SNP ministers baulk at £5m cost for Scottish slavery museum
1 hr ago
NATIONAL MUSEUM OF SCOTLAND
By Andrew Learmonth
@andrewlearmonth
Journalist
1 Comment
National Museum of Scotland
National Museum of Scotland
The Scottish Government has baulked at the £5m cost for a new dedicated space to “tell the story of Scotland’s role in imperial trade, colonial conquest and historic slavery.”
Instead, they will commit to just £200,000 to “begin work addressing the recommendations” made in a 2022 report by the Empire, Slavery and Scotland’s Museums Steering Group, set up by ministers to examine how the country’s museums “can better represent the history of colonialism and slavery.”
Culture Minister Christina McKelvie blamed “budgetary pressures” but said the SNP administration would back all six of the proposals made by the group, established in the summer of 2020, at the height of the Black Lives Matter movement.
These include the establishment of a new organisation to lead this work, and Scotland’s museums being supported by the government to return “looted or unethically acquired items” to the communities they were taken from.
READ MORE: Scots museum to open with first major exhibition on the unicorn
The other proposals now adopted by the government include “museums ensuring anti-racism is embedded in their workplaces and public spaces”, and involving “the people of Scotland in shaping their work through co-production, to promote cultural democracy and participation for all.”
Museums will also be expected to commit to “research, interpret, and share the histories of Scotland’s links to empire, colonialism, and historic slavery” and “support efforts to promote and embed race equality and anti-racism in the curricula in a meaningful, effective, and sustainable way.”
Ms McKelvie said: “I am pleased to confirm the Scottish Government fully accepts all six recommendations, including the creation of a dedicated space to address Scotland’s role in empire, colonialism and historic slavery.
“While budgetary pressures mean we are not currently able to commit to the group’s suggestion of £5 million for this work, the Scottish Government has provided funding of £200,000 in 2023/24 to enable the steering group and Museums Galleries Scotland to begin work addressing the recommendations, including scoping out the format of a new organisation to progress the creation of a dedicated space and national guidance around the repatriation of objects from Scottish institutions.”
The minister said the government wanted “everyone to feel safe, welcome, and represented in our cultural spaces.”
It is not entirely clear what the support for returning looted goods will look like. Last year, The Herald revealed that the National Museum of Scotland nearly had to call off the high-profile repatriation of a totem pole to Canada after the Scottish Government reneged on a promise to cover costs.
READ MORE: National Museum and Scottish Government in row over Nisga’a pole cost
There was initially a “political willingness” from ministers to pay for the return of the Ni’isjoohl Memorial Pole to the Nisga’a Nation.
However, government officials flinched when they learned they would need to stump up £710,000. They suggested the museum should try crowdfunding instead.
The Herald: The delegation from the Nisga’a nation beside the 11-metre tall memorial pole during a visit to the
Jatin Haria, elected Chair of the Steering Group and Executive Director at the Coalition for Racial Equality and Rights said they understood that finances were tight but warned the government more money would be needed.
“The money that the Scottish Government has committed will be useful to kick start a long term process that will finally allow Scotland to properly tell its story of involvement in empire, slavery and colonialism in a coherent way.
“We can’t expect to resolve the racial inequalities that persist today without a better understanding of the history which brought us to this point.”
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This would be a very good thing, but money is tight just now. It’s typical of the museum to ask for a high sum that gets lessened through negotiation though.
Anything to actually teach Scots that they were slavers and massive parts of the empire is a good thing.
Unsurprising nationalists or the SNP are really that interested in telling this story though outside of platitudes.
Scotland is easily the worst place in the UK and possibly Europe for its colonialism denialism and denial of its history.
Half of the time they pretend they’re basically ireland and had no role in slavery or the empire at all while praising how nice some of the buildings in central Glasgow and the ‘merchant city’ are.
