AS you know the 200th anniversary of the Abolition of the Slave Trade was commorated on Tuesday 27th March 2007, at Westminister Cathedral in London. The event which was organised by SET ALL FREE (www.setallfree.net) a u.k charity was attended by HRH - THE QUEEN & PRINCE PHILLIP, The Prime Minister TONY BLAIR and other dignatories(including William Wilberforces greatgreat etc granddaughter!) & televised live by the BBC. (BBC1 )
The service lasted just over an hour but  was "interrupted" by a lone protestor -   Nigerian Toyin Agbetu - founder of LIGALI - (www.ligali.org ) who was overcome by emotions & spoke out urging Mr Blair to apologise for the atrocities which were endured by our forefathers.

Mr Agbetu was then escorted out by Henry Bonsu(colourfulnetwork) others & was detained and later released.

As an attendee of the service I understand Mr Agbetus anger but failed to see what he expected of Mr Blair, the Anglican Church who played an major role in the Trade had apologised ( Feb 2006 as has Virginia State in the US). Tony Blair probably felt that the government had done all that it needed to do by abolishing it at parliament via Wilberforce.

Both are wrong of course.

Mr Blair could maintain the stance of Wilberforce by getting rid of racist laws such as section 19c of the Race Relations Amendment Act ( which exempts courts and Employment Tribunals from the general statutory duties of the Race Laws.) and of course talk about reparations - compensations for the descedents of the slaves... both here and in Africa.

What is further clear is that the slave trade and the abolition of it creates a whole mix bag of emotions ranging from anger to indifference and supremacists thinking.  All of which are indications of the need of Healing. ( I am a Christian by the Way...)

It is important for both black and white not to shy away from the ‘sordid past’ of slavery and the abolition. Most blacks who are ‘not healed of it’ will feel weak naked, powereless and even weaker for their perceived weaknesses being shown publically. These are child like emotions like a childs reactions to finding out that their parent had a 'youthful period'. The slave history is only ‘a bit’ in black history it is not the total sum of blackness( e.g Simeon the Niger – a black apostle that walked with Jesus and the Apostle…).

As for white supremacists thinking I have this to say, black slavery was in the bible and written that it would happen….and it did now let us move on, also did you know that whites( Britons from Devon and Cornwall etc as well as Americans..) were also taken as slaves sold at market (Not referring to indentures) but proper captive slaves by the corsair pirates.

They were taken to Arabia and Morrocco where they suffered hardship under the hands of the slave task masters who were surprise surprise black from Guinea..guinea currency that was only recently abolished.!( See shows shows that guys also hold a grudge I would have had a good bitch and gone on with it... I diverge..).

The Abolition of the slave should be honoured like any other thing that requires honouring ( e.g Armistice Remembrance or the Holocaust) as without ‘the taking off’  the bandage  -  the wound will not be healed.