Bristol Museum in UK unveils exhibition featuring controversial slave trader statue

By Aysu Bicer

LONDON (AA) - Bristol's M Shed Museum has inaugurated an exhibition centered around the toppled statue of Edward Colston, a notorious transatlantic slave trader.

The monument, which sparked international debate after being pulled down during an anti-racism protest in 2020, takes center stage in a permanent display, reflecting Bristol's complex history.

Following a survey of 14,000 Bristolians, a staggering 80% of respondents supported the statue's relocation to a museum setting.

Helen McConnell Simpson, the exhibition's curator, told BBC: "I hope people are interested to see this really important part of Bristol's history."

"We're really pleased to be able to share [the exhibition] with the public," she said. "I'm hoping that people are interested in the different perspectives that we've tried to include in the display and that people are able to reflect on their own memories of the day that the statue was toppled."

Colston’s stature was brought down in June 2020 before it was thrown into the water near Bristol Harbor.

Colston worked at a slave company that transported thousands of African slaves.

He was a native of Bristol and an active philanthropist in his home city.

Several roads, schools and other landmarks are named after him due to his charitable contributions.