The 56 members of the Commonwealth, which mainly brings together the United Kingdom and former colonies, agreed this Saturday, October 26, that “the time has come” to discuss the legacy of the “hateful” triangular trade. Enough to pave the way for reparations for slavery.
At the end of a stormy summit that ended on Saturday in Samoa, Commonwealth countries took note of calls for “restorative justice” for the “hateful” transatlantic slave trade and agreed that “the time has come for a useful, sincere and respectful conversation” on the subject, according to a press release that AFP was able to consult.
Many African, Caribbean and Pacific nations want Britain and other European powers to pay financial compensation for slavery or at least make political amends.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has so far publicly rejected demands for reparations and his advisers have ruled out an apology at the summit.
“Face the past honestly”
On Friday, Bahamas Prime Minister Philip Davis told AFP it was time for the Commonwealth to seek “justice” for the brutal period of slavery suffered by many countries in the group.
“Our history is deeply intertwined, which implies the responsibility of facing the past honestly,” he said.
The Commonwealth was originally made up of former British colonies, but later expanded with countries such as Togo and Gabon, former French colonies. An apology has been made to the British royal family, which profited from the slave trade for centuries.
But the monarch refrained from doing so on Friday, calling on summit participants to “reject the language of division.” “None of us can change the past, but we can commit, with all our hearts, to learning from it and finding creative ways to correct the inequalities that persist,” King Charles said.
Joshua Setipa of Lesotho, one of three candidates for the post of Commonwealth secretary-general, told AFP that reparations could include alternative forms of payment, such as funding the fight against climate change.
Following the summit, the Commonwealth announced the appointment of Ghanaian Foreign Minister Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey as Secretary-General.
A former lawmaker, she led Ghana’s diplomacy for the past seven years, during her country’s two-year term on the United Nations Security Council, which ended in December 2023. She supported the development of a free trade agreement between Commonwealth member states and stated that he was in favor of historic reparations.
Source: BFM TV
