The Apology European and African nations apologized for their roles in what history calls the worst holocaust of humankind, the Atlantic Slave Trade. It was a moving ceremony but that was only the beginning. The process of reconciliation proved to be more than many expected.
English businessman
Michael Fenton-Jones kneels in apology
View/listen to WHRO producer Van Dora Williams' and FOX 43 anchor Kelly Wright's reports on the opening ceremonies and the apology.
In Their Own Words... Read the personal journals of Kelly Wright and Van Dora Williams as they experienced these historic events. Watching History Unfold My mind was already busy with the apologies I just heard. Two African presidents, a European businessman and two congressman from America all apologized for the role their ancestors played in the Slave Trade. I never heard so much honesty come from politicians before. The most moving was Michael Fenton-Jones. He represented the European delegation. He was transparent, humble and emotional. He talked of the intense and very deep guilt he held for his country's past. He's a businessman and he said it was very appropriate for him to speak since it was the businessmen of the 15th through the 19th centuries that propagated the Atlantic Slave Trade. You could see he was truly sorry. He broke down at least three times as he made his plea to the people in the audience. He asked for forgiveness for what his countrymen did in the past. He knelt before Bishop David Perrin and President Kerekou while giving the apology. That was a phenomenal sight. After the opening ceremonies, the president invited the African-American delegation to meet the Kings of the tribes of Benin. There had to be at least 50 of them. You started at one end and worked your way around the semi circle. As Kelly and Aaron got the video, I went on the line.
Beninese Kings wait to
greet the African-Americans
I came up to one king and he looked me straight in the eye and said welcome home. I said thank you. I was ready to move on but he held my hand and told me, "This is your home now. Benin is your home. You will always be welcome here." Then he hugged me. I tried to remain detached but that stuck with me. I stepped back and thought this is history in the making. I probably shook the hands of one of my ancestors.
Van Dora Williams with
one of the few Kings of Benin that spoke English.
"He insisted on a picture with him. He was more excited than
I was."
Finding My Home Throughout my life I have wrestled with the question; what country did my ancestors come from? Many African Americans share this same burning desire; to know their roots, to identify with a native land they can call home. Now I know. During my stay in Benin, an African king explained to me that wherever I set my foot on African soil, I am home.
When President Kerkou made his reconciliation conference public, the Kings came together to offer their support for the effort. They said it was time to face the past and reach out to the African Diaspora.
We hear Native Americans, Latino/Hispanic Americans, Jewish Americans, Italian Americans and Anglo Americans speak of their homeland. But most African Americans can scarcely trace their ancestry beyond their great grandparents. They feel like they lack an identity with their past. Somehow the rest of the story gets muddled in the dark passages of a savage slave trade. Despite the sweeping changes in civil rights and race relations, the vestiges of slavery have not been easily shakened. Some White Americans continue to regard African Americans as inferior. Despite the browning of America, racism still runs rampant. Much of the racism we experience today has its roots in the African Slave trade. Throughout its history, many African-Americans have suppressed one glaring fact as if they wanted to purposely ignore it. That is, that African Kings and rulers sold their ancestors into slavery. It's been so difficult to accept this fact; until now. When President Jerrauld Rawlins of Ghana and President Mathieu Kerekou apologized for the role their ancestors played during the African slave trade, I, like many other African-Americans in attendance was greatly moved. The apology tendered by African Presidents, US Representatives, European government and business leaders is no small thing. It is the first step towards true reconciliation between Black and White, African and African American. |
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The Apology Ouidah Cotonou, Benin |
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