London: A City of Immigrants

When I first arrived in London, what struck me most about the city was the diversity of its population, which has immigrated from around the world and many of its former colonies.  The diversity of London’s population was a central part of my experience in the city.  When riding the Tube, I witnessed the congested mix of businessmen in suits conversing next to school boys wearing uniforms alongside lost tourists trying to read the Underground map for their next stop.  The cuisine was a cultural mix as well.  My most memorable meal was at Baba G’s which was a restaurant that served American food using Indian spices.  This melting pot of cultures which defines London as an immigrant city is represented by the recently elected and first Muslim mayor of London, Sadiq Khan.  Despite immigrants making up such a large portion of the United Kingdom’s population, I was surprised not to see much information about them at London’s museums and monuments.

Baba G's

Baba G’s.

The legacy of England’s colonial past is displayed in a public square across from Westminster Abbey through statues, although in an interesting way.  The statues contain numerous international democrats from countries of England’s former empire such as Abraham Lincoln, Mahatma Gandhi and Nelson Mandela.  Though I believe this to be a genuine display of solidarity with other countries that support democracy – and I think its great because I have never seen in America public monuments devoted to foreign leaders – it is ironic because many of the people are from countries the British used to oppress, and the monuments do not recognize that reality.  There were many contrasting scenes, such as a statue I saw of King George V right across from an Indian restaurant, which is odd to me because he ruled over colonial India.  It is a scene that contrasts the remnants of England’s colonial past next to its current reality, which I think is pretty cool.

Abraham Lincoln

Abraham Lincoln statue across from Westminster Abbey.

At the Imperial War Museum (IWM), they paid a decent amount of attention to the role of former British colonies in World War I and World War II.  The IWM was truly one of the most impressive museums I have ever been to, and they did an amazing job collecting artifacts and displaying the information.  They have uniforms and decorations from the soldiers of all their colonial armies, but refer to them by their current country and ignore their past colonial status.  Countries like India are represented as Allies and not what they actually were, countries forced to fight in the war while simultaneously fighting against British colonial rule.  The IWM leaves out all information about immigrants’ experiences during World War II, which is a shame considering many immigrants fought for the United Kingdom and they are central part of their history.

Propaganda leaflets against Churchill distributed by Imperial Japan throughout ('Allied') India.

Propaganda leaflets against Churchill distributed throughout (“Allied”) India by Imperial Japanese soldiers.  Part of the Japanese effort to cause Indians to rebel against British colonial rule and disrupt the Allied war effort.

Although the diversity of London is visible throughout the city – from riding the Tube to the definition of their local cuisine – their public history does not accurately represent their long history as a city shaped by immigrants.

 

 

 

 

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