Bust of Hans Sloane in its new place in a display case in the British Museum
Photo:Sam Mellish / Alamy
The prestigious British Museum has removed a bust of its founding father Hans Sloane, who made slaves work for him, from its original location. "We pushed him off the pedestal where nobody noticed him and put him in the limelight," said the German museum director Hartwig Fischer on Tuesday the "Telegraph". "We mustn't hide anything. Healing is knowledge."
The bust now stands in a secure location in the London Museum, where Sloane's work is explained in the context of the British Empire. The decision was made in the course of the "Black Lives Matter" movement, said Fischer. "We have to understand our own history."
Born in Ireland in 1660, the physician and biologist Sloane also financed his life through sugar cane plantations in Jamaica, where slaves worked. He was a passionate collector of fossils, paintings, coins and antiques, among other things. His collections provided the basis for the British Museum. Several squares and streets in Great Britain were named after Sloane, including Sloane Square in London.
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In the course of the protests against the violent death of the African-American George Floyd in May in the USA, demonstrators in Bristol overturned the monument to the slave trader Edward Colston from its pedestal and thrown it into the harbor basin. The action became a symbol of the Black Lives Matter protests in Britain. Colston (1636-1721) has been venerated as a benefactor in Bristol for centuries for his support for almshouses and schools. However, much of his wealth was based on the slave trade.
Johnson speaks of "self-discrimination"
There had recently been trouble in Great Britain because of two very patriotic songs that are traditionally played at the famous "Last Night of the Proms" concert. Critics had asked for the pieces to be removed from the program. After a dispute, the BBC as the organizer found a solution: Both songs will be heard in orchestral versions - i.e. without singing, the broadcaster announced on Monday evening.
In the work "Rule, Britannia!" from 1740 it says among other things: "Rule Britannia ... British will never be slaves". Many Brits always sing along to the song at the finale of the annual summer concert series, waving Union Jack flags. Also the song "Land Of Hope And Glory" ("Land of Hope and Glory"), which is always played at the end, was on the brink.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson had spoken out in favor of the pieces, but reacted angrily that there are only orchestral versions this year. He called for an end to "self-discrimination". "It is time we stopped being ashamed of our history," Johnson said on a visit to Devon on Tuesday. The head of government complained that he just had to get rid of it.
Earlier, culture minister Oliver Dowden had tweeted: "Confident, forward-looking nations are not erasing their past - they are adding something to it."
Due to the coronavirus pandemic, the concerts on September 12th cannot be experienced live in the Royal Albert Hall, but only on the radio. This year's conductor of the final concert, the Finn Dalia Stasevska, had supported changes in the program and was attacked for them. "We regret the" unjustified personal attacks on Dalia Stasevska, "said the BBC.
Icon: The mirrorfeb / dpa
