Diary of a Shopkeeper, 12th July
Taban Lo Liyong
I came across some interesting words recently, attributed to the East African writer Taban Lo Liyong:
“History is the appraisal and reappraisal of past situations, people and their deeds in the light of contemporary experiences in order to guide our choices.”
There’s been controversy in recent weeks over statues of historical figures being taken down in response to the Black Lives Matter movement. Sometimes the statues have been removed by the owners of the buildings or spaces they were part of, reflecting a shift in public and institutional opinion. In at least one case, in Bristol, the statue of a slave trader was toppled, defaced, and thrown into the harbour.
What I haven’t seen mentioned anywhere is that the kind of reappraisal Liyong mentions can also lead to statues being erected. We have one example right on our own doorstep.
Having refused to bow down to the British establishment over the fate of the Franklin expedition, John Rae was vilified and discredited. At the time of his death in 1893, he was almost forgotten, and remained so for a century to all but a few enthusiasts. It was only when Ken McGoogan’s Fatal Passage was published in 2001 that the wider public – even in Orkney – became aware of Rae’s achievements.
That greater awareness led to a reappraisal of Rae and his deeds. To our contemporary eyes, he seems more like a hero than the villainous figure painted by Lady Franklin, Dickens and members of the naval and political establishment. Public support, and the generous funding of Alan Twatt, lead to the erection of Ian Scott’s statue at Stromness pierhead, in 2013.
That’s history in action! If only assessing present choices were as easy as deciding that John Rae was one of the good guys after all.
In different parts of the UK, shops, pubs and other businesses are reopening at different speeds and with different guidance as to how they can do so safely. Shopkeepers are struggling (I know from personal experience) to keep up to date with the latest guidance, and also how to interpret it for their own premises. Certain best practices – such as leaving doors open to allow air circulation – might be easy in the south of England, but given Orkney’s climate, may not always be easy to follow here.
And how about the public and the choices they have to make? Is it safe to go out? Do I have to wear a mask down the street or just in shops? I need to lip-read, how is that possible if everyone’s wearing a mask? Will I have to wait outside if a shop is “full” with three people in it? Are there toilets anywhere? I want to support local businesses, but online shopping is so convenient: how do I choose?
A hundred years from now, it will be easy to look back and see which ways of tackling the virus helped and which hindered. Future historians will be able to appraise national and local politicians, and the extent to which they supported their communities with imagination, decisiveness and money.
And eventually we’ll all know which safety measures – masks, screens, sanitiser, wipes, open doors, deep cleaning, or others not yet dreamt of – best help the essential partnership between Orcadians and Orcadian businesses.
For the moment, let’s just assume everyone in the community is doing their best in very difficult circumstances. It’s time to channel our inner John Rae, and consign any Lady Franklin tendencies to the dustbin of history.
This diary appeared in The Orcadian on 16th July. Other diaries will appear weekly. I am posting them in this blog a few days after each newspaper appearance, with added illustrations., and occasional small corrections or additions.