UK needs a museum of colonialism, says historian William Dalrymple

White Mughals author, speaking at the Jaipur literature festival, says it is ‘not a matter of being woke’ and children should learn about imperial history

Britain should set up a “museum of colonialism” where children will be able to learn about “the really terrible things that happened in our past”, the historian William Dalrymple has said.

Dalrymple, speaking in the final debate at the Jaipur literature festival (JLF) on whether statues in Britain of former imperial heroes who would now be seen as war criminals should be placed in a museum of colonialism, or stay where they are, said that while he “certainly wouldn’t want to see most of the nation’s statues torn down”, people “have to use discrimination”. The debate followed the toppling of the statue of the slaver Edward Colston in Bristol in June.

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