Edinburgh council could repaint a controversial mural in a school assembly hall that features a golliwog following the worldwide Black Lives Matter protests.
The council refused to remove the image at Wardie primary school in the north of the city in 2013 after a parent complained to the police that it was racist and offensive. lt said the depiction was a historical artefact within a mural of significant artistic importance.
The artist placed the figure in the central panel of a large Alice in Wonderland mural in 1936, even though Lewis Carroll’s story makes no mention of a golliwog. The mural was restored intact in 2011 with a £17,600 grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund.
The city’s education convener, Ian Perry, and the vice-convener, Alison Dickie, said the council accepted its original position that keeping it would prompt critical discussion of racism and past attitudes should be revisited.
“Edinburgh has historical features, including the Wardie primary school mural, which hide or reveal the city’s involvement in the slave trade and other racist practices and attitudes,” they said.
“In the context of the Black Lives Matter movement, we will be reviewing this decision, listening to black and ethnic minority voices.
“We will work with the school community, young people, parents and staff – to critically examine the historical evidence around us, ensuring that black history and its role in our city are a core part of an inclusive curriculum. In this way, we will understand the wrongs of the past and dismantle their harmful and persistent legacy in present day racism and structural inequalities.”
Senior political figures said last week that the very low number of black and minority ethnic (BAME) teachers in Scottish schools was a cause of concern. The latest data shows only 2% of Scotland’s teachers are BAME. Edinburgh has 31 BAME teachers in its primary schools out of 1,607 teaching staff.
Prof Rowena Arshad, the co-director of the centre for education for racial equality in Scotland at Edinburgh University, said the Wardie mural was an anachronism and should be removed.
“If we want to talk about the golliwog in history, it belongs in the Museum of Childhood [in central Edinburgh], anti-racist teaching packs and television programmes, not a primary school,” she said.
The city is under pressure to remove or rename sites that honour people linked to slavery, particularly Henry Dundas, Lord Melville, who delayed the abolition of the UK’s slave trade. A plaque setting out his role is to be placed under his monument in central Edinburgh.
The golliwog is a fictional black character that dates back to the 19th century, when it appeared in children’s books. It was also used in the marketing of Robertson’s jam until the late 20th century, when the figure became increasingly controversial.
