London mayor Sadiq Khan on Tuesday ordered a review of statues in London linked to slave trade as the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement provided a spark for anti-racism protests and the removal of imperialist Cecil Rhodes’ statue in the University of Oxford.
Rhodes was a controversial colonialist who donated large funds for education, including the Rhodes Scholarship, which has been awarded to several Indians over the decades. The 2016 ‘Rhodes Must Fall’ campaign called for removing his statue in Oriel College in Oxford, but campaigners plan to take to the streets again on Tuesday.
Britain’s long history of colonialism and involvement in slave trade has been a subject of much debate, but protests in Bristol as part of the BLM movement led to the statue of a prominent 17th century slave trader, Edward Colston, being pulled down on Sunday.
The slave trade from the 16th to 19th centuries was carried through several ports, including London, Liverpool and Bristol. The focus has also moved to East India Company colonialists such as Robert Clive, whose statue in Shropshire is now sought to be removed.
Setting up a Commission for Diversity in the Public realm, Khan said: “Our capital’s diversity is our greatest strength, yet our statues, road names and public spaces reflect a bygone era. It is an uncomfortable truth that our nation and city owes a large part of its wealth to its role in the slave trade and while this is reflected in our public realm, the contribution of many of our communities to life in our capital has been wilfully ignored”.
{{/usCountry}}Setting up a Commission for Diversity in the Public realm, Khan said: “Our capital’s diversity is our greatest strength, yet our statues, road names and public spaces reflect a bygone era. It is an uncomfortable truth that our nation and city owes a large part of its wealth to its role in the slave trade and while this is reflected in our public realm, the contribution of many of our communities to life in our capital has been wilfully ignored”.
{{/usCountry}}“This cannot continue. We must ensure that we celebrate the achievements and diversity of all in our city, and that we commemorate those who have made London what it is – that includes questioning which legacies are being celebrated”.
“The Black Lives Matter protests have rightly brought this to the public’s attention, but it’s important that we take the right steps to work together to bring change and ensure that we can all be proud of our public landscape,” he added.
Oxford vice-chancellor Louise Richardson, had opposed to the campaign to remove Rhodes’ statue in 2016, saying: “I don’t think we can take down every statue or memorial of somebody who has done something that is objectionable today.”
“The American declaration of independence was written by slave owners who were still extraordinary men. The world is a complex place, history is complex; we should be aware of it,” she said.
Anti-colonial, anti-racist campaigns have spread in other campuses and countries, including South Africa. In 2017, students at the School of Oriental and African Studies wanted the curriculum revised to drop ‘white’ figures such as Plato and Socrates, and replace them with Indian and non-western philosophers.