Britain’s colonial crimes deserve a lasting memorial. Here’s why

Our preferred solution to this inconvenient truth has been to avoid dwelling on slavery and focus instead on celebrating its abolition. At least Britain’s role in the slave trade is remembered in the excellent museum in Liverpool. But having a couple of slavery-focused museums – there is Wilberforce House in Hull, too – sets the issue apart from the mainstream of British history. It’s like a physical version of Black History Month, forcing forgotten histories into the open – a good thing – but as a footnote, a segregated narrative.

Few British people understand how fundamental this trade was to the British empire, and the extent to which the history of empire is the history of Britain. That there is not a single museum dedicated to empire, the historical episode with the most profound consequences for modern British identity, is nothing short of remarkable.

#colonialcrimes #britain #imperialist