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There have been calls from some of Britain’s former colonies for
a reckoning over its role in the transatlantic slave trade,
including at the recent 27th Commonwealth Heads of Government
Meeting where leaders called for a “ meaningful, respectful and
truthful ” discussion of reparatory justice.
During a visit to Nigeria, Britain’s Foreign Secretary David
Lammy told the BBC that being a descendant of enslaved people
with his parents from Guyana, he recognizes that slavery was
“horrendous” and had left “scars.”
However, people want to think about the future and not to debate
about reparations, Lammy said.
“It’s not about the transfer of cash, particularly at a time of
a cost-of-living crisis around much of the globe, and certainly
in the U.K.,” he said.
Lammy said Britain is pursuing a new approach to relations with
African nations that will deliver on “respectful partnerships
that listen rather than tell, deliver long-term growth rather
than short-term solutions and build a freer, safer, more
prosperous continent.”
While a handful of nations have apologized for their role in
slavery, including the Netherlands, the U.K. — whose wealth was
built with the help of the transatlantic slave trade — has never
formally done so.
At the recent Commonwealth summit, King Charles III indirectly
acknowledged the calls for reparations but added the past could
not be changed. He instead urged leaders to find the “right
language” and an understanding of history “to guide us towards
making the right choices in future where inequality exists.”
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