Against the background of the "Life of Blacks Important" movement that originated in the United States; Colonial era statues in many major European cities have been subjected to sabotage, but countries - such as France, Italy, the United Kingdom, and Belgium - do not view their colonial past in the same negative way, and advance education curricula in an unrealistic way, while intellectuals attack critics of this era.
In the report published by the French newspaper "La Croix", the writers said: Sabine Cesso, Anne Lou Nair, Tristan de Bourbon and Laurent Larcher; The phenomenon of vandalism of statues of symbols of the colonial era and the renaming of streets, schools and squares bearing their names was renewed again following the death of George Floyd in the United States to also include former European colonial powers.
Although colonial acts are similar, the issue of colonialism is not presented in the same way in all European countries. In France and the United Kingdom, rage movements were met with counter-dissatisfaction, but not for the same reasons.
Colonial history in France
"This movement is unacceptable in form, it is incompatible with democracy. It is necessary to provide an explanation and explanation and not to carry out sabotage, because it is the best way to express loyalty to the cause of the victims of colonialism," said historian Jean-Noelle Janini, who summarized the position of many historians.
France accounts for the largest historical record of colonialism, and historians - such as Benjamin Stora and Pascal Blanchard - have worked over the past 30 years to renew and study it.
The report mentioned that France's colonial past falls within the educational curricula and books published from novels to comics to history books.
Janini asserts that "history does not stop renewing itself and renewing our knowledge increase, and does not stop deepening further in history."
A good example of this is the documentary "Decolonization", which was recently aired on "ART", in which one of its authors - Pierre Singarafilo - said in February, "We are not saying that the written story so far is wrong, but we are trying to complete it He added, "This ability to put yourself in the shoes of the other is what supports our scientific approach and what our society lacks."
Tough clarifications in the UK
The resistance of this movement in the United Kingdom to illustrate the colonial past is more acute.
Professor of public history David Olugosa notes that the gap between politicians and most British historians regarding the kingdom's colonial past has disappeared.
Michael Taylor, a specialist in the study of slavery, said that the official history in the United Kingdom "has been lying for decades" about everything related to slavery.
The La Croix report confirms that the allegation that Britain was the first country to abolish slavery is “ridiculous”, and the same applies to the idea of ending peaceful and consensual colonialism. This historian believes that the massacres left by India's independence conflict with these allegations, and the same applies to most of the former British African colonies, as is the case with the colonies of Asia.
John Wilson, professor at King's College College in London, believes that "the ruling establishment in Britain and the elite are involved in everything the empire did because it was involved in its administration. Thanks to these networks, the empire managed to survive and preserve its culture."
The same countries that claim today the empire's legacy are the countries that are fighting for the sovereignty of the nation-state and want to leave the European Union, according to what the French newspaper reports.
A page is turning in Belgium
Unlike Britain, Belgium appears to have begun to turn a page on its colonial history, and regrets "atrocities committed in the past," according to what King Philip said on the anniversary of the independence of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) on June 30.
In the aftermath of the "Blacks Life Is Important" movement, the Federal Parliament decided to form a "Truth and Reconciliation Commission", which aims to "reconcile" with the colonial past of the Belgian Congo and Rwanda-Burundi (Rwanda and Burundi).
The report stated that the debate should be open in a consensual style, but that it is based on a review of colonial history is the Foundation of the African Museum, a museum founded by King Leopold II, as well as the National Archives Foundation.
The two responsible bodies will prepare the list of experts assigned to present a preliminary report to Parliament next September on the tasks of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.
"The Museum of Africa cannot control this project, because it is one of the institutions that the Truth and Reconciliation Commission must investigate," the report quoted the artist, Laura Nsingyumfa, as saying.
Italy's weak point
Far from Belgium and France, the colonial past is generally ignored by public opinion and politicians in Italy.
When discussing this topic, only useful aspects are highlighted. According to Professor Mario de Jan Francesco, a specialist in international issues at the University of Sapienza in Rome, "Italian colonialism has nothing to do with French or British colonialism, as we have contributed greatly to the economic and cultural development of Ethiopia and Libya," he said.
"This heavy story is absent from the collective memory, and it does not form part of the school curriculum. However, the teachers encourage their students to read novels such as" the color line, "which evokes colonialism, according to the report of the newspaper La Croix, on the Italian-born writer Ajyaba Chigo. Italian for Somalia. "
"The vandalism that took place in Milan of the Andrew Montanelli on June 13 by student activists has raised questions that were buried about the colonial past," Chigo admits.