King Charles of Britain issued a statement on Friday, encouraging the Commonwealth to confront its “painful” past, referencing the demands from African and Caribbean countries for reparations for Britain’s involvement in transatlantic slave trade. Representatives from 56 countries, predominantly former territories of the British empire, have gathered for the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) which kicked off in Samoa on Monday.
King Charles asserted at the summit, having heard the sentiments of Commonwealth people that the distressing elements of their shared history are still echoing today. He emphasised the necessity of understanding this history to inform future decisions.
The plea for Britain to provide reparations or other forms of remediation for its part in the transatlantic slavery has been an ongoing matter, and recently is gaining global traction, most notably within the Caribbean Community and African Union.
The proposal of reparations is met with controversy – detractors argue that contemporary nations shouldn’t be accountable for past actions, whilst supporters believe ramifications of slavery contribute directly to enduring racial inequality.
Prime Minister of Britain, Keir Starmer relayed on Monday that Britain is open to dialogues about this issue at the summit, though he excluded apologies for the nation’s historical involvement in the trade.
As per Frederick Mitchell, the Bahamas foreign minister, draft conclusions of the summit, slated to be public on Saturday, include prompts for reparations dialogues.
Observers note that from the 15th to the 19th century, a minimum of 12.5 million Africans were forcibly abducted by European traders and sold into a life of servitude and that survivors suffered deplorable conditions on American plantations.
Despite this traumatic past, Patricia Scotland, the Commonwealth secretary-general and a UK-based diplomat and lawyer originating from Dominica, told the summit, “we have shown a unique capacity to transcend the painful history that united us, and find common ground as equals for the past 75 years”.