At last an acknowledgement on the BBC that the Atlantic slave trade was not solely the responsibility of Europeans, but that Africans themselves provisioned it, that the slave trade itself was already in existence when we arrived and that it survived until the second world war despite our attempts to suppress it. You may notice however that the article reads more like the speech of Mark Anthony than an apology for any part played in the trade.

If it is true that the Nigerian ancestors who “sold slaves…should not be judged by today’s standards or values” why should Colston, Rhodes and Baden-Powell be so judged?

Now, and Coco’s comments are not in Mark Anthony tone, do not think that he is suggesting that the involvement of the African justified or excused our actions, but as it also tells us in this article the eradication of slavery was quite difficult as cultural and social attitudes had to be changed. That battle took place for us towards the end of the 18th century and by the early nineteenth had been largely won by the dedicated perseverance of Christian and other members of our society. The battle must continue today as men will continue to drift from the ethos which teaches that we are all created equal and must all stand as equals before the living God for judgement, as Paul reminded the masters of Colossae, a city in the Roman empire where slavery was commonly practised, Masters, treat your slaves justly and fairly, knowing that you too have a Master in heaven.

There are other resources available on the African slave trade, this is one on YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AQETbqyKHng) which has been available for many years. It speaks of the greater suffering of the African slave in the non-Atlantic slave trade, and suggests why it is that the evidence of the Atlantic trade is clearly visible today whereas the evidence for the other trade has been obscured.

Listen, watch and weep.