As I toured the many sites of London I saw a strong icon of western civilization, but I was also reminded of the conquests of the former British empire. What I did not always see, were representations of the vast indigenous populations that were absorbed by its power. As a European American, I cannot adequately relate to the experience of colonized indigenous people. However, I kept this in mind as I visited many of the lavish museums of London. Some questions that crossed my mind were: “At what cost had the treasures been collected? and who were the people that provided the natural resources that provided the wealth of the British Empire? Also would the United Kingdom be as prosperous today if it had not participated in the colonization?”
The British Museum in London was a the top of my list to visit as a studying Historian and Anthropologist. It is home to some of the most valuable and influential artifacts in the world. These artifacts were also collected from all over the world, many during the process of colonization. They represent a mixture of voluntary and involuntary collections. In fact one of the museum’s staff and Novelist Ahdaf Soueif resigned due to the museum’s relationship with oil company BP and the museum’s need to “address the debate around the return of looted colonial-era artefacts. ‘The divisions in our country as a whole are rooted, in part, with an inability to reconcile with our colonial past’” (Bakare, 2019.) This suggests that some Londoners acknowledge the impact of acquiring the cultural treasures of indigenous people, but it the issue is far more complex than just admitting their faults. As a historian or anthropologist, the debate then is over the educational value to one country or the cultural impact upon the native country. In many cases, the native country either does not have the financial means to store and care for the artifact, or wishes it to decay as in the case of spiritual totem poles made of ancient wood.
The crown jewels housed in the tower of london present another example of collected wealth, or artifacts. Many were collected in the colonization of India, the Americas and Africa. While I had assumed most were looted, it turns out that is not always the case. The 105-carat Kohinoor diamond that adorns the most famous royal crown of Queen Victoria, was in fact a gift. “Kohinoor cannot be said to be forcibly taken or stolen as it was given by the successors of Maharaja Ranjit Singh to East India Company in 1849 as compensation for helping them in the Sikh wars,” said Ranjit Kumar” (Marszal, 2016.) While this was a sign that colonization was starting to change it’s influence over its colonies under the reign of Queen Victoria, it was still another 100 years before India was granted independence. Many of the other crown jewels were likely not gifts, but collected for and by the British Empire throughout their colonies all over the world.
An article we read that spoke about reparation, was adressing instead reparations needed for funding the American slave trade and not just the actions of colonization by the British Empire. A London University is taking steps toward reparation due to the responsibility they feel from the financial gains that funded their University. I was encouraged by the efforts of the institution, but also saddened at the lack of responsibility being taken in the United States. While the United States has come along way since the days of slavery, the attrocity is not given the shame it has in overseas countries. I was disappointed to find this quote in an American Newspaper calling for reparations to the descendants of slaves, “I think we’re always a work in progress in this country, but no one currently alive was responsible for that and I don’t think we should be trying to figure out how to compensate for it,” McConnell said” (Los Angeles Times, 2019.) These were the words of a Kentucky Senator, a descendant of a slave owner. Attitudes like these in America, keep us from progressing forward. Can you imagine someone saying something similar to descendants of survivors of the holocaust? America seems far behind becoming an inclusive multicultural nation, when we have people in power brushing off the nation’s atrocities in the past.
I was also glad to see London embrace the healing process of an African American artist, Faith Ringgold, by featuring her work in the Serpentine Gallery. “Faith Ringgold review – critique of racist America as relevant as ever” is how the local news in London describes this installation of her work (Judah, 2019.) I visited the gallery with her work in my visit to London. I was surprised to see that my initial response to her work was it’s bold and shocking nature. I had expected to feel more “in tune” with the work as it was presented by an American artist and concerned a history of which I was well aware of. The fact that I found it slightly shocking concerned me a bit. It made me wonder if the education I received on the topic was not shocking enough, if the events had been glossed over or more horrifying aspects left out. To see the pain and suffering in such an honest and blunt fashion was unexpected, yet necessary.
I found that while London has had a past that involved the conversion of other cultures rather than the inclusion of them, they are now a progressive nation that is embracing a change in attitude toward including and acknowledging other cultures. The willingness to change for the future is what sets apart London from other major cities of the world. While they are far from perfect, they set a good example of the potential for a change toward multicultural inclusion and reparation for past transgressions. I hope to see similar attitudes toward change in the United States in the future. I plan to do my part to teach the good and bad parts of history, which are necessary to bring us into the future.
Works Cited
Bakare, Lanre. “British Museum Staff Express Support for Trustee Who Resigned.” The Guardian, Guardian News and Media, 23 July 2019, www.theguardian.com/culture/2019/jul/23/british-museum-staff-support-ahdaf-soueif-trustee-resigned?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other&fbclid=IwAR03wRWugZqI1a2YSYY2IQywx12bAndgU9g_lRb7yrwPW0xnYHx73GVj2_k.
Judah, Hettie. “Faith Ringgold Review – Critique of Racist America as Relevant as Ever.” The Guardian, Guardian News and Media, 5 June 2019, www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2019/jun/05/faith-ringgold-review-serpentine-galleries-london.
Karasz, Palko. “Glasgow University Pledges Millions for ‘Reparative Justice’ for Slavery Ties.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 24 Aug. 2019, www.nytimes.com/2019/08/24/world/europe/university-of-glasgow-slavery-reparations.html?smprod=nytcore-ipad&smid=nytcore-ipad-share&fbclid=IwAR0FtCabI_a8JDz8l19Oi16yi2Bgr6nmB01n4qaAyR5WSKCBYXvaCyu_0xY.
Marszal, Andrew. “Britain ‘Did Not Steal Most Famous Diamond in Crown Jewels from India’ .” The Telegraph, Telegraph Media Group, 18 Apr. 2016, www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/04/18/britain-did-not-steal-most-famous-diamond-in-crown-jewels-from-i/.“Slavery’s Descendants Say a Reparations Check Won’t Make the Pain Go Away.” Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 18 Aug. 2019, www.latimes.com/politics/la-na-pol-2020-reparations-democratic-presidential-race20190715-story.html.
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