Dear Editor,

Given the credentials of Professor Rosalea Hamilton, one expected better of her.

So as not to allow her to further embarass herself after publicly insulting the royals during their visit by blaming the British for African slaves brought to Jamaica and demanding reparation, I would like to inform her of the following:

Throughout their history, trad­ing slaves was common practice among Africans and Arabs; however, the advent of bigger ships brought their first confrontations with Europeans, which led to the exchange of goods, and an ever-growing business of slave trading began to flourish.

African slaves were captured by other African tribes in battles, raids, kidnappings, or simply as a punishment or payment for an outstanding debt. Their captives were shackled together and marched to slave-trading marketplaces on the Ivory Coast, the journeys lasting weeks or months. It was here that the Dutch Trading Company purchased slaves and brought them to be sold at slave markets in the Americas.

The Anglo-Dutch Slave Trade Treaty was signed between the United Kingdom and the Kingdom of the Netherlands on May 4, 1818, aimed at preventing Dutch vessels from trading with British colonies.

Having been brought into the British Empire as a colony, Jamaica enjoyed the wealth, protection, and governing system of the British as compared to the treatment many others suffered under the Spanish conquest.

William and Kate deserve an equally public apology from you, et al.

Angela Macgillivray

angelamacgill@yahoo.ca