Departing from his predecessors’ stances, the UK prime minister, Andy Burnham, surprised us all when he stated he was open to listening to calls for an apology for the UK’s role in centuries of transatlantic enslavement. King Charles is expected to speak with “unflinching honesty” and “sincere sorrow” about the UK’s role in the transatlantic slave trade at the Commonwealth heads of government meeting in Antigua and Barbuda today. Burnham was quick to add that financial reparations were off the table.
But he was in favour of discussions about debt restructuring – one of the key concerns of the Caribbean community (Caricom) and the African Union. The opposition, led by Kemi Badenoch, argued that apologies were a distraction. Beyond political bickering and point-scoring lies a deeper question.
Why does Britain struggle to fully understand its colonial past and to grapple with the negative impact of its legacies? One the one hand, the country celebrates its historical conquests as far back as the Battle of Hastings and applauds the wealth that derived from the products of colonisation, such as cotton. On the other, it refuses to accept that harm was caused to populations whose lands it forcefully occupied – and that the trafficking of African captives has changed how we think and what we assume about different racial groups to this day.
The king and the PM clearly understand that Caribbean countries, and the Commonwealth as a whole, are among Britain’s most important relationships. The group of 56 Commonwealth countries represents about a third of the world’s population with more than 2.7 billion people. Because of their historical links to Britain, these countries play an important role in the UK’s global influence and soft power.
Refusing to apologise and work together towards a reparatory justice plan is a diplomatic and political mistake. In the long run, it also has a knock-on effect on trading partnerships, as Burnham seems to acknowledge. The question of repair continues to be framed along the lines of financial compensation.
That framing fails to consider how the past is weighing on the present and future of British citizens. Repairing includes building a society that is honest about its traumas and ready to work towards reconciliation. In these times of recession, drawing on existing resources could help address points raised by Caricom and the African Union.
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