Rule Britannia! won't be ditched from Last Night of The Proms over slavery lyrics and nationalism concerns
dailyrecord.co.ukBBC has said. The confirmation comes after The Sunday Times said organisers feared a backlash because of the perceived association the British anthems have with colonialism and slavery.In light of the British involvement with the slave trade, some lyrics to Rule Britannia, a poem by a Scot, James Thomson, set to music by English composer Thomas Arne in 1740, have been deemed problematic, such as: "Britons never, never, never shall be slaves."Lyrics to Edward Elgar's Land of Hope and Glory, written by Arthur Benson, are said to have been inspired by controversial colonialist Cecil Rhodes, who made a fortune in southern Africa in the 19th century.Last month, columnist Richard Morrison wrote in BBC Music Magazine the "crudely jingoistic" Rule.
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