Should we always keep traditions? Rule, Britannia has been played at the Last Night of the Proms for years. But is it time for a change?
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'Swap Rule Britannia for British folk music!'
Should we always keep traditions? Rule, Britannia has been played at the Last Night of the Proms for years. But is it time for a change?
X
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What's happening?
Some people are upset because the BBCThe British Broadcasting Corporation is the UK's national broadcaster. wants to change songs at a big music event called the Last Night of the PromsAn eight-week season of daily orchestral concerts held in London every summer. .
A musician named Sheku Kanneh-Mason wants to stop playing songs like Rule, Britannia at the event. He says it makes people feel "uncomfortable" because it has connections to terrible things that happened in history, such as colonialismThis refers not only to the material realities of colonial rule, but also to the mindset of the colonising powers and their ways of justifying empire. Most Europeans believed that empire was a moral good, because it imparted 'civilisation' to 'primitive' cultures and so helped them to develop.. The song's chorus goes: "Rule, Britannia! Britannia, rule the waves! Britains never, never, never shall be slavesPeople who are forced to work without being paid. !"
TraditionsA way of doing something or a set of ideas that has been happening for many years. are things we do the same way for a long time. But what is considered traditional can change. Even the songs at the music event were decided in 1953, not so long ago.
Some people say traditions are good because they have been around a long time and bring people together. But others say societies change, and old traditions might not fit well now.
In 1789, during the French Revolution, people argued about old ways, like rich people not paying taxes. Some said traditions always have a reason, but others thought they might be unfair.
Find out more
The debate about traditions has been going on for a long time!
Should we always keep traditions?
Yes! Traditions are what bring us together as people from one country. They give us a sense of who we are as a country. It is important to keep them.
No! Times change and we change with the times. The songs we sing need to make sense with how Britons view the world today. And most traditions are not really that old anyway.
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Keywords
BBC - The British Broadcasting Corporation is the UK's national broadcaster.
Last Night of the Proms - An eight-week season of daily orchestral concerts held in London every summer.
Colonialism - This refers not only to the material realities of colonial rule, but also to the mindset of the colonising powers and their ways of justifying empire. Most Europeans believed that empire was a moral good, because it imparted 'civilisation' to 'primitive' cultures and so helped them to develop.
Slaves - People who are forced to work without being paid.
Traditions - A way of doing something or a set of ideas that has been happening for many years.
‘Swap Rule Britannia for British folk music!’
Maestro: Cellist Sheku Kanneh-Mason won the 2016 BBC Young Musician award. Glossary
BBC - The British Broadcasting Corporation is the UK's national broadcaster.
Last Night of the Proms - An eight-week season of daily orchestral concerts held in London every summer.
Colonialism - This refers not only to the material realities of colonial rule, but also to the mindset of the colonising powers and their ways of justifying empire. Most Europeans believed that empire was a moral good, because it imparted 'civilisation' to 'primitive' cultures and so helped them to develop.
Slaves - People who are forced to work without being paid.
Traditions - A way of doing something or a set of ideas that has been happening for many years.