Michael Wood on… that Cecil Rhodes statue
"It certainly needs an explanatory plaque... but is that enough?" – Michael Wood gives his take on Oriel College, Oxford's controversial statue of the 19th-century imperialist
This article was first published in the March 2016 issue of BBC History Magazine
This is the tale of two places: High Street in Oxford and the Matobo Hills near Bulawayo. In Oxford the statue of the imperialist Cecil Rhodes at Oriel College became the focus of a vociferous campaign demanding its removal earlier this year. My old college, Oriel takes history very seriously. After “careful consideration” it finally decided that it should remain but said it would add “a clear historical context to explain why it is there”.
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