Colston & King Leopold 11: Monuments of evil

Introduction:

In today’s Guardian Hugh Muir asks whether or not it’s time to call time on slave traders such as Bristol-born merchant Edward Colston, whose name and statues are littered around the city with ‘pride and prestige’? I felt the same on a recent trip to Brussels, which in many ways is the political capital of Europe. Grandiose statues of King Leopold 11 adorn Belgium of a man who turned his African "Congo Free State" into a massive labour camp, made a fortune for himself from the harvest of its wild rubber, and contributed in a large way to the death of perhaps 10 million innocent Africans, and sewed the seeds of a troubled country for generations to come.

If people want to keep these statues, can we not put them where they belong  - into a museum of hate, murder and destruction, all in the name of mercantile profit? Good piece Hugh!

Simon Woolley

If the past really is another country, is it one of those best avoided? The question occurs following receipt of a letter from a notably upset reader, about a trip to Bristol. "Edward Colston, the Bristol-born merchant, member of parliament and slave trader, is one of the most evil men in English history, yet a statue honouring him still poisons the city centre today," wrote Mike Gardner. "What a disgrace. The city's politicians should hang their heads in shame." It's not just the statue that gets Mike's goat, but also the warm words inscribed: "Erected by the citizens of Bristol and memorial to one the most virtuous and wise sons of their city."

That was the view in 1895, when the statue was erected. But now? Gardner looked Colston up. Even of his time, the slaver was a bad 'un. "Between 1672 and 1689, Colston's company transported around 100,000 slaves from west Africa to the West Indies and America. This included women and children as young as six – each slave was branded with company's initials, RAC, on their chest. To maximise profit, Colston's ships divided their hulls into holds with little headroom, so they could transport as many slaves as possible. Unhygienic conditions, dehydration, dysentery and scurvy killed more than 20,000 slaves during the crossings, their bodies thrown overboard by the vicious sailors."

Others have thought long and hard about Colston. Bristol boasts Colston Hall, a major entertainment venue, on Colston Street and, on the basis of sorry history, bands like Massive Attack apparently refuse to play there. Which is laudable. But is it tenable?

To stroll through the City of London, or Liverpool, or Manchester, or Swansea is to go nose to nose with the tangible repercussions of slavery. Reminders of the key players, the buildings, the foundation stones of modern-day wealth. With antennae set high, one would resort to a lot of steering clear and boycotting. My folks hail from a part of Jamaica with names reminiscent of Scotland. My name is Muir. That was no twinning arrangement.

Maybe the answer is to make peace with the fact that sins of the past helped forge the present. Easier said than done. But a few more civic reminders of minorities who made this country great might help.

Hugh Muir, the Guardian