Britain’s King Charles faced calls on Friday to reflect on his country’s colonial past, as a summit of Commonwealth allies turned into a factual debate about the legacy of slavery and empire.
Leaders of the Commonwealth of 56 countries – comprised mostly of British ex-colonies – gathered for a summit in Samoa, hoping to prove that the bloc is still relevant.
But instead of uniting to tackle important issues like climate change, Charles III’s first summit as king has faded into history.
Many African, Caribbean and Pacific nations want Britain – and other European powers – to pay financial compensation for slavery, or at least make political reparations.
They want the summit to specifically discuss the topic of reparative justice – a debate that Britain’s cash-strapped government has tried to block.
Bahamas Prime Minister Philip Davis told AFP the debate about the past is important.
“It’s time to have a real conversation about how we address these historic wrongs,” he said.
“Restorative justice is not an easy conversation, but it is an important conversation,” Davis said.
“The horrors of slavery have left a deep, generational wound in our communities, and the fight for justice and reparative justice is far from over.”
The British royal family, which benefited from the slave trade for centuries, has also faced calls to apologise.
But the monarch told summit attendees shortly before Friday to “reject the language of division.”
“Listening to people across the Commonwealth made me understand how the most painful aspects of our past continue to resonate today,” she said.
“None of us can change the past. But we can commit wholeheartedly to learning its lessons and finding creative ways to address existing inequities.”
‘honesty and integrity’
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has publicly rejected calls for compensation, and allies have refused to apologize at the summit.
A draft summit calling for a debate on colonialism is the subject of heated negotiations.
A diplomatic source told AFP on condition of anonymity that developed countries were trying to water down the language in the final communique.
Davis stressed, “The call for reparations is not just about financial compensation; it is about recognizing the lasting impact of centuries of exploitation and ensuring that the legacy of slavery is addressed with honesty and integrity.” Let’s do.”
Lesotho’s Joshua Setipa – one of three candidates vying to become the Commonwealth’s next secretary-general – said reparations could include non-traditional forms of payment such as climate financing.
“We can find a solution that will begin to address some of the injustices of the past and put them in the context of what is happening around us today,” he told AFP ahead of the summit.
Kingsley Abbott, director of the Institute of Commonwealth Studies at the University of London, said the explicit inclusion of text on restorative justice is a “significant advance” for the Commonwealth.
“This shows that the door to meaningful dialogue is opening,” he told AFP.
The British monarch is wrapping up an 11-day tour of Australia and Samoa, both independent Commonwealth states – her first major trip abroad since her cancer diagnosis earlier this year.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
