White Debt (Part 1)
Thomas Harding tells the story of the Demerara rebellion, and explores the legacy of Britain's role in slavery and questions of personal and national responsibility.
Written and presented by Thomas Harding
Dramatised by Patricia Cumper
Based on the book White Debt by Thomas Harding
The author and journalist Thomas Harding tells the story of the Demerara Uprising in 1823 that he argues had a decisive effect on Britain’s own attitude to slavery. This piece of history is brought to life with actors as audio drama, written by Patricia Cumper.
But the programme also contains a contemporary strand. In the aftermath of the killing of George Floyd and the increased attention being paid to Britain's colonial past, this two-part programme explores the legacy of Britain’s slavery today and asks the question, what, if anything should we do about it?
For Thomas Harding, this is more than a question of national history. It’s personal.
Harding has written books about his father’s German Jewish family. These books explored how his family fled the Nazis to Britain, how he lost family members in the Holocaust and how he personally received financial compensation from the German government, what some call reparations.
Then, a few years ago, he discovered that his family, on his mother’s side, made money from slavery. They ran a large business in the 19th century selling tobacco that came from plantations in Virginia, and later Cuba, which were worked by enslaved people.
The shoe was now firmly on the other foot. If he accepted reparations from the German government for what the Nazis did to his family, what should he do about the other side of his family benefitting from slavery?
To explore these complex questions, Thomas Harding begins by travelling to Guyana (formerly Demerara, site of the 1823 uprising) and then back to the UK, where he speaks with leading thinkers on the subject of personal and national responsibility.
Jack . . . . . Martins Imhangbe
Quamina . . . . . Cyril Nri
John . . . . . Mark Edel-Hunt
Jane . . . . . Grace Cooper Milton
Gracy . . . . . Kemi Durosinmi
Daniel . . . . . Justice Ritchie
Seaton . . . . . Chris Jack
Governor . . . . . Sam Dale
Stewart . . . . . Michael Begley
Captain . . . . . Joseph Ayre
M’Turk . . . . . Ben Crowe
Produced by Sasha Yevtushenko
Last on
Broadcast
- Sun 27 Feb 2022 15:00Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Radio 4
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