Settling Scores with the Old Conscience – End the Racist System of Modern-Day Slavery

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Settling Scores with the Old Conscience – End the Racist System of Modern-Day Slavery

BFM Presents Our Story Our Voice

(See "Opposing Disinformation on Enslavement and Abolition", WDIE, March 15, 2007)

One of the key messages presented by the government during the commemorative events held to mark the bicentenary of the passing of the Parliamentary Act to abolish the trans-Atlantic slave trade, has been how different society is today than it was in 1807. We should "rejoice at the different and better times we live in today", according to the Prime Minister, as if there were no legacy of the great crimes against humanity committed by the rich and their governments and no continuation of those crimes today.

For the government it is as if these different and better times almost began in 1807, or shortly thereafter, as if the slate had been wiped clean and the Abolition Act ended all the crimes committed by the rich and their governments and ushered in a rosy new dawn for humanity. But the fact is that the 1807 Act did not end the enslavement and trafficking of Africans. The conquest, oppression and exploitation of Africa, Asia and other parts of the world increased during the 19th century, leading to the time when British governments could boast that they ruled over an empire on which the sun never set, something which the present Prime Minister refers to as a "remarkable achievement". What is more this colonial exploitation underpinned and accompanied the exploitation and oppression of the majority of people in Britain too. Wage slavery, that more efficient system of exploitation preferred by the bourgeoisie in Britain, replaced the chattel slavery that had existed in the Caribbean and elsewhere but this has never been accompanied by mass rejoicing. The working people of Britain, as well as other countries were compelled to redouble their efforts, to attempt to throw of this yoke of the new slavery and the political system which maintained it. That system of representative democracy, with the addition of elections and an extended franchise, was increasingly presented as "democratic", indeed as the most democratic that all should aspire too, even though the people are excluded from the decision-making process. The system remained more or less as rotten, corrupt and undemocratic as it had been in 1807 and before, and the institutions and processes appropriate only to the rule of white men of property.

The racism that developed as a justification for the enslavement of the people of Africa, Asia and elsewhere was further developed during the two hundred years after 1807. Colonial conquest and rule were described and justified as the "civilising mission", or the "white man’s burden", which must be taken up in order to exercise a "dual mandate", to supervise and exploit the allegedly inferior peoples of the world and their resources. Indeed, modern-day slavery rests on the dehumanisation and extinguishing of Africans of that time, not to mention the aboriginal peoples that the colonialists wiped out in Australasia, North America and elsewhere, and the psychological violence and destruction to those remaining. The world and its history was presented to show that only the deeds of the colonial powers were worth recording, since nobody else had created or contributed anything of note to world civilisation. It was confidently announced that whole continents, particularly Africa, had no history, no cultures and no institutions of any significance. The British imperialists confidently asserted that the white men of property and their institutions were designed to rule the world and that the more of the world they ruled the more fortunate humanity would be.

The fact is that the arrogance, racism and hypocrisy of the 19th century imperialists is still alive and well and manifests itself in the policies and pronouncements of the government today. It is evident in the attempts to impose so-called "universal values" by military means throughout the world, by the attacks on those of Islamic faith, as well as in the government’s attempts to re-write history and shed crocodile tears during the current commemorative events. The government’s utter contempt for the peoples of Africa is openly expressed by its continuous interference in the political affairs of the African continent, the imposition of the values of neo-liberal globalisation, the forcing of governments to privatise their utilities, the utilisation of enslaving "aid", unequal trading agreements reminiscent of those enforced hundreds of years ago and a myriad of other means which have devastated the African continent and the majority of its inhabitants forced to survive on less than a dollar a day. It is difficult to see what there is here that is worth celebrating.

Two hundred years after the Act of 1807, something about which the government spreads the most blatant disinformation, it is only recently that Blair and co. have been forced to admit the trafficking of human flesh might constitute a crime against humanity, but one for which there should be no apology and no reparation. While in Britain itself, those of African and Caribbean descent, alongside other sections of the people, are still denied the recognition of their history and culture and as all the social indicators show more likely than other sections of the population to be excluded from school, harassed by the police, imprisoned and detained under the Mental Health Act. Here too it is difficult to find cause for celebration.

Rather, it must be recognised and demanded those who benefited so greatly from this crime against humanity, who built their empire and wealth on the bones of slavery, make reparations for such a crime. The movement for reparations is in essence the striving of the working class and oppressed peoples of the world to create a system built on the rejection of everything old and modern-day slavery stands for, the striving for a system without the exploitation of persons by persons in which the rights of all human beings and their collectives and nations are provided with a guarantee.

