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One of Britain’s most prominent historians, David Olusoga, admitted that he wanted “desperately” to join the protesters who brought down the statue of slave owner Edward Colston in his hometown of Bristol.
The broadcaster and historian said the dumping of the statue in Bristol Harbor in June, part of the Black Lives Matter protests, was the most notable event of the summer.
Home Secretary Priti Patel condemned it as an act of “mafia” and Labor Party leader Keir Starmer described it as “completely wrong”.
In an interview with the Radio Times, Olusoga spoke of her own torment at not taking part in the demolition of a statue that “loomed over us” in Bristol.
He said: “I fought enormously with the need to get on my bike and ride my bike there; my house is only 10 minutes away.” He said he did not do so because he had promised his family that he would be “careful” during the pandemic.
He added: “It was very difficult. However, before he could be tortured for not being able to go, Colston’s statue collapsed. It was a tremendously emotional moment. “
He said that tearing down the statue captured the essence of Black Lives Matter by being a cultural and political act rather than an outbreak of anarchy.
He added that the government’s reaction to the protest was racist. “The word ‘bully’ has long been used in this country as a dog whip to attack black people, it’s a word dripping with racism, but it just doesn’t stand up to scrutiny.”
He noted that nearby statues of conservative philosopher Edmund Burke and Queen Victoria were left untouched and shop windows were not broken.
Olusoga also revealed that he spoke with Bristol Mayor Marvin Rees on the day of the protest about the local authorities’ decision not to intervene to prevent the statue from being torn down.
He said: “It is much easier for me because I am not an elected official. For Marvin, you have to make sure people are safe. “
The interview with Olusoga was scheduled to mark the broadcast of her new documentary, Africa Turns the Page, on the influence of African writers on world literature. But he also spoke of being encouraged by new interest in his previous catalog of BBC documentaries, many of which have traced Britain’s legacy of slavery.
He predicted that future historians would mark this summer as a time of increased general awareness of Britain’s black history. In June, half of the best-selling nonfiction books were about race or black history, Olusoga noted. “People who don’t have as much contact with young people, who don’t teach like I do, don’t understand that this generation no longer wants to live in a racist society.”
Olusoga, a board member of the Scott Trust, which publishes The Guardian, also revealed that he is regularly subjected to racial abuse. “Every day on social media, some say, ‘Stop talking about slavery. You hate Britain. If you don’t like it, go home. ‘ I ask people why they want me to be silent. What is it about black people talking about these issues that makes you so uncomfortable? “
Simon Schama, a fellow historian and co-host of the historic BBC documentary Civilizations, offered a different take on Colston Row. In a separate interview for Radio Times, he said he was against taking down statues.
He said, “I’m not a very ‘plinda’ person. Do I want them cut down and thrown into a pond? No. I think they should enter a museum as a focus of debate. There are some people who are worth honoring, including Churchill. But I am very happy if it generates debate. I don’t want to see them just knocked down. “
Schama’s new three-part BBC series will examine the romantics, who he believes would approve of the current enthusiasm for street protests.
“What the romantics wanted to embrace has returned: the power of imagination and the feeling that popular demonstrations could achieve something. In addition, there is the participation of young people, like Greta Thunberg. Young Wordsworth would have recognized it immediately. “
