London, Sugar & Slavery

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by Jeremy Lovell
LONDON, Nov 9 - The dark and often denied pivotal role England played in the 18th century transatlantic slave trade, and the legacy that leaves today, is laid bare in a new exhibition opening in London’s docklands tomorrow.

``London, Sugar & Slavery’’ charts the rise of the Triangular Trade when ships sailed from London to West Africa to load up with slaves and take them in deplorable conditions to the Caribbean to work on sugar plantations.

There the slaves were disgorged to work under whip and chain on the British-owned plantations ,and their places taken by sugar cargoes destined for the booming British market – few got out, many died and some were brought to England as domestic serfs.

``This is not black history. This is our history,’’ said curator Tom Wareham on a tour of the exhibition at the Museum in Docklands, a former warehouse in West India Quay from where many of the slave ships left and to which the sugar returned.

``We have to own this, admit it and acknowledge it’s part in our heritage,’’ said Wareham, adding that the most up-to-date estimate puts the number of slaves taken across the Atlantic at 25 million – but that excludes families then born into slavery. :eek:

The permanent exhibition reveals the central role London’s merchants played in the slave and allied sugar trade, noting the massive wealth that was accumulated by a few at the expense of the misery of millions.

It includes pictures, writings, personal anecdotes and explanations of the development and eventual abolition of the slave trade, and the legacy of racialism it left behind.

Among the exhibits are ledgers recording the daily activities at plantations on St Kitts and Nevis owned by Thomas and John Mills.

Among the slave names that appear in the papers is the family name Caesar – a poignant fact for actor and exhibition adviser Burt Caesar who was born on St Kitts.

This makes it very personal to me,'' he said. There might be no family connection between me and them because names were allocated in a fairly arbitrary way. But then again there might be.’’

``This is an old story, but it is still going on. This is not taught in schools here. I want people to go from here asking more questions that the exhibition can hope to answer,’’ Caesar added.

The exhibition is part of celebrations to mark the 200th anniversary of Britain’s abolition of the slave trade after a campaign by politician and philanthropist William Wilberforce in favour of the emancipation of slaves persuaded the church, the public and finally parliament.

The last item in the exhibition is a chain and manacles that were worn by slaves.

Visitors are invited to heft it to feel the weight the slave would have had to carry while performing heavy manual labour for 14 or more hours a day under scorching Caribbean heat.

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Bastards

(no offense…)

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that’s a despicable thing to say Stephanie (no offense) :slight_smile:

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Wasn’t there some recent discussion of reparations which would put the Royal Family and the Bank of Scotland (?) in a very awkward position?

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Slavery is abolished, now the victims are Middle Eastern ethnic groups. As we view slavery as barbaric now. History will view this war on terror as the same. Anglo Saxons did come from barbarian tribes. The question is, who really are the terrorists and barbarians?

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Used to be the skull and crossbones, now it’s the Skull and Bones Club!

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Do you have any Swedish ancestry or where you just taught to think like this at school?

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the answer depends on which side you are on as each has (in their eyes) justification and has been provoked.

Objectively, the answer is probably both to some extent.

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“One man’s terrorist is another mans freedom fighter”

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Geez! We better have you checked out, considering where you’re from!

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The problem with many conflicts is that people often neglect to look at the original issue of conflict from the ‘terrorists’ view point.

By the time it becomes a proper ‘war’, battle … whatever, the immediate issues are focused on and the dramatic tragedies that occur.

And we must acknowledge that while odd as it might seem to conventional thought a freedom fighter in Palestine or along the West bank is viewed as a terrorist in Israel and an Israeli Soldier an occupying force.

This is especially the case in scenarios that occur often in colonial states decades after the Imperial force leaves. Just look at the legacy in Zimbabwe and the rule of Mugabe.

(Thankfully NI is quiet now)

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I hate politics on running sites,

I will say this however,because it needs to be said.

I find it disingenuos and ethically appalling, the moral equivalency that some people try and make between the IDFand the various terrorist organizations that populate the middle east.

