The British Views of Colonialism and Its Celebration of Colonial Heroes

Colonialism in a country is understood to be horrific as foreign powers invade, conquer and occupy a nation. Some colonists commit crimes with impunity against the people. Despite the governing institutions dismantling and being replaced by the absolute rule of the colonizers, the majority of British people are still proud of colonialism and the entire British people. Given the rule of the majority, the Britain should not reassess its celebration of colonial heroes by taking down statues.

The majority of the British people view colonialism as a force that was good in the world. Anti-colonial sentiments are also ridiculous; thus the statues of the colonial heroes ought not to be brought down. The statues are a reminder to the people that a new program of colonization should be instigated in the less developed countries across the globe. The statues of the heroes of colonialism remind the people today of the horror of the colonial era and the changes that should be put in place (Robinson, 2007).

The British should not bow down to criticisms that are directed against colonialism, which require that the statues of the colonial heroes should be brought down. The criticisms are objectively harmful and are not beneficial. The illegitimate requirement to take down the statues tends to offend the sensibilities of contemporary society. If possible, colonialism should even be revived rather than the celebration of colonial heroes reassessed. The statues are a sign of the struggle to bring legitimacy to the land. In addition, there is nothing undeserved about the colonial tactics, which involved invading and dominating a people (Fox et al. 2012).

Re-assessing and taking down the statues of the colonial heroes is a symbol of destroying the beneficial colonial institutions. The statues remind the people of the existence of such institutions that they rely on for positive effect in the contemporary society. The Britain could hurt its citizens if the government attempts to destroy the institutions that have for a long time benefited the citizens. The criticisms that are against colonialism should not blame the British government for its entire wrong doings. The anti-colonial arguments ought to be based on what may occur if the government is not in operation. The celebration of colonialism should be maintained as many people were willing to tolerate the idea. The idea of taking down the statues is, therefore, incoherent and should be abandoned as nations depend on their neighboring partners to initiate development projects. Most of the developing countries are also incapable of self-government (McQuade, 2017).

The idea of reassessing the celebration of colonialism tends to be revolving around biased evaluation of facts. There is the need for the British people to take off their ideological blinders and examine colonialism from an empirical perspective. It cannot be denied that the colonists committed atrocities against the native populations. However, when the crimes against humanity are weighed against the improvement of the cost of living and better governance, there seems to be better business confidence when the people look back at the achievements that Britain has made. For instance, when women are involved in war and the promotion of peace, the statues of such citizens are significant in promoting the rule of law (Macdonald et al. 1988, p 56).

Re-assessing the celebration of colonialism in Britain and the statues of the colonial heroes being taken down paints colonialism with a picture of illegitimacy. It is noted that alien rule has in many occasions been legitimate in the history of the world. It was believed that the alien rule such as the British colonialism provided better governance than the indigenous alternative. However, the alien rule does not imply that anyone in the society can imply totalitarian rule over anyone else across the globe. The statues of the colonial heroes remind the people of the consequences of a totalitarian state in the contemporary society.

The colonial acts are made legitimate by the aftermath such as voluntary activities, which involved taking children to schools and hospitals. The taking down of statues would mean that there is a change about the ties of the colonists and the colonized nations. For instance, moving monuments away from town centers to certain locations would imply that the ties are no longer important. Even as time passes and the way that colonial history is envisioned changes, there is the need to maintain the celebration of the colonialism in Britain and to safeguard the statues of the colonial heroes (Prior, 2007).

Commemorating colonialism many years after the end of the empire and in a political and cultural environment where people do not recognize the benefits that were championed by the heroes poses a difficult task. However, the urge to celebrate the colonial heroes through their statues has not disappeared. It is, therefore, an assignment for Britain to commemorate its colonial heroes as it has been done across the globe. For example, a recent unveiling of the statue of Dedan Kimathi, a Mau Mau fighter in Kenya, who was charged for treason, took place in 2007. The man is still honored for sacrificing his life for the liberation of Kenya. The statue is known to inspire citizens to fight against oppression. Britain could set up museums to commemorate the colonial heroes rather than taking the statues down under unclear circumstances (Owuor et al. 2008, p 8).