White Debt (Part 2)
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
In 1823 Demerara was the most profitable and one of the most brutally violent of Britain’s West Indian colonies. For the slaveholders, it meant profit, luxury and power. For the enslaved, it meant a lifetime of terrible servitude. But the enslaved outnumbered the colonists thirty to one. The uprising led by Jack Gladstone and his father Quamina was to be, up to that point, the largest in British history.
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?
Jack . . . . . Martins Imhangbe
Quamina . . . . . Cyril Nri
John . . . . . Mark Edel-Hunt
Jane . . . . . Grace Cooper Milton
Primo . . . . . Justice Ritchie
Seaton . . . . . Chris Jack
Sandy . . . . . Kemi Durosinmi
Stewart . . . . . Michael Begley
Hamilton . . . . . Sam Dale
M’Turk . . . . . Ben Crowe
Leahy . . . . . Joseph Ayre
Produced by Sasha Yevtushenko
Last on
Broadcast
- Sun 6 Mar 2022 15:00±«Óătv Radio 4
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