The IDF is a force that has inadvertantly,and unintentionally killed civillians while attempting to kill terrorists, ( many I might add who are being used as human shields by said terrorists),

The various terror groups far to many to mention
are groups of people who purposely and with as much malice as possible in their heart, make every attempt to slaughter as many unarmed ,and innocent women and children as possible.

This is all part of a stated and undeniable plan to wipe a race of people off the face of the earth.

Any one who can not see the difference is clearly delusional, anti semetic or both.

As someone who has served in the military and
spent a good deal of time in both Israel and other mid Eastern countries, the differences are as clear as the skies on a summer day at Bondi beach .

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then don’t read the thread, it’s your choice.

I know that may come accross as harsher / colder than meant and I don’t mean to offend. What I am trying to say is you can choose to ignore it.

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Hating and ignoring are two different things.

The reason I hate politics on running forums is because sometimes I can’t ignore it.

You know what I mean?

And no you didn’t offend me in any way.

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EXACTLY as I’m the same but whose fault is that? :wink:

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I mean who’s callling who a barbarian, the Romans(I mean must people today would be appalled by what the Romans did, we might even call it barbarianism) of course would call Germanic tribes barbarian(root stem is Barb- which means beard) I think you need to reallocate your slander and who your calling barbarians. That doesnt mean i’m calling mid-easterners barbarians i’m simply saying check your history before you go around calling certain peoples barbarians. I mean actually if you want to look at it the Anglo-Saxon where after the Eastern Roman Empire fell, therefore they had some culture. It was the Anglos in southeastern England being oppressed by a larger tribe that was later conqured by the Saxons(they mingled to make the Anglo-Saxons) who were being forced from their lands in Saxony by other Germanic tribes who where fleing the onslought other nomadic asiatic tribes.

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My ethnicity has nothing to do with the issue. Unfortunately the Anglo Saxon West in the 20th century is under the impression that we are “more advanced and civilised”. Hitler’s theory on the Nordic race unfortunately still resides today; ironically the swastika symbol is a Sanskrit symbol. Today’s War on terror is justified by on the basis of Anglo Saxon superiority, hence the terms “us and “them”.

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OK I think this is getting on shaky ground. Let’s cool this thread.

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Yes !!

The concept of terrorism is formed through political and media propaganda. We have a general visual impression that creates a general concept of who a terrorist is. Our experiences are skewed so that the public are not exposed to objective accounts of terror.

Jean Charle Menzies a Brazilian man was executed by the British police on the basis that he was thought to be a London bomber. Subsequent events showed that the police acted on racial profiles of " who a terrorist" is supposed to look like, olive skin dark hair and thick eyebrows.

Iraqi civilian data base shows that civilian deaths range between 38,000-40,000 since the war started in Iraq. Innocent girls age 3, 5, 7 , 11 and been repeated executed by the US forces. Yet the media fails to portray the US army or the British police as terrorists. There is no difference between what terrorists do and the acts of British police and US forces in Iraq.

The Guantanamo Bay facility allows suspected terrorist to be held without charge indefinitely. In Australia recent laws allow ASIO to detain suspects for 2 weeks without charge. A recent judge accused ASIO of kidnapping. The targets of these laws and incarceration camps are Muslims and Asians.

In light of these finding, who is doing the terrorizing ?

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They had some culture, compared to what? When compared to Persian/ Indian’s they where centuries behind.

Anglo Saxon’s date back to 400 AD, migration of Germanic groups from modern day Germany and Scandinavia to Britain. In comparison modern day Middle East was unified under the Persian Empire some 1200 years earlier from 800Bc. In Europe Anglo Saxons where in scattered tribal groups whilst Persian’s lived united under one empire. Architecture, art, language, law, literature, religion was more sophisticated in Persia. The English language dates back to 400AD, whereas Sanskrit and Persian date’s back to 5000bc. The difference between Anglo Saxon’s and Persian are astronomical.

I don’t think my post has any racial connotation or slander to it. Historians do agree that Persian/ Indian cultures are much older and sophisticated when compared to Anglo Saxon culture.