The statue of Bristol slave trader Edward Colston – knocked down during a Black Lives Matter protest a year ago – is due on public display from tomorrow.
The temporary exhibit in the city sees the statue scratched and still covered in spray paint – just as it was retrieved from the bottom of Bristol Port, where he was thrown out by protesters in June 2020.
Shawn Sobers of the Bristol History Commission helped the M-Shed Museum organize the exhibit: “What we don’t want people to feel is that this exhibit celebrates, commemorates or empathizes Colston as an individual.
The statue was unveiled to crowds in 1895
The statue was thrown into the water during the Black Lives Matter protests
“But it’s an important part of the city’s history to truly understand its role in the transatlantic slave trade and how we can get beyond that point,” he added.
The statue of the 17th century slave trader was shot down during a Black lives matter less than two weeks after the murder of George Floyd by Policeman Derek Chauvin in Minneapolis.
This led to a national debate on the future of statues and the change of other buildings and institutions in Bristol named after Colston.
The exhibit coincides with a new survey that will seek public opinion on what should happen in the long term to the statue and the now empty plinth.
“This exhibit aims to collect people’s opinions on what should happen to the statue next,” Sobers said. “We think this is an important moment and an opportunity to find out how the people of Bristol want to move forward from this moment on.”
The exhibition is presented from Friday
The statue rests on its side, still covered in graffiti, and surrounded by signs used by …
More information about this article Read More
Source: news.sky.com
This notice was published: 2021-06-03 16:50:00