Meet at 10.45 in Factory Ward car park, Denbigh LL16 3TS

(please wear funerial clothes if possible)

Wanda Zyborska invites you to join the 13th year of this annual ceremonial draping of a giant rubber condom on the HM Stanley statue in Denbigh.

The statue, erected in 2011, commemorates H M Stanley, the renowned colonial explorer born in Denbigh in 1841. Stanley's expedition in 1879-84 aimed to discover the source of the Congo River, paving the way for European influence in the region. His association with King Leopold II of Belgium, who exploited the Congo for personal gain, led to one of Africa's most brutal colonial regimes, resulting in the loss of millions of lives.

In response to public outcry and a failed petition to halt the statue's erection, Wanda instigated the reveiling of the HM Stanley statue. Inspired by Tania Kovats' "Virgin in a Condom" (1992), this symbolic act underscored repeated annually, reflects the solemnity of the protest.

This year will feature ‘the People’s Panel’- a decorated patchwork replacement for one of the worn condom panels - which many utopias bach-ians have been helping create at TOGYG studio and the Bangor African and Caribbean Centre. Each contributor brings a unique artistic perspective, reflecting on the statue's history, the symbolism of the condom sculpture, and the annual protest tradition.