Cellist Sheku Kanneh-Mason has faced the wrath of social media this week after his appearance on Radio 4 Desert Island Discs. In her interview with show host Lauren Laverne, Kanneh-Mason said 'Rule, Britannia!' 'it makes people uncomfortable' and should not be sung on the Last Night of the Proms. The song has long been a topic of controversial debate, thanks to its associations with colonialism and slavery.
This is not the first time the song has been covered by mainstream media. In 2020, there was speculation in the press that the BBC would look to quietly remove 'Rule, Britannia!' of its Last Night programming, following the murder of George Floyd and the emergence of the Black Lives Matter movement. The BBC then said it would feature orchestral-only versions, in line with Covid-19 restrictions, but reports at the time suggested that the letter they were being abandoned due to their associations with slavery. However, The performance ended as planned.although with a small group of singers.
Kanneh-Mason was a soloist in the The last night of the proms last year, but in his Desert Island Discs interview revealed that he didn't stay to hear 'Rule, Britannia!' sung at the end of the concert.
'I don't think it should be included. I think maybe some people don't realize how uncomfortable a song like that can make a lot of people feel, even if it makes them uncomfortable. them "I feel good," he said in the interview. "I think in some ways this is a big misunderstanding."
The cellist believes that there is a lot folk music that could take its place. "There is so much wonderful British music - the richness of folk music in this country is astonishing," she said. 'I think it would be wonderful to take his place. "I think there are many things worth celebrating."
Kanneh-Mason's mother, Kadiatu, spoke out against the abuse her son was receiving online after the interview.
It's not the first time Also Kanneh-Mason has spoken out about the racist abuse his children have received simply for playing music in front of an audience. In 2023, Sheku's sister Isata Kanneh-Mason performed at the BBC Proms and was greeted by a racist social media post. Kadiatu Kanneh-Mason spoke to BBC Radio Nottingham after the event and said: "For someone to post that racist tweet was really painful." I think he knocked us all to the ground again. When something like this happens, it hurts you to the core.
