Scotland, Slavery and Statues

Overview

The death of George Floyd in the US sent shockwaves across the world. The Black Lives Matter movement intensified. And Scotland was not getting off lightly. The epicentre of this was in Scotland’s capital city, Edinburgh. A 150-foot statue of Henry Dundas ignited a fiery debate in 2017 that continues to this day. Henry Dundas, a Scot, was one of the most influential 18th century Tory politicians who held powerful roles during the height of the British Empire. This BAFTA-winning documentary directed by Parisa Urquhart follows the deeply personal debate over how Dundas should be acknowledged on the monument. Scotland’s first black professor Sir Geoff Palmer argues that Dundas deliberately delayed the abolition of the slave trade. Whereas, Dundas’ direct descendent aristocrat Bobby Dundas, argues that his ancestor was an abolitionist.