Panic and mayhem as the streets of Charlottesville descend into anarchy and chaos. Remarkably, this isn’t only occurring in America but here in the United Kingdom. It comes has no surprise then that these two countries were key players in what was probably the vilest trade known to man. The business model of which was borrowed, in part from the Spanish and Portuguese , adapted, modified, presented to British Parliament, and rubber stamped with royal assent to boot. This business model was then rolled out across British colonies and mercilessly enacted upon millions of Africans. “Hang on a minute”, you may say, “slavery was abolished in British territories in 1833 and in America 1865 as per the 13th amendment”. So what could be the reason for law abiding, hard working, middle income professionals taking to the streets in their hundreds, protesting, demonstrating and in some instances engaging in pitched battles against neo-nazis and white supremacist ?
It seems the cause of disruption to our otherwise busy, productive and cosmopolitan existences is the realisation that our public spaces, municipal buildings, universities and museums have all been adorned with statues and monuments commemorating people whose views and beliefs are no longer compatible with the views and beliefs of a modern society. In fact everything that these monuments may once have stood for we find ourselves to be completely at odds with, and unable to view as anything other than an affront to a ethnically mixed and inclusive society.
Who these statues are of, and what they represent differs to most people. In the UK, Bristol statue of;
Edward Colston: Philanthropist, Merchant and Slave Trader.
Cecil Rhodes: Oriel College Oxford. British businessman mining magnate, politician and prime minister of cape colony, South Africa.
In the USA; General Robert E Lee: Commander of the confederate army northern Virginia.
General Thomas “Stone wall “Jackson. Commander of the confederate army.
Many have called for the removal of these monuments and label them, “A commemoration to a racist and imperial past. Others on the other hand claim the statues must be preserved not just for their historical significance but also, they say, because freedom of speech and democracy are fundamental tenets to a modern and progressive society.
History is full of men who claim to be; philanthropist, industrialist and business men of renown, their assets and wealth then found to have been built on the backs of African slaves on plantations in the Caribbean. These men have built great empires, stately homes and factories from: sugar, coco, cotton and exotic fruits, the produce of the plantations and slaves they own. Once they have made more money than they can possibly consume in one life time, they then seek to appease their consciouses by humanitarian acts of staggering proportions. Edward Colson is one such man remembered for his humanitarian acts, not so much for the fact that he was a slave trader who profited from men, women and children who in turn were then forced to work against their will. Cecil Rhodes by comparison doesn’t only display astounding arrogance, assuredness and self belief in his Britishness, he believes his whiteness to be the defining thing that sets him and others like him, above lesser, darker mortals. He makes no secret of this and was even quoted as saying; “Remember that you are an Englishman, and have consequently won first prize in the lottery of life”.
You could be forgiven for wanting to tear down theses statues, melt them down and use the residue to create some kind of universal symbol of equality, but in time the purpose and the meaning behind such a symbol would be lost. The irony then, is that these monuments must remain and although they may become shrines to neo- nazis, the KKK and other such white supremacist, they will also serve to remind the more enlightened, to stand as testament to a terrible time in our history where governments conspired to not only; abduct, transport, and exploit a race of people, but to brutalise them in every conceivable way. In America it took a civil war and a divided nation to bring about a end to slavery and still the scars remain. Let’s hope the scars and the statues alike will eventually fade.
A Black Perspective 