Enslavement’s devastating impact on Caribbean and African nations means that cross-diasporic solidarity has become central in addressing its legacy Don’t get The Long Wave delivered to your inbox? Sign up here Despite reports that the UK attempted to keep reparations off the formal agenda for the Commonwealth summit attended by King Charles and the UK prime minister, they are in the air. British Conservative party leader Kemi Badenoch is among those detractors who have argued that it is African nations who should apologise for the transatlantic slave trade. It may seem like a spectacular case of whataboutery (it is) but it also touches on an enduring tension in some Black communities surrounding African involvement in capturing and enslaving people. This week, I speak to two historians to sort fact from fiction. When discussing slavery, we should be “honest about the whole history”, Kemi Badenoch wrote in a recent post on X. Her statement comes after months of mounting pressure on Britain’s monarchy and politicians to formally apologise for its role in the transatlantic slave trade, and offer reparations to affected Caribbean nations. Badenoch continued: “If Caribbean countries are asking Britain for a formal apology for Britain’s role in the transatlantic slave trade, will they also be asking the same of the descendants of African kingdoms, rulers and merchants who captured, sold and profited from the trade?” Continue reading...
Kemi Badenoch says Africans should apologise for slavery. She should read a history book
Enslavement’s devastating impact on Caribbean and African nations means that cross-diasporic solidarity has become central in addressing its legacy Don’t get The Long Wave delivered to your inbox? Sign up here Despite reports that the UK attempted to keep reparations off the formal agenda for the Commonwealth summit attended by King Charles and the UK prime minister, they are in the air. British Conservative party leader Kemi Badenoch is among those detractors who have argued that it is African nations who should apologise for the transatlantic slave trade. It may seem like a spectacular case of whataboutery (it is) but it also touches on an enduring tension in some Black communities surrounding African involvement in capturing and enslaving people. This week, I speak to two historians to sort fact from fiction. When discussing slavery, we should be “honest about the whole history”, Kemi Badenoch wrote in a recent post on X. Her statement comes after months of mounting pressure on Britain’s monarchy and politicians to formally apologise for its role in the transatlantic slave trade, and offer reparations to affected Caribbean nations. Badenoch continued: “If Caribbean countries are asking Britain for a formal apology for Britain’s role in the transatlantic slave trade, will they also be asking the same of the descendants of African kingdoms, rulers and merchants who captured, sold and profited from the trade?” Continue reading...