The demonstrations this week both inside and outside Westminster Abbey did more than just expose the hypocrisy of the British state, they pointed to the fact that it is the rich and their state which are the source of the crimes against humanity which have been perpetrated against the peoples of Britain and the world for many centuries. Not only that but it is those who have committed the most heinous of crimes who wish to present themselves as the greatest humanitarians, who wish to continue to prevent the people from fulfilling their historic mission. Amongst other things the demonstrators pointed to the fact 200 years after 1807, the economic and political system still serves the rich, while the people are denied the right to govern themselves and control their destiny.

Most importantly the demonstrators pointed out that rather than history being the preserve of the rich and powerful, the last few centuries have ushered in the epoch of the masses of the people not just in Britain but across the globe.

Facts show that it the end of the enslavement of Africans was brought about by the struggles of Africans themselves, as well as by millions of working people in Britain and other countries. In Britain, it was these struggles for the rights of all that produced the Chartists and other militant organisations of the working class in which those of African origin, as well as other minorities often played a leading role. The history of these struggles shows that it is the people who make and transform history, that "we are our own liberators" and that this holds true today as in the past. History shows that the people must oppose and discard the old conscience, everything connected with the oppression, racism and hypocrisy of the rich and find the means and mechanism to transform society so as to put an end to the crimes of the rich, so that society serves the people and their interests, and the people themselves become the decision-makers.

Reparations must be paid!

End the racist system of modern-day slavery!

Fight for a world in which all forms of slavery are abolished!

End the inhuman system of exploitation of persons by persons!

Defend the rights of all!

Our Story, Our Voice, Dir Owen Alik' Shahadah, UK 2007

Sunday 1 April 2007 3:00 pm Cinema 1

Our Story, Our Voice is an explosive, unapologetic and unflinching look into the new global crisis and its impact upon the oppressed world. In an age where multinational companies, states sponsor terrorism, democracy is imposed, and mono-culturalism functions as unwritten law, Our Story, Our Voice is an essential film of resistance. Cast includes: George Galloway, Dr. Hakim Adi, Ishmahil Blagrove,Jr and Desmond Tutu.

From the multi-award-winning producers of 500 Years Later, Our Story, Our Voice transforms what were once isolated whispers into unified, worldwide screams.

£8/£7 Concessions / £6 ICA Members

Dir Owen Alik' Shahadah, UK 2007, 78 mins, Cert PG

Book: http://purchase.tickets.com/

 

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Abolition

How BBC London and our audience marked the bicentenary

By Penny Wrout, BBC London Communities Editor
Passage of Time - Uncovering the Untold Histories of the Transatlantic Slave Trade, was a unique event organised by BBC London and The British Library. Here are the various elements which made up the day, including lectures, readings and music.

On March 24th 2007, BBC London ran an event for viewers and listeners called;

Passage of Time - Uncovering the Untold Histories of the Transatlantic Slave Trade. 

Nearly 200 people arrived at the British Library, which was co-hosting the event with us.  They came to hear lectures, readings, music and a debate. 

Over half of those who attended also took part in creating two paintings entitled Slavery and Freedom. 

The music and artwork were sponsored by Arts Council England's Roots initiative in conjunction with the BBC.

If you weren't able to attend, this is your chance to catch up on what happened on the day and to listen again to the lectures and readings.

The most successful campaigns are always conducted on a number of levels; political, intellectual, literary, or artistic, to name just some. 

The campaign to abolish the Transatlantic Slave Trade was no different.  We wanted to commemorate the many contributions made by campaigners by reflecting that variety. 

One way we achieved that was by celebrating the role of Ignatius Sancho, one of the black abolitionists who was active in 18th century London and who was also a man of culture and musical talent. 

Juwon Ogungbe a composer and singer who has worked for The South Bank Centre and Aldeburgh Festival among others, performed four of Sancho's songs.  He was accompanied by Scilla Stewart.

We also wanted to create something on the day, which in a small way would be a lasting reminder of the event and what it symbolised.  Mahogany, a leading group of multi-disciplinary artists who design and create large scale kinetic sculptures, enabled us to do that. 

Mahogany generally make carnival costumes and have contributed to world events including the Queen’s Golden Jubilee.  On this occasion though, we asked them to work with the public but against the clock, to produce two 3 metre long friezes by the end of the day.  One is entitled Slavery, the other Freedom. 

You can click on the video link to see Evadney Campbell's report showing how the pictures developed during the day as well as excerpts from Ignatius Sancho's songs.

Readings

Thomas Clarkson was one of the founder members of the Committee for the Abolition of the Slave Trade in 1787.  He was a young scholar when he first turned his attention to the cause, largely because he wanted to win an essay prize at Cambridge which had slavery as its subject. 

