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As I see statues of slave traders coming down in the UK, either by force #EdwardColston or swift planning #RobertMilligan, my thoughts have turned to the Sankofa bird - a powerful West African symbol relevant to this time (1/5) 
The concept of Sankofa comes from the Akan people of Ghana and is expressed as “sewo were fi nawosankofa a yenki” … “it is not taboo to go back and fetch what you forgot” (2/5)
With its legs facing forward, its head turned backwards and an egg (the future) in its mouth, the Sakofa bird illustrates the importance of past lessons in shaping the future. Gather good lessons from your past and use them to achieve future goals (3/5)
Just reading about the Zong Case AKA Gregson v Gilbert.
Horrific, but tells you a lot about the motivations of slave traders & their attitude to their cargo.
In August 1781, Zong, a ship designed for approx 193 slaves sailed with 442 slaves aboard from Accra, Ghana to Jamaica.
Horrific, but tells you a lot about the motivations of slave traders & their attitude to their cargo.
In August 1781, Zong, a ship designed for approx 193 slaves sailed with 442 slaves aboard from Accra, Ghana to Jamaica.
On 18th November, the ship stopped in Tobago, but did not top up its water supplies.
On 28th November the crew sighted Jamaica 50km away, but thought it was Hispaniola (modern Haiti / Dominican Republic), so kept going.
On 28th November the crew sighted Jamaica 50km away, but thought it was Hispaniola (modern Haiti / Dominican Republic), so kept going.
They only realised they'd made a navigation mistake 300 miles later.
To get back to Jamaica they had to sail into the wind, so it would take 10-13 days, but they only had 4 days water left.
To get back to Jamaica they had to sail into the wind, so it would take 10-13 days, but they only had 4 days water left.
Britain is adept at airbrushing its history. We remember the abolition of the Transatlantic slave trade, while forgetting its initiation and perpetuation.
We celebrate the culture of the Raj, white Kenya etc, while forgetting the murder and theft underpinning British colonialism
We celebrate the culture of the Raj, white Kenya etc, while forgetting the murder and theft underpinning British colonialism
We know that colonial atrocities were perpetrated by other nations. But the great majority of people in the UK are unaware of the horrors perpetrated, within living memory, by our own government:
theguardian.com/commentisfree/…
theguardian.com/commentisfree/…
To judge by comments on Twitter, many people are determined to remember #EdwardColston's "philanthropy", and determined to forget the origin of the money he spent.
(Philanthropy translates literally as a love of people. Which is not how the slave trade is usually described)
(Philanthropy translates literally as a love of people. Which is not how the slave trade is usually described)
Lord help me with this one...
William Wilberforce infantilised emanciapted Black folk thinking they were undeserving of full subjecthood. He was anti-union and women's rights. So no let's not have a statue to Wilberforce, the hagiography of the man has to stop.
I support the toppling of #EdwardColston's statue. Slavery should never be celebrated. It was wrong to erect it. The protesters were right to dismantle it.
#BlackLivesMatter
huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/black-li…
#BlackLivesMatter
huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/black-li…
These symbols are immensely important. Those who deplore this demolition should ask themselves where they stood on the removal of Saddam Hussein's statues, or Stalin's. We should not allow those who exercised power in the past to govern us beyond the grave.
A lively, democratic nation is one that renews its self-image and changes its symbols to reflect its changing character. This should include some of its statuary.
