David Olusoga.
This article was originally published in 'Discover' magazine, issue 49, winter 2023.
Words: Leanne McGrath.
He has become the face of a growing movement in Britain to acknowledge and accept the injustices and atrocities committed throughout our history, and has helped to inspire countless conversations about empire, slavery, complicity, culpability and the airbrushing of the past.
For British-Nigerian Professor David Olusoga, history is not – and should not be claimed as – a "safe space" populated only by heroes who have fought off enemy threats and helped Britain grow in power and wealth.
Parts of the country's history are shameful and tragic and we should not shy away from confronting such facts if we are ever to learn not to repeat them, warns the eminent historian, writer, presenter and Bafta-winning filmmaker, who carried out research in the Library's archives for his latest BBC TV show, 'Union', which examines both the formation and the future of the United Kingdom.
"We have to ask ourselves what history is for," he explained. "Does it exist to make us feel good? If so, you would need to edit out the bits that aren't comfortable.
"Chapters of our past are shameful but aren't widely taught. Do people only want histories about great men and exceptionalism?
"It's been difficult for people who have been taught a certain history at school to cope with the fact historians and activists are saying, actually, there's another side – a less celebratory one."
Some of this less celebratory side was covered in Olusoga's ground-breaking book 'Black and British: A Forgotten History' and its accompanying TV show, which were comprehensive and unflinching examinations of parts of our collective past that have long been overlooked – or denied.
For 'Union', the University of Manchester professor has been delving deeper into the history of the UK's four nations, the role of each in the creation of the Union and in the British Empire, and what lies ahead.
His research included examining items in the Library's collections, including early designs for a Union Flag, items relating to the Darien scheme – including the Act of Parliament founding the Company of Scotland (1695), a ledger of subscribers and a letter from Captain Robert Drummond reporting on the colony – plus the film 'Make Way for Steel' from our Moving Image Archive, about the construction of Ravenscraig and Gartcosh steelworks.
"I'm trying to give the historical background and look to the future of this Union of four nations," Olusoga said. "The politics of the decisions facing all four nations often don't talk about the history.
"I'll be looking at the whole story, from the 1603 Union of Crowns to the present day, explaining how we got to where we are now. It's an amazing history – the UK is a strange country, a unique multi-nation state. It's a country that's not up on its nations' long history and the Union itself."
The series is ambitious – it will cover 400 years of history in four hour-long episodes.
"There are many aspects to this," said Olusoga. "But how do you tell stories that reflect all four nations?"
"A key document is the flag designs that were presented to James VI/I. The original designs are held at the Library. Audiences really want to see original documents. That piece of paper was held in the hand of KingJames – the legitimacy is the real power of the object. That drama comes across on TV.
"The unveiling of that document is important [to show]. This is not an image, this is an artefact, and that is something we really wanted to get across. These things are in our archives and libraries.
"My job is to think about what the audience feels and try to get across that the document tells an important story, it's tangible."
Olusoga pointed to the BBC's hit series 'Who Do You Think You Are?' – created by Scots TV producer, journalist and Library supporter Alex Graham – as proof of how viewers are fascinated by history, and as a great example of how historical documents can captivate and inform audiences when presented as part of a wider story.
"You tap into the drama," he explained. "You remind people what they are seeing isn't an image, it's a real artefact. That document has had a life, it's not always been in an archive."
Olusoga noted that "we're living in a moment when history is front-page news", amid debate over the future of the Union, the future of the monarchy and the acts and legacy of the British Empire.
"What's happening in England, the confrontation with its history, is really important," he added. "Where this moment is going is making a great number of people uncomfortable.
"I'm not sure there's much difference in the four nations and the ability to confront this history."
In Scotland, such "uncomfortable" conversations have included this country's role in the Empire, including involvement in plantation slavery and India. Olusoga noted that "we can never tell a story of the UK" without Scotland and its "deep involvement with the Empire and its role in the Empire".
"Glasgow was quite an important port," explained Olusoga, with slave-grown tobacco and sugar shipped in by the city's merchants from their plantations. Some 62 streets in the city remain named after people and places linked to the slave trade, including Buchanan Street and Glassford Street.
The Union of Parliaments gave Scotland access to the transatlantic slave trade and merchants began to settle in colonies. The Union also offered compensation, 'the Equivalent', following the catastrophic failure of the Darien scheme.
For 'Union', Olusoga also visited Panama to examine documents related to Darien, the disastrous attempt by Scottish merchants to set up a trading colony, New Caledonia, and further involve themselves in the transatlantic slave trade. Amid disease, poor planning and war with the Spanish, the scheme collapsed and cost Scotland a quarter of its capital, while 2,000 people died.
"We filmed in Panama to see documents there. They are remarkable documents. People were putting their faith in this venture."
Despite Darien's failure, by the 18th century, there were "a number of Scottish slave owners" and Scots working as overseers, the historical records show.
Olusoga's work on race, slavery and the Empire has led to criticism, notably by appearing in the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's documentary series for Netflix, and following his expert testimony helping to clear four protesters who toppled the statue of slave trader Edward Colston in Bristol in June 2020.
So what is his response to those critics attacking what they call his 'woke' history?
"I can't take people who use that word seriously. It's political theatre. A lot of the debate is disingenuous," he said.
"Monuments and statues are not history," he added.
"They're about memorialisation, exceptionalism. They say that this man is a great man. But a statue tells you almost nothing."
Given he challenges the often narrow, romanticised visions of Britain's past and his showcasing of the Empire's violent history – plus his own experiences of racism while growing up on a council estate in North-East England, the son of a white British mother and black Nigerian father, as described in 'Black and British' – did he feel any conflict about accepting an OBE (Order of the British Empire)?
"It was really difficult," he admitted. "Everyone who is not white is put in a dilemma. I had lots of reservations but I talked to other people who had been in the same position, like [campaigner] Baroness Doreen Lawrence [whose teenage son Stephen was killed in a racially motivated attack in London in 1993].
"But a lot of my work is trying to influence debates. So I'd be turning down something that gives you influence."
He also accepted because the contributions of non-white people have been under-represented and because, "I am still of British descent". But he added: "We need to update the names of our honours system. It's embarrassing that we name our national honours after an Empire that doesn't exist."
As well as his English and Nigerian roots, Olusoga found some Scottish ancestry.
"They were from Tranent," he said. "Millions of people will have family history across the borders for generations."
When it comes to Scotland's future in the Union, he believes this is something "the people of Scotland need to decide for themselves".
"It saddens me but I can see reasons why people would vote for independence," he said. "The Union has allowed a concentration of power on the four nations by England. The dominance of London is off the scale – very few countries have anything like this. The whole UK is affected by London's dominance. What would it take to convince people this is a Union [of equals]? I'd like to see a profound review of the Union in a desperate attempt to see if it can be saved.
"Our history is never as simple as we might imagine," he added. "We need to have more conversations about this nation."