Blair

The Editor, Sir:

I have read with interest a number of letters and articles in response to British Prime Minister Tony Blair's apology for African slavery as practised in some of the former British colonies.

I have also noted where Xavier Newton-Bryant's auda-cious, though ill-advised and equally imbalanced letter has sparked much outrage in your columns and would like to contribute to this very important discussion.

To begin with, I believe the issue of (African) slavery, reparations/compensation as well as taking the requisite steps to ensure the effective ame-lioration of this egregious abuse of human rights is impatient of debate.

Avoid repeat

Simply put, as we approach the bicentenary of the abolition of the slave trade in the British West Indies, in 2007, it behoves us to highlight not only the need to raise the profile of the discussion, but to also take demonstrable and meaningful actions to ensure that we do not have a repeat of this stain in modern, written history.

It is especially worrying to know, then, that human traf-ficking - modern day slavery - exists today. What is even more disturbing is that as we approach the 200th anniversary of the abolition of slavery in this part of the world and in light of the apology made by the current British PM, that some of us seem unaware of the signifi-cance of this historic milestone.

As Gleaner columnist, Robert Buddan, pointed out in The Sunday Gleaner of December 10, the question of an apology for slavery also brings with it serious and, admittedly, difficult questions regarding the issue of reparations to address the damage done as a result.

The obvious point being that the process has, indeed, been started on account of this apology, we hope. However, there is clearly more which must follow on the heels of this newsworthy sound byte.

Complicity

Indeed, we are all aware that Africans were complicit in the acts of betrayal, sabotage and capture, which led to some of our foreparents being sold into slavery and perhaps as many being killed across the treacherous voyage across the Atlantic.

We are also well aware that Africa continues to reel from the aftershocks of this most devastating development in world history.

However, let us also not forget the role of some of the unfair economic and other policies pursued by the developed West, which have also consistently under-developed Africa in the present.

Tribal and regional in-fighting, conflicts, genocide, apartheid, political corruption, technological under-develop-ment, no education and widespread lack of employment opportunities are only some of the more obvious ones.

As Martin Luther King Jnr. pointed out, injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere!

It is in this context then that we are forced to acknowledge the urgent need for meaningful address of these considerations as well as to ensure that common sense is brought to bear on these clearly very emotive and deeply conflicting matters.

I applaud the debaters and writers accordingly, as I think that the obvious need for urgent attention to be paid to this very important issue cannot be doubted.

Mr. Newton-Bryant has, un-wittingly it appears, raised the tenor of the discussion in some way.

I am, etc,

AGOSTINHO PINNOCK

Kingston