The massive diamond in the sceptre of the monarch is the Great Star of Africa, 530.2 carats . It was discovered in 1905 and ‘gifted’ to the British royal family by the then colonial powers.
Activists in South Africa are now demanding that it is returned. I absolutely agree with them. Amid all the pomp and ceremony of the recent funeral everyone turns a blind eye to the fact that many of the gems in the Crown Jewels were looted from Africa in one form or another under colonialism.
Africa is NOT poor. But it’s peoples are poor because it’s mineral wealth and massive riches have been torn out of it and shipped elsewhere by western countries.
The majority of the British press couldn’t give a toss about the colonialist legacy of Great Britain but it is crucially important that the issue is examined and reparations made.
Those glittering diamonds, emeralds and rubies so much admired and set in the crowns and gaudy trinkets of the rich were taken out the dirt of Africa and dipped in the blood of its people.
At the very least it’s time they were returned.
Do you agree ?
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Crown Jewels looted from Africa
Birdy1066 · 22/09/2022 13:03
LondonWolf · 23/09/2022 15:18
And immigrants had to deal with the wrath and racism of people already here questioning who let them in.
Immigrants had different challenges due to visible differences. Then they got accused of “taking jobs”. They put up with a lot of crap that simply wouldn’t have been there had there homelands not been stripped of its wealth.
Anecdote Alert! Some of the posts on this thread have reminded me of my friend whose parents were part of the Windrush Generation. I won't say where they came from as it might make them recognisable. Anyway, during a convo about this and other general stuff over wine, we vaguely talked about her and her family history. She said "it wasn't always easy no, but it was worth it, between us all - parents & four siblings - we did pretty ok out of coming over." Without going into too many details, they'd all bought their various council properties, under Right To Buy, small mortgages, paid off quickly, in London! That family is worth millions now albeit mostly tied up in property.
I only offer this as another point to the discussion. I thought it was brilliant.
woodhill · 23/09/2022 16:04
Yes I do but I think they were grateful to the UK
Palmfrond · 23/09/2022 16:20
@CurseOfBigness Ranjit Singh wielded absolute power very skilfully, he figured his sons would do the same, but they weren’t up to the task. His empire was weak after his death, and no longer provided the buffer between British territories and the Afghans, who you may or may not know were quite fond of invading (and, ooh! looting) India. And of course just on the other side of the Afghans, the Russians!
But anyway, this is just an illustration of how facile “demands” that British people pay some kind of wokish tithe for the acts of their former governments often fall apart because the people making the demands have not bothered to inform themselves of the particulars. And there’s a lot of particulars to go through.
CurseOfBigness · 23/09/2022 16:49
@Palmfrond Can I ask about your sources? Any books or literature that you’d recommend to learn more?
Palmfrond · 23/09/2022 16:57
Yes, William Dalrymple is a very enjoyable read, he’s written quite a few books on India & the Mughals, also an excellent one on Afghanistan that touches on the Sikh Empire iirc. and he’s also written one on the Koh i Nur which I haven’t read yet.
His work is very well researched and very readable.
CurseOfBigness · 23/09/2022 16:49
@Palmfrond Can I ask about your sources? Any books or literature that you’d recommend to learn more?
Palmfrond · 23/09/2022 16:57
Yes, William Dalrymple is a very enjoyable read, he’s written quite a few books on India & the Mughals, also an excellent one on Afghanistan that touches on the Sikh Empire iirc. and he’s also written one on the Koh i Nur which I haven’t read yet.
His work is very well researched and very readable.
CurseOfBigness · 23/09/2022 16:49
@Palmfrond Can I ask about your sources? Any books or literature that you’d recommend to learn more?
woodhill · 23/09/2022 10:27
You could argue that the some of the people from the Empire have benefited from colonialism themselves because of mass immigration to the UK.
Palmfrond · 23/09/2022 18:27
@CurseOfBigness
I really recommend the one about the disastrous British invasion of Afghanistan. It’s also particularly relevant to the history of the last 21 years.
The story of Dulip Singh is a personal tragedy, absolutely, and indicative of many ugly things about the British attitudes to India and Indians.
But the fact of his age at the time he signed the treaty, it’s very emotive and I don’t think particularly relevant to the outcome.
MangyInseam · 23/09/2022 18:09
It's more complicated even than that.
Many economic historians would argue that places like Britain in the general case derived lasting economic benefits from , in that case, being part of the Roman Empire. And that this tends to apply generally to empires which expand and bring more outlying regions into their economic sphere. Trade brings wealth and often technological innovation.
It's a way of thinking that's pretty directly contradictory to the viewpoint that various British colonies were necessarily wealthier before colonization because colonization by it's very nature strips wealth resources.
Academics who take the former view tend to keep quiet about it these days but it's not because they've all changed their minds.
woodhill · 23/09/2022 10:27
You could argue that the some of the people from the Empire have benefited from colonialism themselves because of mass immigration to the UK.
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