An important debate with key questions, raised by a group of artists who have always had their heart and activism invested in this debate, since the late 1990s at least, from Bristol UK:
7 June 2021, posted on Twitter:
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Today marks the 1st anniversary of the #Colston statue finally being pulled down; a hugely symbolic action that resonated around the world.
History is now being written & set before our eyes, but before these accounts turn into authoritative records, there is a brief window of time to pose several important questions …
Why are the civic contests & campaigns that tried to remove the statue (& rename “Colston Hall”) & the institutional & political failures that protracted/frustrated those efforts both now being overlooked, undermined or glossed over?
What could Bristol and other cities potentially learn from those multiple institutional & political failures?
What role did individuals and organisations such as the Society of Merchant Venturers play in those repeated frustrations?
Is it right for private, opaque bodies to be exercising influence on the civic stage? How is this influence – then & now - reported or recorded for public interest & accountability?
If these suggestions prove to be correct, what role should this, or any institution with unethical policies be allowed to play in the civic decision making of a modern, progressive city?
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