He won the prize and the essay changed his life because he was so convinced by the arguments he spent many years travelling to campaign against the trade.  The actors Patrick Robinson and Jan Lower read a passage from that winning essay, entitled An Essay on the Slavery and Commerce of the Human Species.   

Olaudah Equiano is the best-known of the former slaves who fought for the freedom of others.  His book 'The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano, or Gustavus Vassa, the African', was published in 1789, the very height of the campaign to abolish slavery. 

Patrick Robinson read an extract, taken from Chapter Two, describing the young Equiano’s entry into a slave ship.  Equiano's writing is notably more vivid and affecting than Clarkson's since he is drawing on his own experience. 

William Wilberforce first brought his Abolition Bill before Parliament in 1789, the same year that Equiano's book was published.  But powerful economic forces were at work and it wasn't until 1807 that MPs finally voted for abolition.  Nevertheless, that early Wilberforce speech, made a huge impact. 

In the eighteenth century, unlike today, there was no Official Record of speeches made to Parliament.  Instead, newspapers recorded their own versions, and in many cases altered what they had heard to serve their own political agenda.  Jan Lower read a passage from Wilberforce’s famous speech, as recorded by William Cobbet.

You can see the actors' performances by clicking on the relevant video files.  Patrick Robinson has numerous TV and film credits to his name and was recently in the Royal Shakespeare Company's acclaimed production of Much Ado About Nothing.  Jan Lower, is an actor who ten years ago left the theatre to set up ‘Elbow Productions', a specialist film company for museums and exhibitions.  He is currently working on a project for the International Slavery Museum in Liverpool.  

Lecture 1.  An Examination of the Wider Historical Context of the Abolition of the Transatlantic Slave Trade, by Dr Hakim Adi.

Dr Adi is Reader in the History of Africa and the African Diaspora at Middlesex University. He is a founder member of the Black and Asian Studies Association, which he currently chairs. He has written widely on the history of Pan-Africanism and is author of several books, including three history books for children.  You can read the full text of his lecture or click on the audio link to hear him deliver it.   Also, don't miss his separate article on our website about London's historic ties with the Slave Trade.

Lecture 2.   The Legacies of Slavery for Contemporary British People by Peter Herbert. 

Peter Herbert is a barrister and chair of the Society of Black Lawyers.  He is known as a campaigning human rights advocate whose interests span employment discrimination,  deaths in custody and child care law. He is currently a member of the Attorney General’s Race Advisory Committee, and has sat as an immigration judge since 1996.  You can hear Peter Herbert’s lecture by clicking the audio link. 

Debate: What Should the Legacy of this Anniversary be?

Both lecturers were joined on stage towards the end of the day by Esther Stanford and Joseph Harker. 

Esther has been at the forefront of the resurgent international African reparations movement in the UK and around the world. She is the UK Co-Vice Chair of the Pan African Reparations Coalition in Europe and legal advisor to the Black Quest for Justice Campaign. 

Joseph Harker is assistant comment editor at the Guardian Newspaper, where he is a regular columnist. He was a founder and Editor of Black Briton newspaper, and is a former Assistant Editor of the Voice Newspaper.

With BBC London's Dotun Adebayo in the chair, the four panellists discussed what they would like to see in perpetuity, following the bicentenary.  There were also numerous contributions from the floor.  You can hear the debate by clicking on the audio link. 

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The Maafa

SE1, Elephant and Castle. Free

The TRUTH COALITION presents the Premier screenings of the Ligali Production:

THE MAAFA

A film revealing the Truth about British slavery, African resistance and the 2007 bicentenary.
+ Panel discussion with film maker and contributors, performances, stalls and light refreshments

With the British Government promoting an inaccurate revisionist version of history for the bicentenary of the 1807 abolition of the Slave Trade Act, MANY ARE DETERMINED TO ENSURE THAT THE TRUTH PREVAILS IN 2007!!! With contributions from community activists, project workers, teachers, historians and the business community, this documentary confronts the myths of British Slavery, presents the true history of the Maafa (Afrikan Enslavement) & Afrikan Resistance, examines the politics of the British government’s bicentenary celebrations & highlights the work of the Afrikan Community in Britain.

For more info visit www.truth2007.org, phone 07868 707 932.

www.100bmol.org.uk

Saturday 31 March at 12pm (please arrive early to avoid disappointment)
Admission Free - donations welcome
Venue: London South Bank University, Castle Lecture Theatre, London Road Building, London Road, Elephant and Castle, SE1
Tube: Elephant and Castle

Phone: 07868 707 932

Dates

Saturday 31 March


** Be sure to check details with the organizers before you go.