Facing our past and shaping our future together

Britain and Ghana cannot change the past, but we can face it honestly, listen carefully and strengthen a modern partnership founded on dignity and mutual respect.

A few weeks ago, I sat in Ghana’s National Theatre and watched The Darkest Chapter, a moving play by Latif Abubakar. It traces a path from the horrors of the transatlantic slave trade through decolonisation and independence to modern Ghana. One line has stayed with me: “before diplomacy, before policy, before resolutions, there were human beings”.

That is where any conversation about the slave trade must begin. With the millions of people torn from their homes, families and communities. With those whose labour and suffering enriched others. And with the descendants and societies that continue to live with that history today.

The transatlantic slave trade was a brutal and barbaric violation. People were denied their humanity, separated from their families, treated as property and worked to their deaths. The UK Prime Minister has expressed his “sorrow and regret for the pain and suffering of so many millions of people” and recognised the way this history “still shapes our world today.”

Ghana has helped ensure that the world does not look away. Its leadership in shining a spotlight on the slave trade has brought renewed attention to questions that are difficult, deeply felt and important. Ghana’s perspectives have helped shape the wider Commonwealth conversation.

At the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) last week, Commonwealth leaders agreed it was time for a meaningful, truthful, and respectful conversation to forge a common future based on equity. They welcomed the UK Government’s agreement to engage in a structured, inclusive and good-faith dialogue with affected parties, addressing the transatlantic trafficking of enslaved Africans and its historical harms. The Prime Minister also met with President Mahama during CHOGM to set out these plans and welcomed the President’s support.

This is an important step, and the United Kingdom enters the dialogue seriously and respectfully. Listening to calls for a formal apology on behalf of the British state will form an important part of the process, and the Prime Minister has said that he is open to them. A dialogue of this importance must allow those most affected to help shape it. Its outcome should not be predetermined, but neither should we underestimate the depth or difficulty of the conversation. The first responsibility is to listen.

One privilege of serving as British High Commissioner is gaining a view of the many layers of the UK’s and Ghana’s shared history. At the British Museum this summer, I saw how one object, the Asante Ewer, can tell a story spanning medieval England, trans-Saharan trade, Asante ceremonial life and the violence and pillage of the Anglo-Asante wars. Such objects do not offer simple stories. They ask us to confront complexity and understand what they mean to different communities.

Other moments remind us how relationships can change. Last year at the Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park, I stood with the Duke of Edinburgh before the image of Queen Elizabeth II dancing with President Kwame Nkrumah in Accra in 1961. Ghana had won its independence only four years earlier and was inspiring movements across Africa. That photograph captured our countries’ relationship at a decisive moment as it was reshaped.

Today, the United Kingdom and Ghana meet as sovereign partners. Our relationship is rooted not only in history, but in people, education, culture, business, security and a shared interest in prosperity. That modern partnership gives us a strong foundation for difficult conversations. We should be confident enough to discuss both progress and pain, allow space for honest disagreement, and recognise that listening is part of an equal partnership.

As Ghana approaches its 70th anniversary of independence, there will be many opportunities to reflect on the journey from colonial rule to the Black Star of Africa, and on Ghana’s continuing influence in the world. The United Kingdom should take part in those conversations with humility, openness and respect.

We gather to remember. We also need to listen. The dialogue agreed at CHOGM will not be simple, and some views will be strongly held. But our bilateral relationship is mature enough to face difficult history honestly, to hear each other with respect and to work together towards a common future based on dignity and equity.

The writer, Dr Christian Rogg, is the British High Commissioner to Ghana.