Prime Minister Boris Johnson, and Alok Sharma, the business secretary called out the BBC after the organisation announced that they will not play the lyrics of ‘Rule Britannia’ at the last night of the Proms this year. The recent controversy around Rule Britannia emerges due to its central theme that Britons “will never be slaves”.
Some academics and historians have criticised that the song can be considered as a glorification of the colonial history of Great Britain, which heavily benefited from slave trade. Between 1640 and 1807 Britain’s fleets would carry slaves from Africa to America loaded with goods. These were exchanged on West African shores for Africans enslaved by local rulers and slaves were then transported across the Atlantic and forced to work in American plantations. In light of the Black Lives Matter movement it was rumoured that the BBC may drop the plan of playing the song altogether. Ultimately, the BBC decided to only play the instrumental version of the song.
But Prime Minister Johnson expressed his disbelief stating that it was time “we stopped cringing embarrassment about our history, about our traditions, and about our culture”. In the meantime, Alok Sharma also suggested that the BBC subtitle the words, enabling a karaoke-style event for audiences at home. Recently elected Liberal Democrats leader Sir Ed Davey has stated that he would not let the Prime Minister divide the country on cultural wars. But Conservative MP for Harrow East, Bob Blackman believes “we should not erase our history”.
‘We should not erase our history’
Speaking exclusively to Asian Voice, Mr Blackman said, “I am totally opposed to the BBC’s decision to alter the traditional way in which the Last Night of the Proms is closed. Rule Britannia, Jerusalem and Land of Hope and Glory have always been the centrepiece of the Last Night of the Proms and is an evocation of British freedoms in the face of Napoleonic tyranny.
“My constituency Harrow East is one of the most diverse constituencies in the country and I am proud to represent a high percentage of people who have left India to begin a new life in the UK. In Harrow East, the Indian community are always prominent in local events and first to offer their assistance which demonstrates the diversity in Britain. They have completely integrated themselves in British society and I have not received a single piece of correspondence in favour of this decision by the BBC. On the contrary, I have received several communications from constituents who are horrified at the decision as they believe it is an integral part of our history and society.
“I am a firm believer that we should not be erasing our history. We should be proud that Britain abolished slavery in 1807, ahead of most other countries, and our Royal Navy disrupted and ultimately halted the trans-Atlantic slave trade. We should not be afraid to celebrate our history at such a traditional and well-loved event.”
Asian Voice had approached several other politicians including Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab, and Indian-origin ministers like shadow foreign secretary Lisa Nandy, Trade Secretary Ranil Jaywardene and Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan besides others for their views on the subject. But they either declined to answer or did not respond to our requests for comments.
Reviews on statues with links to slavery and colonialism
In the meantime, the City of London Corporation has launched a three-month consultative exercise asking people which landmarks they think are a problem and what action they would like to see taken. The survey is being promoted by the City Corporation’s Tackling Racism Taskforce, set up in June with the aim of considering what action the organisation can take to tackle racism in all its forms. This comes as organisations across the UK review the cultural legacy of slavery and colonialism especially after some statues have been toppled by protestors across the UK.
Caroline Addy, Co-Chair of the City of London Corporation’s Tackling Racism Taskforce, said, “Like many areas of the country, the City of London has a number of statues and other landmarks with links to the slave trade and historic racism. It is important that we acknowledge and address this legacy with openness and honesty, and carefully consider what should be done.
“We are committed to equality, inclusivity and diversity, and to ensuring the Square Mile remains a place where people of all ethnicities and backgrounds feel safe and welcome.”
People can take part in the consultative exercise, which runs until Tuesday, 24 November, online at cityoflondon.gov.uk/historiclandmarksconsultation or by writing to: Tackling Racism Taskforce, City of London Corporation, Guildhall, PO Box 270, London EC2P 2EJ.
In June the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, had also announced a commission to review and improve diversity across London’s public realm to ensure the capital’s landmarks suitably reflect London’s achievements and diversity. The Commission for Diversity in the Public Realm will focus on increasing representation among Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) communities, women, the LGBTQ+ community and disability groups.
Educating about The Empire’s dark history like Germany
While several initiatives and measures are being established to recognise the diverse communities in the UK and contribution of the migrants in building and enriching the socio-economic fabric of the country. The unsettling fact is that Britain’s colonial history and the exploits, plunder and loot of “The Empire” are still not taught about in primary schools.
Emphasising the significance of highlighting Britain’s dark history, Lord Jitesh Gadhia said, “This is a storm in a musical teacup. I have absolutely no objection to “Rule, Britannia!” It is absurd to say that the current generation are somehow endorsing slavery by singing the lyrics to an 18th century patriotic song associated with national celebration. We can’t cancel culture or history - but we can learn from it. We should devote more time and effort to educating the public about Britain’s colonial past - both good and bad - and ensuring that new rising powers don’t repeat some of our past abuses with their growing global influence.
