Jamaicans in Manitoba sad but not surprised Prince William didn't apologize for slavery
Royals' visit has sparked protests in the country
The Royal Family's visit to Jamaica this week is sparking protest in the country, and unhappiness here in Canada among members of the Jamaican diaspora in Manitoba.
Prince William and his wife, Catherine, the duchess of Cambridge, are on week-long trip to Belize, Jamaica and the Bahamas to mark Queen Elizabeth's 70 years on the throne.
Their visit comes as Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness signals his country's intention to sever its ties to the monarchy and become fully independent.
Queen Elizabeth, William's grandmother, remains the head of state for Jamaica and 13 other countries that were once British colonies.
During the trip, the duke expressed "profound sorrow" for Britain's role in the slave trade — but stopped short of apologizing, something Jamaican leaders had sought.
Odel Thelwell, a Jamaican woman studying at the University of Winnipeg, says she was disappointed with William's comments, but not surprised.
"I think if he were to outrightly say, you know, 'we as a country are sorry for all the terrible things that we did' … that would open up the door to talks about reconciliation and repatriation and stuff like that," she said. "And they probably don't want to go down that road right now."
Thelwell says even after Jamaica gained its independence in 1962, many in the country live with trauma connected to slavery.
An apology itself isn't much, but would've been something, she says.
"We would have had the opportunity to form our own society in our own way, without this influence and the loss that comes from knowing that we weren't really given that opportunity," she said. "It weighs a little heavy sometimes."
O'Neil Reece, who lives in Winnipeg but frequently travels to Jamaica to see his family, says the Royal Family visit just made people more upset.
"If there was an apology, I really think that it would definitely allow us to basically view them in a different light," he said. "Of course, you cannot change the past but, I mean, it's this generation that is going to be the change."
Reece says the prince should've listened more closely to the Jamaican people, but he doesn't want to be hung up on that — he wants to focus on the future.
"Just to see how far that country has come and the people have come, it's just amazing." he said. "So, you know, I just wish that there was more empathy around the visit."
With files from Peggy Lam