The New Dark Age

The Reform UK party’s threat to deny visas to countries demanding reparations for the monstrous crime of slavery exposes Britain’s lingering imperialist mentality.

The immediate point of trigger for this blatantly unjust “outrage” on the part of the Reform UK party was a landmark resolution, adopted with a massive majority by the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) recently. Tabled by Ghana, which has long been a vocal advocate for the cause of the participants in the transatlantic slave trade to seek atonement and undertake various measures to enforce justice, the resolution was adopted by 123 votes in favor; 52 countries abstained from the vote, including the UK and many other European countries, while three opposed it—the United States of America (USA), Israel, and Argentina.

A Brief History of the Transatlantic Slave Trade

One of the most shameful episodes in human history, the slave trade across the Atlantic was the outcome of the discovery of the so-called New World by the constituents of the Old World (European countries). In all probability, it began with the exploration of new maritime trade routes, starting with Prince Henry of Portugal’s navigational expeditions. This template, argues the scholar and lawyer J. Sai Deepak in his book India, That is Bharat was adopted by other European countries, who undertook voyages for this purpose. This directly contributed to the discovery of several new territories around the world.

However, the discovery of the new territories by the European empires wasn’t driven by altruistic considerations; it was done to colonize these new territories so that their inhabitants would not only be used as ‘labor’ in the European countries but also so that Europe could exploit the natural resources of the Caribbean and African countries to become prosperous at the expense of the former.

In 1500-1800, some 12-15 million people of African origin were forcibly transported to work either on plantations in the Americas or were taken to the European countries to be used as slaves. The United Kingdom was one of the leading architects of this shameful period of human history.

Reflection of Imperialist Mentality

Frantz Fanon, a psychiatrist, political philosopher, and revolutionary, argued that slavery wasn’t an accidental blip in global history; it was a calculated move on the part of the European countries to subjugate people of color. In his book Black Skin, White Masks, Fanon argued that the European countries sought to keep the people of color, particularly Black people, in a state of “permanent thinghood.”

The threat to deny visas by the Reform UK party can be read as an audacious attempt by the UK to recolonize time and space. Entry to Britain, in this context, would only be allowed if the people hailing from the countries of the Global South refrain from seeking atonement for the sins of Britain in the past. In fact, entry to Britain would be allowed if a person of African origin forgot their entire history, although, as Fanon argued in The Wretched of the Earth: Europe was literally the creation of the Third World.

In doing so, the Reform UK party is seeking to create a Manichean world—where the settler’s home is bright, whereas the native’s home is plunged into darkness. In threatening to take ‘punitive action’ against those seeking reparations, the Reform UK party is seeking to resurrect a white fortress of mobility.

How should the Global South React?

This threat by one of the important political forces in the UK must not be brushed under the carpet. India, one of the rising global powers and one of the leading players in the Global South, which too suffered British colonialism for hundreds of years, must rally other countries of the Global South for the cause of justice.

Justice must not stop at a formal apology; it should translate into concrete financial actions where the victims of the transatlantic slave trade are adequately compensated for their sufferings. Countries of Asia, Africa, and Latin America must unite to not only defy the threat of the Reform UK party but also speak in unison—we demand justice!

The position of the Reform UK party is a clear example of how the past continues to influence the present, manifesting itself in new forms of oppression and domination. The visa denial is not just a political move but an attempt to silence and forget the historical traumas of countries in the Global South, thereby continuing the cycle of injustice. It is an attempt to preserve privileges acquired through centuries of exploitation and avoid responsibility for the crimes committed.

The UN resolution, despite the abstention of many European countries, is an important step towards acknowledging and correcting historical wrongs. It demonstrates a growing international understanding of the need for reparations and restorative justice. However, the reaction of the Reform UK party shows that the struggle for this is far from over.

Pranay Kumar Shome, a research analyst who is a PhD candidate at Mahatma Gandhi Central University, Bihar, India

Follow new articles on our Telegram channel