The Pearl Monument was visually striking. It is reminiscent of the world cup in some ways. It consists of 6 white curved pillars emanating from the ground and reaching towards the sky. The 6 pillars represent the six Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries of Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait, Oman and the United Arab Emirates. Atop these pillars rests a giant, white spherical pearl. Bahrain is famous for its pearly industry historically and so the overall monument was originally a symbol of cooperation towards a common goal between the GCC countries. How ironic. On Feb 14,2011, protestors seeking political reform congregated at the Pearl Roundabout with the monument at the centre of their protest camp. They were subsequently removed from the roundabout by GCC forces, an army made up of Saudi, UAE and other GCC soldiers. “Cooperation towards a common goal.” The protestors tried to come back and were shot down with some casualties. Following international pressure, the protestors were allowed to return to the Pearl Roundabout. Weeks later, protestors disrupted traffic by blocking roads and highways and a brutal military crackdown was imposed. The protestors camp was burned out, protestors removed and then in a final act of defiance, the Pearl Monument was brutally demolished – a symbol of resistance was torn down to represent a victory over the protestors. In the following weeks, miniature pearl monuments began to spring up around the villages of the island. Makeshift ¼ size replicas with curved white pillars and inflatable white balls on top. The reaction of the police and military was swift. They came in and demolished those too. After the original monument came down, what had become known as ‘Pearl Square’ in international media (really a roundabout, traffic circle or rotary) was landscaped and actually physically transformed from a roundabout into a traffic crossroads, a square with traffic lights. Difficult to believe. So, the monument was appropriated by the protestors and began to appear on posters, banners, t-shirts, flags, etc and became a symbol of the fight for freedom and democracy. Then it was reclaimed by the authorities and destroyed. A powerful symbol – too powerful to be allowed to remain.