 19 days in Cape Town before departing for England. At the time, he was about four and a half years into his journey, which ultimately took almost five years to complete. If memory serves, he returned to Plymouth.
The Big Idea Behind Darwin’s Work
Before I reflect on the audience, let’s pause to revisit the one core idea from On the Origin of Species—so we’re all on the same page.
Today, Darwin’s theory feels almost commonplace, but in his time, it represented a radical breakthrough in our understanding of life on Earth.
The central concept is natural selection—the idea that organisms better adapted to their environments tend to survive and reproduce more successfully than others, gradually leading to the evolution of species over time.
Put simply:
• Variation exists in populations (thanks to genetic differences).
• Competition for resources means not all individuals survive.
• Traits that aid survival and reproduction are passed on to future generations.
This framework explains the diversity of life without invoking divine design. It shows that complex life forms evolve through gradual, incremental change. It remains the cornerstone of modern evolutionary biology.
Key phrase to remember: “Survival of the fittest”—though Darwin himself more often used “descent with modification.” (In this context, “fitness” refers to reproductive success—not simply strength.)
Back to the Event
Now to the point that really struck me: the audience.
What stood out was that the audience was predominantly older. I found this surprising. Wouldn’t students from universities, colleges, or schools be drawn to such an event? Darwin is a world-renowned figure. He visited South Africa and met with leading scientists of the time. Surely this is a moment in history worth marking more broadly.
During his stay in Cape Town, Darwin met with several notable figures in the scientific community, including Sir Andrew Smith, Sir Thomas Maclear, and most significantly, Sir John Herschel. He also interacted with John Bell, Secretary to the Colonial Government.
His meeting with Herschel, a leading British scientist cataloguing southern hemisphere stars, was especially pivotal. Herschel is thought to have directed Darwin to geological sites near Cape Town and, more importantly, encouraged him to use his collected data to pursue a “big idea”—to move beyond simple observation and into scientific theory. This encouragement shaped Darwin’s intellectual approach and, ultimately, his legacy.
Despite the historical weight of the moment, the crowd at the unveiling was not only older, but not very diverse. I say this cautiously, but when I looked around, it seemed that many attendees were descendants of British settlers who’ve lived in the Cape for generations. I don’t know why there wasn’t a broader turnout—more young people, more South Africans from different backgrounds. Perhaps in time, the statue will capture people’s interest. One hopes.
Is This Significant for Simon’s Town?
This event ties a globally important moment in scientific history to Cape Town—and to Simon’s Town, specifically. There’s real potential here for heritage tourism. This kind of story, if nurtured, can enrich the town’s identity and economy.
That said, today’s world is full of distractions. Social media consumes our attention. It was a very cold and windy day, and I don’t think the event was well promoted. I only learned about it via a WhatsApp group message sent the day before. Luckily, I had time to attend.
A Note on the Provinces
The British had a significant influence in the Cape. At the time of Darwin’s visit, what we now call the Western Cape was part of the vast Cape Province. It stretched up to what’s today the Northern Cape, along the Orange River, and eastward to around Grahamstown. It had its own government and parliament and played a major role in shaping the early economic and scientific development of the region.
Then, about 30 years ago, with the political transition, South Africa was reorganized into nine provinces. But many of these smaller provinces have struggled to become economically self-sufficient. They rely on financial transfers and support from economic powerhouses like the Western Cape and Gauteng (formerly part of the Transvaal).
Historically, South Africa was divided into four main regions: Cape Province, Natal, Free State, and Transvaal. And to be honest, that structure made a kind of geographical and administrative sense. South Africa is a vast and varied country. It might have functioned more effectively as independent countries.
I enjoy reflecting on this kind of South African history. It’s a reminder of how British-aligned the old Cape Province was. British settlers established observatories, cultural institutions, ports, and other infrastructure. The mining boom in Kimberley and elsewhere was part of that larger project. Yes, some of it was extractive. But it also laid developmental groundwork. And while wealth accumulation was unequal as it always is anywhere in the entire world ?—let’s not be naive—these ventures did contribute to broader population benefits, especially through infrastructure and institutional growth.
Final Thoughts
Maybe South Africa just continues to be divided along lines of age, culture, and interest. Maybe that’s why a historic scientific event like this one didn’t attract a more representative crowd. It’s difficult to draw everyone to the same point of focus in a fractured society.
Still, I hope this statue will stand as an invitation—to curiosity, to learning, to recognising our shared human history. And I hope, in time, it will inspire a younger and more diverse group of South Africans to reflect on Darwin, science, and the role our country played in that larger story.
