Our colonial history and us

Polarising history: Red paint was splashed on the statue of Captain Francis Light at Fort Cornwallis in Penang early this month.

OVER the recent months, the world has been struggling with what to do with icons, names and symbols of our history – from the slave trade legacy to the global colonial heritages.

Inevitably, the global discussion has reached our shores too – in an accumulation of various influences from the #BlackLivesMatter campaign, global anti-racism protests to the widespread call to decolonise education and public spaces.