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Zimbabwe: West fails to apologise for Slavery Posted: Thursday, April 5, 2007 By Sifelani Tsiko herald.co.zw April 05, 2007 EVENTS to mark the 200th anniversary of the day the British parliament passed a law banning the slave trade were held around the world with Africans at home and abroad bemoaning the absence of an explicit apology from the former slave-trading nations. There was no commitment by British prime minister Tony Blair and churches, which profited from this inhuman and cruel trade to specific reparations aimed at compensating those who suffered from the trade. A commemorative service was held at Westminster Abbey to mark the 200th anniversary of the abolition of the slave trade. The Queen and Duke of Edinburgh, Blair and religious leaders were among 2 000 people who attended the service. The Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, described slavery as an offence to human dignity and freedom and "the greatest cause of grief to God's spirit". His church profited immensely from this cruel trade in humans. "We, who are the heirs of the slave-owning and slave-trading nations of the past, have to face the fact that our historic prosperity was built in large part on this atrocity," he said. "Those who are the heirs of the communities ravaged by the slave trade know very well that much of their present suffering and struggling is the result of centuries of abuse." But the Queen, Blair or the Church of England made no apology. Instead, the commemorative service was at best held to glorify William Wilberforce who was a prime mover of the abolition of slave trade motion which led to the enactment of an Act on March 25 1807. The Slave Trade Act of March 1807 never stopped slavery but prohibited British ships from transporting slaves. African scholars say Wilberforce was not the only person who helped end slavery. It is worth noting that Britain did not abolish slavery in its territories until 1833. Blacks like Olaudah Equiano, a former slave and thousands others who signed petitions, marched and lobbied against the Trans-Atlantic slave trade, were critical in the anti-slave trade movement. It was sad that the role of these people was downplayed and restricted to the fringes of this movement at the commemorative service. For the better part of the commemorations, Blair and the Queen only seized the event to glorify one of their own. They laid flowers on the memorial to William Wilberforce — who Europeans in their history text books say led the abolition movement — and then, of course to the Innocent Victims' Memorial, in honour of all those affected by slavery. Lady (Kate) Davson, the great great great granddaughter of William Wilberforce was also used strengthen the belief that the British cared and saved black people from this evil human trade system. She read a speech made by her ancestor to the House of Commons. Africans at home and abroad wanted Blair and the Queen to go a step further — make an official apology. Linda Ali, of the United Society for the Propagation of the Gospel said Blair who had expressed "deep sorrow and regret" at Britain's role in the slave trade must go a step further. "I don't see what is so very difficult about apologising for what is such a great crime against humanity," said Ms Ali. Even Lady Davson said she too thought Mr Blair should apologise. "Slavery is one of the largest pieces of our wounded history, our worldwide wounded history, and ... [has] to be confronted in order to get peace in our world." The British premier did not speak at the service. "It is hard to believe that what would now be a crime against humanity was legal at the time," Blair said in an opinion piece on Britain's role in the Trans-Atlantic slave trade before the commemorations. "Personally, I believe the bi-centenary offers us a chance not just to say how profoundly shameful the slave trade was — how we condemn its existence utterly and praise those who fought for its abolition — but also to express our deep sorrow that it ever happened, that it ever could have happened and to rejoice at the different and better times we live in today," Blair said. Even though Blair admitted that Britain is richer in every way — in business, politics, sport, the arts and science because of the part played by the African and Caribbean communities — he remained adamant and never apologised. Instead, he used the colourful language of racial equality and "the richness of our diversity" approach to tactically avoid the crucial apology which Africans at home and abroad so wanted. But the African spirit remained unbowed despite the refusal by Blair to make an official apology. According to media reports, people across the Caribbean bowed their heads for a moment of silence to mark the end of the Trans-Atlantic slave routes, which shaped the region's history. In Jamaica, islanders held symbolic funeral rites in Kingston Harbour for African slaves who died during the perilous ocean crossing. In the Dominica, the cries of African slaves being led to cell blocks pierced the air, as their lives were re-enacted. Participants walked in chains to Roseau's Baraccoon building, where slaves were held before being auctioned off to plantation owners in the former French and British colony, and which now houses the City Council. Media reports in Guyana say a tribute was held in the compound of parliament buildings where slaves were beaten and sometimes hanged. "We unite as a region and as a people, in a collective moment of reflection, as we remember one of the greatest tragedies in the history of humanity, which denied over 25 million Africans, for over 400 years, the basic human right of freedom, the right to self-actualisation and for so many, denial of even their basic right to life," said Ralph Gonsalves, prime minister of St Vincent and the Grenadines and chairman of the Caribbean Community. Dr John Sentamu, the second most senior cleric in the Church of England told the media that Britain was a country which once bought and sold slaves "as it did crops like onions or maize," and now had to make a formal apology. "A nation of this quality should have the sense of saying we are very sorry and we have to put the record straight," he said. At the anti-racism conference that was held three years ago in Durban, South Africa, participants agreed that the depredation of the systems of slavery and colonialism had a degrading and debilitating impact on those who are black. The African delegations in Durban noted with concern the lack of an explicit apology from the former slave-trading nations or any commitment to specific reparations aimed at compensating those who suffered from the trade. However, despite the criticism, the debates in Durban broke new ground in the decade-long campaign by African countries and representatives of the African Diaspora to gain international recognition for the injustices perpetrated against them in the era of the slave trade. The issue was not just one of righting a historical wrong, they argued, but also of addressing the lasting legacy of poverty and discrimination suffered over centuries by Africa and its descendants. In the early 1990s, the Organisation of African Unity, now the African Union officially embraced the idea of making claims for atonement, including specific reparations, for slavery and colonialism. While there was general agreement on having the slave trade declared a crime against humanity, not everyone felt that an explicit apology or financial reparations were worth pursuing at the conference. Others felt demanding money trivialised the impact of slavery. Not "every apology must be followed by monetary compensation ... We must not forget that monetary compensation, as it is being proposed, may further hurt the dignity of Africa," Nigerian president Olusegun Obasanjo said in the build up to Durban conference. In this renewed debate on slavery Africans must remain conscious of the historical injustices of the slave trade which critics say undeniably contributed to poverty, underdevelopment, marginalisation, social exclusion, economic disparities, instability and insecurity on the continent. They must also begrudgingly accept that even though Britain and other countries that benefited from slavery have refused make official apologies, the most important thing is to ensure that this shameful and uncomfortable chapter of history is not forgotten. Africans need a genuine apology not for monetary gain, but to help restore the dignity and humanity of those who suffered and still bear the scars of slavery. Email: zimbabwecrisis@yahoo.com Visit: Zimbabwe Watch |
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