Click on the following link to read a very interesting article written by our own TB son, Earl Moxam.

http://www.jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/20080316/news/news3.html

The ignorance that abounds today about the part played by Britain in the slave trade should come as no surprise.It is due to the way history is taught in British schools.I was once asked by an English man how it was that I a Jamaican had a Scottish name? The question was all the more baffling because he was a student of history at one of the UK's most prestigious Universities.I didn't think his question was worthy of a reply so I ignored him.

Interesting article. One of the comments that stood out to me was - Of Jamaica, he says, this is a country that "has contributed more wealth to the world than it will ever receive, while enduring a most pernicious slavery for hundreds of years".
Ironic when you consider that Jamaica now has such a crippling national debt burden (to the rich nations) which is holding back all kinds of economic and social development.

Ken-- I had the same thought when I read that line. It might be interesting to see countries like JA pursue debt 'forgiveness' from this angle.

Ken, that is why Jamaica should not be shy about opening dialogue with the UK government about the provision of substantial amounts of money to improve the country's education system. The only way Jamaica is going to get out of its economic decline is by having a highly educated population.

The human resources of a country are its most important assets. With a highly educated people we would have many more options for economic development. We would also see a significant decline in crime and social disorder, I believe, because a highly educated people would have fewer reasons to resort to crime and, hopefully, they would also be able to reason out their inter-personal differences rather than 'settling' them with the knife or the gun.

In our approach to the British government we would not have to make this a formal claim for reparations for slavery. Instead, we need to make the argument that they did many things to damage us and our economy (including slavery) and they could best contribute to a reversal in this decline through educational support.

Jan, I applaud those with the courage to go beyond denial and spin in facing a major source of British, Continental and American wealth. African slave labour, indentured Scot and Irish toil, sugar monoculture and the blessings of rich West Indian soils and abundant solar energy.

My ancestors were among the above, nevertheless I seek no compensation for this exploitation. Maybe when put in context the remnants of what some of my Irish called Norman arrogance will diminish.

Did the vatican issue some sort of apology to my beloved Taino people and Sephardic Jews?

Again viewed from an evolutionary standpoint, I would not exist if the above peoples were not displaced by love of gold (money) and the great sin of forced conversion to their version of salvation.

Being limited to the short time span of my unfolding life a macro view is but an intellectual relief. The memories of the above can serve to depress or diminish my passion and enthousiasm. I stubbornly choose to see the sapient or wise core of Homo Sapiens and address this entity. Why feed the energies of the ghosts of lie, deny and assumed superiority that many clothe themselves with.

Ken, our national debt is a consequence of mismanagement, investment in areas our various governments had no experience in, diversion of funds from the public purse and lack of the habit of maintainance of assets. 'Cyan badda' is at the root of many connected evils.

The descendants of those that benefited from our ancestors labour may be more willing to address old debts if we attempt to put our house in order.

I agree that education and not cash would be the wise long term contribution.

Confrontational approaches usually raise defences. Addressing this matter with honey rather than vinegar may produce better results.

Jan

To give you a UK/Scottish perspective on things, I was taught only 2 weeks' worth of Scottish history during my 13 years at school. It was only when I went to University and specialised in Scottish history that I began to learn anything about my own country's story - for good and for ill.

Most of my fellow Scots have had NO exposure to their own history and we labour in ignorance as a result. Many of my countrymen and women rely on the nonsense of "Braveheart" to understand the Wars of Independence and it can fuel an unhealthy antipathy to our English neighbours as a result.

That's the context for our ignorance of the strong Jamaican connection into our own nation's development. It cannot excuse it, but I think it explains it. I've often wondered too whether the lack of Caribbean migration to Scotland in the 1950s and 1960s also reinforced this lack of awareness?

This is one my big drivers in wanting to tell the story of Treasure Beach to an audience in Scotland, the UK and the wider world.

The irony is that while the pain and crimes inflicted in Jamaica did so much to bring wealth to our shores, relatively little of it was shared among the wider population. While nothing that Scots suffered could compare with the ultimate evil of slavery, many of our people were effectively worked to death in the slums, factories and coal mines of the period. And the massive profits that were made were concentrated in the hands of a few and (ironically) then invested abroad at the expense of Scottish jobs.

