The Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, has said the scars of slavery are still with modern society and that Zanzibar's slave trade history is crucial to the understanding not just of the history of East Africa, but of humanity.
Dr Williams' comments came during a visit he made to the main island of Zanzibar together with Primates of the Anglican Communion, who are currently engaged in a meeting in nearby Dar Es Salaam.Speaking yesterday at a lunch attended by Zanzibar's President Amani Abeid Karumi on Sunday, Dr Williams said that the scars of the slave trade could still be seen.
"So much of the history of this region is bound in with commerce, with civilisation, the highs and the lows of what happened on this island. We have commemorated already the role - the tragic and sad role - of this island in the slave trade. The President has already told me of some of his own family's recollections of the last days of that trade and it's startling to think that even in living memory that that was still a reality in this part."
Earlier Dr Williams and the Primates took part in a service in Christ Church Cathedral. The Eucharist was led by Archbishop Donald Mtetemela, the Primate of Tanzania, and included a commemoration marking the abolition of the slave trade.
In his sermon, Dr Williams spoke of John Newton, the author of the hymn Amazing Grace, and how even after his conversion, it took some time for him to realise the evil of slavery. This, he said, was proof that peoples' eyes needed to be opened.
" ... for hundreds and hundreds of years - in fact for thousands of years - people did not see the evil of slavery. Around them human beings were suffering in terrible ways and yet somehow people did not see, even Christians did not see. It is possible to look at another human being and yet not see what their real need is and what their real suffering is."
He challenged the congregation to look for other forms of blindness:
" ... what it is that we now are blind to; who is it now whose suffering we cannot see, cannot understand? In some societies it may be women or old people, it may be children. It may be minorities of one kind or another. It may be that in our wealthy countries - it is the case in our wealthy countries - that we do not see the reality of suffering and injustice in so much of the world. And we may not know for a long time just how many things we have not seen. But at least we can begin to pray 'Lord, open our eyes'."
