On October 24, 2024, a Commonwealth ally meeting descended into a contentious discussion regarding the legacy of slavery and empire, prompting calls for Britain’s King Charles to deal with his nation’s colonial past.
At a meeting in Samoa, leaders from the 56-nation Commonwealth, which is primarily composed of former British colonies, sought to demonstrate the bloc’s continued relevance.
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But history has eclipsed Charles III’s first summit as monarch, rather than coming together to address urgent concerns like climate change.
The desire of many African, Caribbean, and Pacific countries is for Britain and other European powers to either make political atonement or provide monetary reparations for slavery.
In particular, they hope this summit would commit to a discussion on reparatory justice, a topic that Britain’s financially challenged government has attempted to obstruct.
According to Philip Davis, the prime minister of the Bahamas, discussing the past is essential.
“The time has come to have a real dialogue about how we address these historical wrongs,” he noted.
Davis continued, “Reparatory justice is not an easy conversation, but it’s an important one.”
“The horrors of slavery left a deep, generational wound in our communities, and the fight for justice and reparatory justice is far from over”.
There have also been requests for the British royal family to issue an apology for the centuries-long benefits they received from the slave trade.
However, the monarch asked summit participants to “reject the language of division” on the day of the gathering, falling well short of that.
“I understand, from listening to people across the Commonwealth, how the most painful aspects of our past continue to resonate,” he stated.
“None of us can change the past. But we can commit, with all our hearts, to learning its lessons and to finding creative ways to right inequalities that endure.”
While aides have ruled out an apology during the meeting, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer has openly rebuffed requests to make restitution.
A draft summit declaration that calls for discussion of colonialism is being negotiated with vigor.
Reporters were informed by a diplomatic source, who wished to remain anonymous, that developed nations were attempting to soften the wording of the final communiqué.
“The call for reparations isn’t simply about financial compensation; it’s about recognizing the enduring impact of centuries of exploitation and ensuring that the legacy of slavery is addressed with honesty and integrity,” Davis urged.
Reparations might involve unconventional payment methods like climate funding, according to Joshua Setipa of Lesotho, one of three contenders for the position of secretary-general of the Commonwealth.
Prior to the meeting, he told reporters, “We can find a solution that will begin to address some injustices of the past and put them in the context happening around us today.”
A “significant advancement” for the Commonwealth, according to Kingsley Abbott, head of the University of London’s Institute of Commonwealth Studies, the section on reparatory justice appears to have been included.
He stated to reporters “reveals the door to meaningful dialogue is opening”.
The British monarch’s first significant international journey since receiving a cancer diagnosis earlier this year is concluding after an 11-day visit to Australia and Samoa, both sovereign Commonwealth nations.
