History has been written, what's done is done. I believe our African brothers and sisters in the Caribbean and the wider world need to forgive the former colonists of the slavery endemic.
If we don't, then we are not really free, we are mentally in bondage. What I feel the UK and other countries can do is assist these countries/communities economically for past unpaid labour that enriched their economies
A Thomas
Georgetown, Guyana

Slavery apology debate is a fake debate. Why have we Blacks waited for so long before raising this issue? We cannot blame others while many Black people in the world are unable to come togehther. The winds of colonialism and imperialism are still blowing in a large number of Black countries. Why have we as Blacks from all over the world been doing so well? Will a Black man become someday the president of the United States of America, the Prime Minister of the UK or the Pope?
N Bellmondo
Port-au-Prince, Haiti

People say slavery was a long time ago and that the people responsible have all died.Yet European and American infa-structure would not have been on the level it now is without the slave trade. Europe & America should definitely be forced to rebuild the African infrastructure since they have raped Africa of people, natural resources and minerals.
P Temple
Leeds, England

I say Thank God for slavery or else I wouldn't be me, a proud black Caribbean person.
But then, I think a sincere apology is needed in order for complete restoration of both nations to take place.
A Simmons
St Vincent

Does one continue to blame others or could the trauma of what the slaves experienced not be celebrated as freedom that has been given to us all now? It’s not the colour of the skin, its what was in their hearts and that was in the MUSIC they produced for all of us now. Slavery was endemic to all nations not just the British. Look at the French and Dutch history history in the Caribbean.
CharlotteCamberwell, UK

The key question is why we as a people aren't doing so well after independence? There are many other peoples that have come to the Americas in recent years with nothing and made something of themselves. We have to look to why our leaders sell us down the river and why we don't look within our own homes. Knowledge = Power. Time to get off the reparation wagon and get with the program!
VaughnNew York, USA

The slave owners have been compensated for their loss of manpower on their plantations. The freed slaves did not even have a place to call their own after abolition. They were replaced by Indians. Was it a humanitarian move or an economic decision? Apology or not we cannot change the course of history.
Pablo
Toronto, Canada

Look at what we have lost: our name, our language, we don't even know what God to pray to. And in order for us to know these basic human rights we now have to pay millions of dollars to some so called learning institution to re-educate our selves. This is crazy. Yes, we need reparations but not in monetary form to pay for our re-education which was robbed from us, as we all know who that will go back to. We all need to be educated for free. Free! Let’s start there.
JAHB
South Plainfield, NJ, USA

There needs to be mass debriefing by British psychologists free of charge in the Caribbean islands. Slavery must have had negative implications on generations past and present. The other practical way of saying sorry is ensuring that Caribbean people have equal opportunities as British citizens. Just like colonialism left a lot of pain behind and loss of self-esteem in Africa, so did slavery. Due to these past atrocities, black people were made to feel inferior. As a result, this continues to linger.
P Ngunjiri
Kenya

An apology will only, in my opinion, force people to stop overlooking slavery and its effects on blacks even in today's society. There is no doubt that reparations are in order. Many have received theirs, such as the Indians and the Jews even though their trials were not nearly as lengthy.
S Pompey
Richmond, USA

I think that it is good that Britain has accepted their part in the slave trade, but an apology is not necessary. Tony Blair and his government had nothing to do with it. Our world has come a long way since the African Slave Trade. We as a Caribbean People should keep our history and culture alive, but accept where we came from and not hold any grudges against people who are long dead. The Caribbean has become such a beautiful place because of what the slave trade brought to us. If we continue to blame slavery and the "white man" for bringing us and keeping us down, we won't get anywhere. We as a coloured people, anywhere in the world, need to stop keeping ourselves down. Thank you Mr. Blair, but you didn't actually have to apologize.
L Camille
Ontario, Canada

I think some tangible investments into infrastructural and socio-economic development in the Caribbean is needed much more than an apology, genuine or not. The hundreds of billions of dollars accumulated by Europe and the USA on the backs of millions of black slaves should be used to assist the countries of descendants of slaves in the Caribbean. A project similar to the Marshall Plan after WW11 should have been implemented decades ago.
We are a resilient people and have come a long way, but a proper development plan with funding will work wonders. Individual reparation is a joke. Let's be realistic!
C Richards
Dominica

No apology is necessary, but there should be recognition, education and government action to improve race relations and equal rights in the UK.
As a people we the Caribbean people must stop feeling sorry for ourselves and move forward with pride, dignity and work together for our economic prosperity and future.
K George
Toronto,Canada

Just hand over the UK and the US to us because after what is owed including interest, 400+ years, to us as a race, no monies could pay for the sufferings our people still are still enduring in the Caribbean, USA, South America and Africa.
Sean
London, England

I don't need an apology. In fact I am grateful. We West-Indians should compare our fortunes with most Africans. We are better off.
I am grateful - and hopeful. Let's not overdo the self-victimization, it won’t yield anything positive. Let's grasp the chances we are given by history.
G Clinton

If apologies are due for events long ago then I await the following: Britain's apology to China for the Opium wars, to Egypt for the Suez crisis, to Palestine for loss of their nationhood, to the French for evacuating their soldiers second in WW2, to Afro-Americans (North and Central that is) for slavery, to the Gaelic and Celtic tribes for their subjugation ...where does history end? It doesn't.
Robert G

Claims of reparations, payable to whom? To the descendants of all those who can be linked directly to a former slave? Please. What about all the rest of us, who through countless generations have forgotten what that link was? There are descendants of Atherly throughout the Caribbean, South America, Europe, the US, Canada, Australia, even Greenland. All black.
D Atherly

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So what do you think? Should Britain unequivocally apologise for its involvement in the slave trade? Are the descendants of slaves owed more than an apology?
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