Commonwealth members debate slavery reparations

Apia. The 56 members of the Commonwealth, which brings together the United Kingdom and former colonies, agreed at the weekend that “the time has come” to discuss the legacy of the “hateful” triangular slave trade, opening the door to possible reparations for the slavery.

At the end of a tense summit that concluded 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 conversation useful, sincere and respectful” on the subject, according to a statement to which AFP had access.

Many nations in Africa, the Caribbean and the Pacific want the United Kingdom and other European powers to provide financial compensation for slavery or at least make political reparation.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has so far publicly rejected demands for reparations, and his aides have ruled out the possibility of offering an apology at the summit.

On Friday, the Prime Minister of the Bahamas, Philip Davis, told AFP that it was time for the Commonwealth to ask for “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The Commonwealth was originally made up of former British colonies, but was later expanded to include countries such as Togo and Gabon, former French colonies.

The British royal family, which profited from the slave trade for centuries, was asked to apologize.

However, the monarch refrained from doing so on Friday and asked 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,” declared King Charles III.