“This way we can ensure that humans anywhere “never, never, never shall be slaves”. Regarding the legacy of the British Raj, Britain should make symbolic reparations for the expropriation of Indian wealth and resources.”
Seconding Lord Gadhia is Shrabani Basu who has also been campaigning for the inclusion of colonial history in British curriculum. Shrabani, who is The Sunday Times Best-selling Author of books like Victoria and Abdul, said to Asian Voice, “Given the contribution to Britain from people from the former colonies, leaders have to be sensitive and inclusive. I have been saying for many years now that it is very important to teach colonial history, so people are aware of the dark side of colonial rule. It is only when you understand your past, that you can go forward as a society and nation. They have to teach it as it is. The best example of this is Germany. They teach the holocaust, the darkest side of their history. Britain needs to be like Germany and acknowledge the past. That is the only way to heal divisions in society.”
Colonisation in Africa should have never ended wrote Boris Johnson
But while education is fundamental in raising awareness among the younger “white” British society, past political statements from Boris Johnson when he was not Prime Minister speak otherwise. Back in 2002 in his piece in Spectator, Mr Johnson has been on record to downplay Britain’s role in slavery and even said that colonisation in Africa should have never ended.
The then editor of The Spectator, Mr Johnson had written, “The continent may be a blot, but it is not a blot upon our conscience. The problem is not that we were once in charge, but that we are not in charge anymore. “Consider Uganda, pearl of Africa, as an example of the British record. Are we guilty of slavery? Pshaw.”
Emergence of identity and culture politics
Commenting on the emerging role and importance of symbolism and identity-driven contemporary politics, Lady Kishwar Desai said, “Boris Johnson is a Conservative politician and he is playing to his own core vote. Like any other politician, he will not take these issues seriously unless he believes it is going to impact his chances of getting re-elected or affect his party. Those of us who want him to take these issues seriously will have to lobby harder and change the minds of the non-Asian voters as well. Politicians will not change unless they fear being replaced.
“I have often said that we need to put the facts on the table —and automatically people will want to know more. When we set up the Partition Museum in Amritsar, we were astonished how little British visitors, young or old, knew. Many young people thought India and Pakistan were always different countries. But if we feel strongly about it—then it is our duty to educate the UK. I don’t think the idea is to make anyone feel ashamed— that sentiment may come on its own— but that this history is also important to understand because all of this went into making the country more liberal, more inclusive.
“Any nation trying to understand its dark past must remember that this effort of teaching colonial history is not to visit the sins of the fathers or mothers upon the sons and daughters. No— in fact the important point of learning this history is to acknowledge that we all might have been shaped by different events and have different kinds of icons too.”
Historians question if there were any atrocities by The Empire
But some historians and academics also believe that “Britons should not be embarrassed about The Empire. Tirthankar Roy is a Professor in Economic History at the London School of Economics and Political Science. He said, “When the Empire emerged (middle to late 19th century), the world had monarchies and states ruled by landlords, aristocrats, and warlords. Some of these were more oppressive for ordinary people than the British Empire was to its subjects. The Empire's record on inequality was mixed. Empire made some subject societies more unequal when (as in East Africa) it allowed the white settlers to own lands that others could not own. But elsewhere it made societies less unequal.
“The Empire's record on economic development was mixed too. The cities benefited from modern institutions and infrastructure the British introduced. Businesses boomed, and they were owned both by the expatriates and the local magnates. Bombay’s cotton textile industry is an example. Indians owned it, it gave stiff competition to Manchester textiles, and it would not have emerged if Bombay was not a part of the Empire. But the Empire’s record on public education and public health was poor. It was poor because the state earned too little money. A lot of the money India paid to Britain was money well spent. It was a payment for interest on public debt that funded canals and railways in India. It repatriated profits on British investment in India. Some of it went to pensions paid out to officers. So, should the Empire feel embarrassed about the Empire. Of course not. Should it feel proud? No, for it was nothing like a modern welfare state. It had a strong military, it helped businesses grow, it did not do much for the poorest people.”
Dr Zareer Masani is an Oxford history doctorate and author of four previous historical books, including a widely acclaimed biography of the former Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.
Dr Masani has taken a step further in questioning if there were any colonial atrocities to begin with. He said, “First, I would say that, if there were colonial atrocities, the Prime Minister certainly should have had a view on them as should any British leader, if there were any colonial atrocities. But I would question whether there were.
“Britain should be proud of having abolished slavery in the 1830s in India and across the empire. The British Navy helped India to get started in the late 19th century. There’s a lot to be proud of and of course the very fact that India exists as a unit is thanks to the British. We were never a country before that. I think just focusing on the atrocities of the British Raj makes no sense. But I do think that there should be more emphasis in Britain and India on teaching history. India has been independent for more than 70 years.”
