#UKSlaveTrade Day One

Transatlantic Slave Trade Study Abroad Day One

Alert! Alert! Alert! Everyone should know this story we were just informed of. Everyone sat in awe at the news we had heard.

No one stood up? No one left with the man? Okay well maybe one black reporter left with him, but everyone else made the man question his own sanity by simply staring.

Start watching at 1:54 and continue listening to what Toyin Agbetu says in protest during the ceremony. He does seem to be passionate about his words.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L9h_VVqIatY

How outrageous the 2007 ceremony in Westminster Abbey seemed being presented via YouTube video by a SOAS grad student to us students of Spring Break 2016. Nine years after the event occurred. We were all still pondering why no one stood up with Toyin Agbetu? He was demanding an apology from Britain for their involvement in the slave trade. Also why has no apology been given since in the past nine years?

I keep thinking wouldn’t it be extremely simple for the Queen to make a statement saying, “We are sorry for our past involvement in the slave trade.” Of course they are not proud of their involvement. Also yes they want to be positive and celebrate their role in abolition, but it does not seem like it would be difficult to admit to wrong doing too.

After discussion and more thinking I realized it might not be so simple. There are many possible factors that could play a role in why no apology has been stated. Possibly to protect the British image or maybe it’s money.

Britain might not want to admit wrong doing because they may feel it will effect their image in history. It may make people more suspicious of Britain’s actions. No one wants to admit they are the bad guy. That may be why they do not apologize. To apologize you must admit to wrong doing. 

Money comes into play when thinking about the apology. Already families have sued asking for retribution back from Britain because of the wrongdoing directed towards them in the past. With an apology they are admitting to their wrong doing, and then maybe they would also have to pay a certain amount of money back to the families with slaves in their lineage.