Should Britain pay up? Commonwealth leaders argue the UK owes them back what it took in resources and labour from African slaves. In Britain, it has struck a very tender nerve.
Row deepens over slavery reparations
Inhumane: This drawing of how slaves were squeezed on board the slave ship 'Brooks' was commissioned by abolitionists who wanted to raise awareness of the horrors of the slave trade. Glossary
Keir Starmer - The leader of the UK Labour Party since 2020 and British prime minister since July 2024.
Samoa - An island country in Polynesia.
Commonwealth - Officially called the Commonwealth of Nations, it was set up in 1926. There are 54 members in all. It grew out of the British Empire and many members, although not all, were former British colonies.
Reparations - Providing payment to make amends for a wrongdoing.
Pandora's box - In Greek mythology, Pandora is given a box by the gods containing all the evils in the world and told not to open it. She, of course, does.
Descendants - People who are all descended from a certain ancestor or group. E.g. your children and grandchildren would be your descendants.
Robert Jenrick - A British Conservative Party politician.
Colonies - Area or countries under the control of another nation.
Life expectancy - The number of years that a person can expect to live.
Abolitionist - Someone who sought to end slavery.
Olaudah Equiano - An 18th Century writer and part of an abolitionist movement of Africans living in Britain. He was taken on a slave ship from Nigeria to the Caribbean as a child before eventually buying his freedom.
GDP - Short for Gross Domestic Product, the measure of all the goods and services produced inside a country.