A Supplication

For the Warriors of Decolonization

A great many of our problems, including climate change incidentally, stem directly and indirectly from colonization of the global south by the great European empires between the sixteenth and nineteenth centuries.

There is only one thing wrong with that statement. Colonialism did not end in the year 1900. Indeed it continues today, albeit in a slightly different guise. Its impacts are now undeniably damaging. There is growing consensus that it must be dismantled if we're to create a fairer and more just world.

Dismantling colonialism rolls off the tongue. But it's no easy matter to fix a pathological condition that infects the mind from birth. At a minimum it requires that we understand, accept and confront historical 'truths' as false narratives in their contemporary context.

I was cruelly reminded of this recently as the British Museum prepares to hand back so many artefacts in its collection to the lands from which they were stolen. It is also personal to me. I was held to account in my youth when a piece of music I had written was considered to have 'borrowed' elements from various indigenous sources, for which I had not asked nor obtained permission. The fact that the use of 'ready-made' materials has been a run-of-the-mill practice in the arts, at least since Marcel Duchamp submitted a porcelain urinal for an exhibition in New York, did not sway my critics.

Both events point to the fine line that often exists between the 'truth' and the truth about 'the truth'. As we face the reality of how colonization has had such stark and far-reaching impacts on different cultures and societies we must muster extraordinary courage to embark on a process that invariably challenges our very deepest sense of identity and cultural belonging.

Again, let's take the British empire for example. This had its origins in the the East India Company, which then had an amplifying influence on the merchant classes in Britain. This company was initially created in 1600 to serve as a trading body for English merchants, specifically to participate in the East Indian spice trade. It later added such items as cotton, silk, indigo, saltpeter, tea, and opium to its wares and took part in the slave trade.

It also played a central and devastating role in colonial history, particularly in India. Through monopolistic trade practices, the company exploited local resources and labour to maximize profits, manipulating trade terms to benefit British interests at the expense of local economies. This wealth extraction, imposititon of heavy taxes, and exploitation of agricultural products, led to widespread poverty and fiscal instability.

Gradually, the company extended its control over vast territories through military force, trade alliances, and political manipulation, establishing a colonial administration that governed large parts of India. The company's policy of 'divide and rule' pitted local rulers against each other, ensuring British dominance.

Culturally, the East India Company's rule disrupted many local traditions and social structures. Traditional systems of governance, education, and community organization were often undermined or replaced with British models. The imposition of English as the language of administration and education marginalized local languages and cultural practices. Environmentally, the company's focus on cash crops like indigo, tea, and opium led to significant ecological degradation. These policies disturbed traditional farming practices, causing soil erosion, loss of biodiversity, and other environmental issues, which prevail to this day.

Human rights abuses were rampant under the company's rule, including forced labour, punitive taxation, and brutal military campaigns to suppress resistance. Famines, such as the Bengal Famine of 1770, were exacerbated by the company's exploitative economic policies, resulting in millions of deaths. The East India Company laid the groundwork for direct British colonial rule, which was formalized after the Indian Rebellion of 1857, marking the beginning of the British Raj.

The legacy of the company's rule continued to influence British colonial policies, shaping the trajectory of India's colonial and post-colonial history.

One facet of this predatory culture that continues to intrigue me is the British class system - its longevity and the spell it continues to cast on the British public. I went to school with lords and viscounts. They invariably gave me the impression of being improbably smart, yet fearful of being found out.

Recognizing the entanglement of hereditary titles and positions of power (like those that accompany being a baron or a lord) with colonial history, forces an overpowering reassessment of long accepted 'truths' and the benefits they confer on the aristocracy. Accepting these 'truths' in today's world-system necessitates individual peers dismantling this distinctiveness and the privileges it confers. This task can be emotionally daunting, particularly for those who occupy that rare milieu, enjoy flaunting their titles and wealth and are still responsible for sanctioning the system. It requires courage and resilience just to step into a decolonisation episteme, as it threatens both personal and collective distinctiveness.

Reconciliation and forgiveness are needed. But resolution follows the acknowledgment of these historical 'truths' as fabricated conveniences. This is why the reconstruction of the narratives and identities built on colonial foundations, a process demanding both tolerance and deep introspection, is so vital. Approaching this process with compassion and grace is crucial. Ridiculing or attacking those grappling with the deeper realizations of their family history and social upbringing merely replicates the oppressive dynamics of colonization, perpetuating cycles of domination and suffering.

Mind you, this is not a view commonly shared in many colonised countries who have little tolerance for the lateness of the hour, or sympathy with those who only now sincerely seek to understand. The recent trend of a few 'evangelical' decolonisers to draw the shutters on inclusion, questioning the ability of those who genuinely want to learn how they can help to eradicate colonialism yet excluding those who, through no fault of their own, embody the colonial mindset is, I suspect, counterproductive.

The journey is sufficiently arduous and fraught with emotional and systemic challenges. To erect barriers to keep people at bay and excluded from the conversation (because they might not be sufficiently able to set aside their own entrenched biases) does not aid progress in any shape or form. It is tantamount to holding auditions where every corporeal and cognitive characteristic is on display and up for judgement, when inviting the talent that may manifest from blind auditions could be more beneficial.

Addressing the legacies of colonization involves systemic changes that extend beyond individual identities. It necessitates re-evaluating and potentially dismantling institutions and power structures that sustain colonial ideologies. But we must do that together. Nobody can be left behind. We must also understand the intersectionality of issues like global heating, international aid programs, ingrained educational and healthcare inequities, and the extraction of all manner of resources with colonization, recognizing how they interconnect and amplify one another.

Open dialogue about colonization, while experiencing up close its more negative and multifarious impacts, is essential for fostering true understanding and wise collective action. Hosting and curating 'safe' spaces for marginalized voices to be heard encourages a holistic approach to dismantling colonization. With courage, compassion, inclusion and a commitment to the truth, we can hopefully begin to heal and co-design a future based on a foundation of mutually desired equity and justice.Top of FormBottom of Form