We remain one of the poorest nations in Europe. I'll never forget the comments of a visiting dentist from St Lucia working in the Glasgow Dental School - she was amazed by the "third world teeth" that so many of the city's inhabitants suffered from!

I would love to see a situation emerge where our two wee nations move forward together in a spirit of brotherhood (and sisterhood!) that benefits us both. I know that we have a lot to offer each other as nations and a kindred spirit that fires our souls. Our national motto "Nemo me impune lacessit" (No-one provokes me with impunity) could readily sum up the Jamaican attitude to life, don't you think!?!?

There's a new Government in Edinburgh who favour Scottish independence. Not all Scots agree with this but I think we do all welcome the new self awareness that we have as a nation. There's never been a better time for us to work together with "one love" for a brighter future - that's the best riposte that I can offer for the evils of the past.

Regards

James

Well said James.

I look forward to new and renewed links with you all.

And yes, your motto certainly reflects our nature.

Best wishes.

Here is another fascinating article found in todays Gleaner. "Visiting Inveresk - The story of Robert Wedderburn of Ja and Scotland".

Thanks so much Earl Moxam for such interesting information.

http://www.jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/20080323/lead/lead6.html

I agree that the economy needs to be well managed but an incredible amount of wealth was made in the past from slave labour and that wealth didn't stay in countries such as Jamaica.
Documentaries such as Life and Debt show that there are also other reasons for the debts and that world trade doesn't operate on a level playing field.
Education and better living standards are what is needed but there isn't much money left to go round after debt servicing. Also the IMF has a lot of influence on government spending and taxation.
According to Jamaica Gleaner reporting on 2007/2008 budget there was an estimated $383 billion to manage the nation's business during the financial year. More than half - $210 billion - would have to be spent on repaying debt. This left just $173 billion to be shared up among competing sectors of the economy such as health, education, etc.
It doesn't seem fair that it is so difficult for countries like Jamaica to afford basics because of debt servicing when the nations they are in debt to owe most of their wealth to the (cost free) labour of those past times.
Apologies are fine but need to be backed up by serious aid.

The playing field is called the Game of International Capital Ken.

Like all loans the givers expect returns on their investments.

We got entangled by IMF and World Bank interference when we could not service our debts.
The actions taken followed the intent of the Game and were mostly not structured in ways to immediately improve education, health and national contentment but to drive the economy in ways understood by money jugglers and not caregivers. Get us to play the game by existing rules and all will follow. All that followed was the need for more loans and stagnant education and health facilities.

Maybe we never had the guidance we needed locally to navigate these rules and negotiations and maybe no corporation could survive if it changed its directors and officers every 4 years or so.

If there was an unwriten intent of the loan givers to swamp us in debt and thus influence our politics, then the givers are no better than the slave masters, cold, inhuman and selfish.

I hope this was not the case even though this is argued by some.

Unfortunatly the players have now entangled themselves in complexities they are now struggling to unweave. I doubt the money jugglers have our little island on the top of their lists.

Also, if our debt was removed would we have the guts of a Fidel to stay away from the Game? Or, do we now have the local expertise to play succesfully?

Why stop at the African slave trade? I would love to get the titles for my ancestors lands in Spain and the wealth that was forced from their hands. The same for my Celtic people from the English.

Unfortunately, the story in the paper was cut a bit short because of space constraints. For those who are interested, therefore, here's the rest of it:

...........


'Death did not end his influence, however, because today Robert Wedderburn is remembered as being among the most respected heroes of the abolitionist period.

On March 25, 2007, the 200th anniversary of the abolition of the slave trade, more than 300 persons re-enacted his now famous walk from the port at Musselburgh to Inveresk House where he was turned away by his father.

Among those in attendance at the start of the march was Lord Bill Wedderburn, Labour Party peer in the House of Lords, who is a direct descendant of Robert.

Bill Wedderburn was prompted to research his links to the boy who was born to the slave girl, Rosanna, by the writings of Geoff Palmer, the Jamaican grain scientist who grew up in Allman Town, Kingston, Jamaica.

Today, Lord Bill Wedderburn is a passionate advocate for equal rights and justice in British society and around the world, significantly influenced, he says, by the struggles of his famous ancestor.'

Just to clarify - the piece I have added relates to the "Visiting Inveresk" story, which is the second in the series, as highlighted by Rebecca.

Enlightened crowd you folks are"