Actor Alan Cumming has become the latest high profile figure to return a British honor in protest at what he calls the ‘toxicity of empire’.
Returning the Award
Cumming announced on his Twitter account that he was returning his 2009 Order of the British Empire (OBE) award he received for services to film and charity in Scotland.
He said: “I’m returning my OBE in protest against Britain’s history of colonialism and imperialism. The toxicity of empire and its long-lasting deep cultural and psychological impact must be recognised with honour and respect to begin healing.”
History of Returns
The Oscar-winning actor follows in the footsteps of dozens of other prominent figures – including writer Roald Dahl, rock singer John Lennon, and writer Kurt Vonnegu – who have returned awards in protest over the years.
Cumming’s protest follows a resurgence of the Black Lives Matter movement, which is calling on the British government to fund reparations to make up for its history of colonialism.
Cancel Culture
For Cumming, the gesture is also a protest against the ‘cancel culture’ which is gaining momentum in the UK, where “people are no longer able to recognize the difference between a wrong done by a person or organization and a wrong done by an entire group of people”.
He added: “The OBE is an honour in a system of honours that ‘honours’ a regressive and harmful system itself. It perpetuates an image of Britain that is no longer true–if it ever was–and that damages the very values of inclusion, empathy and respect that make Britain great today.”
A Way Forward
Cumming’s protest is a radical way to send a powerful message to the British government. He has offered action, rather than words, in response to the harm caused by colonialism.
It remains to be seen whether his action will result in meaningful change, but this move is certainly a step in the right direction.
Conclusion
In returning his OBE, Alan Cumming has boldly taken a stand against Britain’s colonial legacy. His protest is a testament to the idea that true justice requires action, not just words. Actor and activist Alan Cumming has returned an honor conferred on him by the British government in protest of the “toxicity of empire”.
Cumming, who was born in Aberfeldy, Scotland, announced on Wednesday (June 10) that he had decided to return the Order of the British Empire honor, which he was granted in 2009.
In a statement posted on his website, Cumming said: “The toxic connection between the horrors of the Empire and the honours system is something that I believe needs to be addressed and I am glad to be joining those leading the fight for equality and social justice.”
He went on to criticize the decision to strip Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi of her honor, which she received in 2012, saying: “It appears to me that the vilification of Suu Kyi relies on an oversimplification of a very complex humanitarian disaster, which is being used to club the Burmese into accepting a Western-imposed solution with little thought for the cultural, political, and historical differences that influence their society.”
Cumming is not the first to criticize the honors system in the UK. In 2018, a report by The Equality and Human Rights Commission found that more than half of the acts of discrimination it reviewed since 1999 went unpunished by the government.
The report concluded that the system “degrades and discriminates against people and groups, in particular those from a black, south Asian, and other minority ethnic backgrounds”.
Cumming’s announcement follows a similar move last year by actor Mark Rylance, who returned his honor, saying he wanted to “declare what I is wrong with this honours system”.
It marks a growing awareness of the problems stemming from Britain’s colonial past and a movement to bear witness to its repercussions. In a society rooted in institutional racism, returning a government honor is just one way of making a statement.