Plaques, education and progress - Foysol Choudhury

Behind the grandeur of Edinburgh’s Melville Monument in St Andrew Square to Henry Dundas lies a sinister history in which Dundas was responsible for delaying the abolition of the Atlantic slave trade, leading to the enslavement of more than half a million Africans.

Edinburgh Council installed a plaque in 2021 to expose Dundas’ role in slavery and recognise those who suffered. This was a welcome step towards exposing, and redressing, Scotland’s historical role in slavery. However, the fight isn’t over.

Many don’t know the true history Scots played in slavery. Some ignore or deny this. Earlier this year, a descendent of Dundas submitted a planning application to remove the plaque. We cannot allow people to silence history. Doing so is insulting to those who suffered and would severely damage the trust of communities across Scotland who are affected by modern-day consequences, such as racism, of this past.

Plaques allow the public to educate themselves. A plaque was added in 2020 to John Hope’s monument, at St Andrew Square, to acknowledge his ties to the exploitation of slaves. These plaques set a precedent. We should not remove or ignore history but should expose it to tackle historical prejudices which cause hate, racism and discrimination. We should extend this principle into our schools, museums, historic environment and Parliament. Scotland wishes to hear the truth, not excuses. We cannot change our past, but we can change the effects for the better.