Its not surprising, but you know if they did give £5m theyd get criticised for it as well. Scotland desperately needs to show its role in slavery, often at the forefront and brutally. ‘Recovering Scotland’s Slavery Past The Caribbean Connection’ is a good read on the subject.
I mean, just write a book and use the £5m to solve problems that we have right now
I’m for the museum down the road seems a bit odd spending money on stuff like this when the country apppears to be going down the drain
I’m no bloody surprised! All this talk of budget short falls, underfunded schools, the NHS etc and you want to piss five millions pounds up the fucking wall on a museum display?! What sort of twisted priorities do you have when there are children literally starving?
Our taxes should be going towards helping the less privileged Scots, not so some ivory tower cunt can feel good about their pet history project. Go hold a fucking fundraiser.
The money would be better spent on social housing or a community centre than dredging up negativity about the past – Scotland needs to look forward not backwards.
A bargain at less than 3% the cost of a ferry
Someone, or presumably some charity or quango, are trying to make bank out of this. What could they possibly spend £5m on?
The Houthis have brought back the black slave trade in Yemen today. Maybe do something about that
This topic is important we should have a museum towards it.
However £5m is fucking mental.
Do poor black people in Scotland waiting months for a NHS checkup genuinely read this and “yes this is great news”?
It’s all available online isn’t it? Don’t see the need for an actual building.
I would like us to do this, but you know, when we have surplus money to spend on it and not thousands of people in poverty who the money could be used to help.
It’s a shame, because if this country had been ran correctly since the 2008 financial crash, we would probably have £5m sitting about to do something like this.
This is just to wind people up! What a time to talk about slavery, when people are broke and inflation is eating our savings. You had to mention the crimes of the past that benefited the elites in Westminster, they should absolutely pay for a slavery exhibition and museum by selling off all their stately homes and assets.
5 million? Build some houses or help fund the emergency services with it
It’s worth pointing out that the National Museum, to their credit, have already done a great deal of work relabelling collections and exhibits with detailed information about colonialism, racism and historical power imbalance.
19 comments
The Herald
SNP ministers baulk at £5m cost for Scottish slavery museum
1 hr ago
NATIONAL MUSEUM OF SCOTLAND
By Andrew Learmonth
@andrewlearmonth
Journalist
1 Comment
National Museum of Scotland
National Museum of Scotland
The Scottish Government has baulked at the £5m cost for a new dedicated space to “tell the story of Scotland’s role in imperial trade, colonial conquest and historic slavery.”
Instead, they will commit to just £200,000 to “begin work addressing the recommendations” made in a 2022 report by the Empire, Slavery and Scotland’s Museums Steering Group, set up by ministers to examine how the country’s museums “can better represent the history of colonialism and slavery.”
Culture Minister Christina McKelvie blamed “budgetary pressures” but said the SNP administration would back all six of the proposals made by the group, established in the summer of 2020, at the height of the Black Lives Matter movement.
These include the establishment of a new organisation to lead this work, and Scotland’s museums being supported by the government to return “looted or unethically acquired items” to the communities they were taken from.
READ MORE: Scots museum to open with first major exhibition on the unicorn
The other proposals now adopted by the government include “museums ensuring anti-racism is embedded in their workplaces and public spaces”, and involving “the people of Scotland in shaping their work through co-production, to promote cultural democracy and participation for all.”
Museums will also be expected to commit to “research, interpret, and share the histories of Scotland’s links to empire, colonialism, and historic slavery” and “support efforts to promote and embed race equality and anti-racism in the curricula in a meaningful, effective, and sustainable way.”
Ms McKelvie said: “I am pleased to confirm the Scottish Government fully accepts all six recommendations, including the creation of a dedicated space to address Scotland’s role in empire, colonialism and historic slavery.
“While budgetary pressures mean we are not currently able to commit to the group’s suggestion of £5 million for this work, the Scottish Government has provided funding of £200,000 in 2023/24 to enable the steering group and Museums Galleries Scotland to begin work addressing the recommendations, including scoping out the format of a new organisation to progress the creation of a dedicated space and national guidance around the repatriation of objects from Scottish institutions.”
