Heritage is never simple.
It is the product of extraordinary human activity and powerful human emotion. This means by definition that there is never just one side to the coin.
I was born and raised in Austria but moved to the UK at the age of 21. I’m constantly surrounded by reminders of just how differently the events of, say, WWII are remembered. In the UK, a celebration of the righteous and selfless defeat of evil; in Austria, a matter of institutionalised shame and guilt. Neither side is wrong, but neither side tells the whole story, either.
And of course, some aspects of history are more controversial than others.
But while we rarely get to change history, it is important to remember that heritage does go with the times. Societies change, we gain new insights and our world views evolve and adapt. With that, our interpretation of the past changes, too. And although that may not change the facts, seeing those facts in new contexts and with 21st-century eyes changes how we feel about them.
Ignorance is not bliss
The recent demolition of the statue of Edward Colston in Bristol in the wake of the #blacklivesmatter protests is a powerful reminder of what happens when we ignore the changes of context.
Edward Colston made his fortune from the slave trade in the 18th Century. Together with many of his compatriots, he benefited richly from the exploitation and the suffering of others. But all this unpleasantness was happening far away from (and therefore virtually invisible to) British society. On top of that, Colston donated large sums to charitable causes in Bristol and London, so in his day, he was something of a celebrity. In fact, celebrating Colston’s memory became part of the civic ritual of Georgian Bristol, many practices continued up until very recently.
It’s safe to say he symbolised something entirely different to the slaves and their descendants.
To them, then and now, our cities are littered with the names and images of people who exploited their people – systematically, institutionally and for nothing other than greed. On paper, black people are as British as everyone else here (certainly more British than I am). And yet to them, Colston Tower, Colstondale, Colston Girls’ School and Colston Hall (as well as his obvious statue) are graphic reminders of their side of heritage, which they are often not invited to contribute to.
Heritage is a powerful focus for identity, but depending on where you stand, the same statue can either be a valued memorial or a slap in the face.
It is our responsibility as custodians of the past to acknowledge the other side of the coin. To invite others to add their identity, their stories and their interpretation to our interpretation of history.
This is not something we can leave to politicians.
It is our detailed knowledge and interest that allows us to understand that history is just history, open to interpretation. Yes, our side of heritage may feel more immediate to us. But we also know that our claim to it is no more or less valuable than those of others.
We have a duty to build a fuller, more inclusive heritage environment. To acknowledge different perspectives and historic wrongdoing but also to give future generations a chance to see the bigger picture.
If we fail to do this, if we ignore repeated calls from people who also have a justified say in the matter, we effectively use our heritage to continue to disenfranchise theirs. If we fail to make these issues human issues rather than political ones, we cannot be surprised if the other side demands our attention by taking things into their own hands.
The answer to controversial heritage is never to hide it, or to not speak about it until public memory has all but forgotten about it. Heritage has the power to be a galvanising force in the resolution of conflict, a focal point for learning, mutual understanding and reconciliation.
It’s not difficult to do.
All we need to do is sit down as humans with fellow humans, leave our egos at the door and start to talk. That’s not to say it will be easy. But we owe it to our future to build something they can remember as a positive step. Something that brought humanity closer together.