The BBC is reportedly considering removing the patriotic songs Rule, Britannia and Land of Hope and Glory from the Last Night of the Proms due to concerns over their links to colonialism and slavery, according to an insider. The move comes amid the Black Lives Matter movement, with conductor Dalia Stasevska, who will lead the September 12 concert, said to believe that a ceremony without an audience is the perfect moment to bring change.
Stasevska, 35, is a supporter of Black Lives Matter, a source said. She will compile the programme alongside Proms director David Pickard and South African vocalist Golda Schultz. The annual Last Night concert at London's Royal Albert Hall will proceed without flag-waving crowds due to the coronavirus pandemic, with social distancing measures reducing the orchestra to about half its usual size.
Jan Younghusband, head of BBC music TV commissioning, confirmed that the content of the Last Night is still under review. She noted that it is unclear whether it is physically possible to perform Rule, Britannia given the reduced orchestra, and that some traditional tunes like Jerusalem are easier to perform. The BBC Proms have been described by an insider as the 'Black Lives Matter Proms', and the live performances will open with a piece by black British composer Hannah Kendall.
Critics have questioned the line 'Britons never, never, never shall be slaves' from Rule, Britannia, given the UK's involvement in the slave trade. BBC columnist Richard Morrison previously called for the songs to be scrapped, describing them as 'crudely jingoistic' and 'insensitive, bordering on incendiary' in the wake of the Black Lives Matter movement. He urged the BBC to transform the finale to reflect 21st-century attitudes rather than those of the Edwardian era.