The minister said the government wanted “everyone to feel safe, welcome, and represented in our cultural spaces.”
It is not entirely clear what the support for returning looted goods will look like. Last year, The Herald revealed that the National Museum of Scotland nearly had to call off the high-profile repatriation of a totem pole to Canada after the Scottish Government reneged on a promise to cover costs.
READ MORE: National Museum and Scottish Government in row over Nisga’a pole cost
There was initially a “political willingness” from ministers to pay for the return of the Ni’isjoohl Memorial Pole to the Nisga’a Nation.
However, government officials flinched when they learned they would need to stump up £710,000. They suggested the museum should try crowdfunding instead.
The Herald: The delegation from the Nisga’a nation beside the 11-metre tall memorial pole during a visit to the
Jatin Haria, elected Chair of the Steering Group and Executive Director at the Coalition for Racial Equality and Rights said they understood that finances were tight but warned the government more money would be needed.
“The money that the Scottish Government has committed will be useful to kick start a long term process that will finally allow Scotland to properly tell its story of involvement in empire, slavery and colonialism in a coherent way.
“We can’t expect to resolve the racial inequalities that persist today without a better understanding of the history which brought us to this point.”
[removed]
This would be a very good thing, but money is tight just now. It’s typical of the museum to ask for a high sum that gets lessened through negotiation though.
Anything to actually teach Scots that they were slavers and massive parts of the empire is a good thing.
Unsurprising nationalists or the SNP are really that interested in telling this story though outside of platitudes.
Scotland is easily the worst place in the UK and possibly Europe for its colonialism denialism and denial of its history.
Half of the time they pretend they’re basically ireland and had no role in slavery or the empire at all while praising how nice some of the buildings in central Glasgow and the ‘merchant city’ are.
Its not surprising, but you know if they did give £5m theyd get criticised for it as well. Scotland desperately needs to show its role in slavery, often at the forefront and brutally. ‘Recovering Scotland’s Slavery Past The Caribbean Connection’ is a good read on the subject.
I mean, just write a book and use the £5m to solve problems that we have right now
I’m for the museum down the road seems a bit odd spending money on stuff like this when the country apppears to be going down the drain
I’m no bloody surprised! All this talk of budget short falls, underfunded schools, the NHS etc and you want to piss five millions pounds up the fucking wall on a museum display?! What sort of twisted priorities do you have when there are children literally starving?
Our taxes should be going towards helping the less privileged Scots, not so some ivory tower cunt can feel good about their pet history project. Go hold a fucking fundraiser.
The money would be better spent on social housing or a community centre than dredging up negativity about the past – Scotland needs to look forward not backwards.
A bargain at less than 3% the cost of a ferry
Someone, or presumably some charity or quango, are trying to make bank out of this. What could they possibly spend £5m on?
The Houthis have brought back the black slave trade in Yemen today. Maybe do something about that
This topic is important we should have a museum towards it.
However £5m is fucking mental.
Do poor black people in Scotland waiting months for a NHS checkup genuinely read this and “yes this is great news”?
It’s all available online isn’t it? Don’t see the need for an actual building.
I would like us to do this, but you know, when we have surplus money to spend on it and not thousands of people in poverty who the money could be used to help.
It’s a shame, because if this country had been ran correctly since the 2008 financial crash, we would probably have £5m sitting about to do something like this.
This is just to wind people up! What a time to talk about slavery, when people are broke and inflation is eating our savings. You had to mention the crimes of the past that benefited the elites in Westminster, they should absolutely pay for a slavery exhibition and museum by selling off all their stately homes and assets.
5 million? Build some houses or help fund the emergency services with it
It’s worth pointing out that the National Museum, to their credit, have already done a great deal of work relabelling collections and exhibits with detailed information about colonialism, racism and historical power imbalance.