Edinburgh council refuses to cover up golliwog image on school mural

The mural with the golliwog, painted in 1936 and featuring scenes from Alice in ­Wonderland, was restored in 2011. Photograph: Severin Carrell for the Guardian

An Edinburgh school that has a mural in its assembly hall featuring a large golliwog is to hold further anti-racism lessons after a girl protested about the “racist and offensive nature” of the picture.

Mary Rocha complained to the police, City of Edinburgh council and MSPs after spotting the picture on Friday morning as she visited Wardie major college whilst pondering of applying for a place there for her younger son.

Rocha stated she was astonished to discover that the mural with the golliwog, painted in 1936 and featuring scenes from Alice in Wonderland across nine panels, had been restored in 2011 with a £17,600 grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF).

The golliwog is sitting on an alcove ledge over the Alice in Wonderland figure in the mural’s central panel.

The mural and Wardie school’s distinctive architecture are properly recognized in academic circles. They are element of the international Decorated College project, which is studying artwork and college buildings with funding from the Arts and Humanities Study Council.

Professionals said they had been unclear as to why the image was ever integrated in the 1st location: it does not feature in Lewis Carroll’s story. They have speculated that it could have been extra to encourage Robertsons’ jam, which used to have a golliwog on its emblem.

The HLF admitted it was unlikely its personnel had inspected the mural given that the grant was a modest sum awarded beneath its fast-track funding scheme. An HLF spokeswoman said it would now speak to the school to discuss the controversy.

Edinburgh council refused to think about covering up the picture but mentioned it would now use added educating packs from Demonstrate Racism the Red Card at the school.

A spokeswoman insisted the council and college took diversity and anti-racism extremely significantly. She mentioned Wardie had a Unicef Rights Respecting Schools award.

She additional: “The mural is of each historical and artistic importance. Whilst we recognize the offensiveness of the image, it is in no way indicative of the attitudes of either the college or the council. Our equalities policies and approaches are robustly multicultural and anti-racist, selling diversity and great relationships amid pupils.”

Rocha mentioned she would find some other college for her son and she had spoken to police who had been searching into her complaint.

She mentioned the image ought to be removed or covered up. “It really is an inappropriate picture for a primary school gymnasium and assembly hall. It is one issue if it was a museum piece or an exhibition, the place you may well make clear what a swastika was or Ku Klux Klan outfit. It goes back to the American black sambo, the blacked-up face. It is offensive to me: I locate it racially offensive.”

Jeremy Howard, a co-ordinator of the Decorated School task, from the University of St Andrews, explained the golliwog had been talked about as element of the task. But he explained the school had to acknowledge that it raised important problems.

“This is historical past: if you start painting it out or get rid of it you’re deceiving individuals about what views have been prevalent in the 1930s.

“I feel as soon as children are currently being taught about problems of race, social problems and human rights, particularly as they get to main 6 or primary 7 [aged 10 to 12], that could certainly be the time to introduce it. It looks to me to be a excellent instrument for that, saying that in the previous the establishment didn’t even blink an eye at getting this right here, but we do now.”

Edinburgh council refuses to cover up golliwog image on school mural