BBc discusses Picton comments by huw edwards
THE BBC is “in discussions” with Huw Edwards after he wrote that he felt “uneasy” about a Cardiff museum removing a portrait of Sir Thomas Picton due to his links to slavery.
The presenter sparked a Twitter row over the removal of a portrait of the Welsh slave owner from the Faces of Wales gallery at National Museum WalesCardiff museum.
The 60 year old argued the removal was “censoring history”, but BBC bosses are reportedly concerned because of its rules on impartiality.
Picton had previously been celebrated as a Welsh war hero and was the highestranking officer to die at the Battle of Waterloo, but awareness has grown recently of his role in the slave trade.
The museum said the image – which labelled the slave owner a hero – was removed to ‘re-frame’ his legacy.
In response to the move, the BBC’s News at Ten host wrote on Twitter: “As a journalist I feel uneasy about this element of “censoring” history.
“Should not Picton remain on display as a reminder to Wales of an aspect of its past – no matter how disgraceful?”
His comments come as the BBC clamps down on impartiality, including in the way its news staff express their views on social media.
A spokeswoman for the BBC said on Friday: “We are discussing this with Huw.”
As governor of Trinidad in the 1790s and early 1800s, Picton was cruel in his treatment of Black enslaved people and even authorised the use of torture on local people, including a 14-year-old girl.
The growth of the Black Lives Matter movement in 2020 saw scrutiny of memorials celebrating Picton intensify, with Cardiff council ultimately voting to remove a marble statue of him from its Hall of Heroes at City Hall.
The decision to remove the portrait from the museum was made as part of Reframing Picton, which is a youth-led initiative involving Amgueddfa Cymru and community partner the Sub Sahara Advisory Panel (SSAP).
The project team has spent over a year examining the history and legacy of Picton and his place within the museum and how he has been traditionally remembered.
Trinidadian and Tobagonian multidisciplinary artist Gesiye and UK-based Laku Neg, a group of four members of Trinidadian heritage that promotes expressions of African diaspora knowledge through the arts, will produce two new artworks to reinterpret Picton’s legacy.
In response to the removal of the portrait, National Museum Wales/ Amgueddfa Cymru said: “Hi Huw – the portrait is being removed temporarily and will be back on display in the coming months. The redisplay will include more about Picton’s history – the good and the bad.”
The museum and Huw Edwards appeared to agree for the presenter to visit as he tweeted “Diolch/thank you @AmgueddfaCymru for the invitation to visit (gladly accepted) and a chance to discuss the best way of making sure Picton’s use of torture and slavery is not forgotten”.