1 Month Before Reparations War (And We'll Be Engaged)

There are no museums recording the cultural experiences and African traditions of those forced into slavery.

The psychological trauma of slavery lingers on, the commission says: “For over 400 years Africans were classified in law as non-human, chattel, property and real estate. They were denied recognition as members of the human family by laws and practices derived from the parliaments and policies of Europe.

“This history has inflicted massive psychological damage upon African descendants, and is evident daily in social life. Only a reparatory dialogue can begin the process of healing and repair.”

Britain’s sense of guilt over its past role has recently been refreshed by a widely praised biography of the anti-slave campaigner William Wilberforce, written by William Hague while in opposition. Now Foreign Secretary, Hague revisited the theme last month in an article for the Evening Standard, praising the film 12 Years a Slave. He wrote: “It is shocking that our country once participated in the sale of human beings on a vast scale. British traders shipped more than 3 million men, women and children from Africa to slave markets in the Americas in the 17th and 18th centuries. Those who survived the cruel journey were condemned to a life of brutal servitude.”