“None of us can change the past, but we can commit to learning what it teaches us,” said King Charles of England at the Commonwealth leaders’ summit, during a speech at the which acknowledged “painful aspects” of British history without meeting the demand to speak directly about reparations for slavery.
Carlos was speaking in Samoa, a country in the Pacific Ocean, in front of the leaders of 56 nations gathered for the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (Chogm). At his first Commonwealth summit since coming to the throne, the king also paid tribute to his late mother, Queen Elizabeth, addressed the climate crisis and development challenges.
Some of the leaders present hoped that King Charles would use the speech to apologize for Britain’s colonial past and that this year the summit would commit to discussing the issue of restorative justice. Carlos seemed to acknowledge those concerns, but did not address the topic.
“Listening to people across the Commonwealth, I see that the most painful aspects of our past continue to resonate; That is why it is vital that we understand our history, so that in the future it can serve as a guide when making the right decisions,” he said. “Where inequalities exist, we must find the appropriate ways and language to address them,” he added. “As we look at the world and consider its many and deeply troubling challenges, let us choose in our Commonwealth family the language of community and respect, let us remake the language of disunity.”
Some African and Caribbean nations have called for Britain and other European powers to pay financial compensation for slavery. “The time has come for a real dialogue on how to address these historic wrongs,” Bahamas Prime Minister Philip Davis told the AFP news agency. In his opinion, having a debate about the past is a vital necessity: “Restorative justice is not an easy conversation, but it is important.”
“In our communities, the horrors of slavery have left a deep generational wound; “The fight for justice, and for restorative justice, has a long way to go,” he added.
Repair measures?
Pressured by Commonwealth leaders to engage in a “meaningful, truthful and respectful” conversation about the British past, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer appeared to open the door on Thursday to the possibility of non-economic reparations for the responsibility of his country in the transatlantic slave trade.
Starmer has ruled out paying financial reparations or asking for forgiveness for Britain’s role in the slave trade. But according to a Downing Street source, the Government could support other forms of restorative justice, such as restructuring financial institutions or debt relief. A mention of the issue of reparations in the final summit communiqué was also accepted as probable.
In response to Starmer’s decision to speak of “non-financial” reparations, the Prime Minister of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Ralph Gonsalves, stressed the importance of a restorative justice plan that would address the lasting psychological and socioeconomic impact that slavery had generated. .
Gonsalves, one of the founding leaders of the current reparations committee, argued that the British committed genocide and traumatized the indigenous population of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines as much as the enslaved Africans. They gave slaveholders millions to compensate them for abolition, he said, but those who had been enslaved and oppressed were given nothing. “They had nothing to start with or build on, no land, no money, no training, no education,” Gonsalves told the newspaper. Guardian. A harmful legacy of oppression and slavery that in his opinion continues to affect the nations of the Caribbean.
Outgoing Commonwealth Secretary-General Patricia Scotland also referred to the colonial legacy in the summit’s opening speech. “For 75 years, we have demonstrated an unparalleled ability to not see the painful history that brought us together and sit together as equals,” he said.
According to the Prime Minister of Bahamas, the request for reparations “does not consist only of financial compensation.” “This is about ensuring a comprehensive and honest approach to the legacy of slavery, recognizing the lasting impact of centuries of exploitation,” Davis said.
These reparations could include non-traditional payments, such as climate finance, said Joshua Setipa of the African country of Lesotho, who is competing with two other leaders for the post of secretary general of the commonwealth. “We can find a solution that begins to address some of the injustices of the past and places them in the current context,” he said.
In his speech on Friday, Charles also paid tribute to his mother and recalled Queen Elizabeth’s commitment to the Commonwealth: “She has helped shape my own life for as long as I can remember.”
The monarch addressed the challenges of development and the climate crisis. “Across the Commonwealth, lives, livelihoods and human rights are at risk, I can only offer my full support to act with unequivocal determination,” he said. “If we don’t, inequalities across the Commonwealth and beyond will only be exacerbated, risking fueling conflict and disunity.”
Translation by Francisco de Zárate.
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