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Steve Thompson (SA, May 6) should learn that history is a thing of the past and what has been done cannot be undone.

In his letter Mr Thompson asks George Humphries to tell us what benefits African slaves enjoyed after being brutally taken from their homes and shipped as cargo to the West Indies.

Slavery was a pretty dreadful thing and those who were shipped under terrible conditions and then sold to the highest bidder certainly enjoyed no benefits. They may not have done so but Mr Thompson fails to tell us that their decedents certainly did.

Without a slave background we certainly would not have heard of that great singer Paul Robeson, the former world heavy weight champion Joe Louis, The civil rights activist Martin Luther King , General Coln Powell, secretary of state Condoleeza Rice or would-be presidential candidate Barack Obama to name but a few.

Yes, like Steve Thompson, I am against any form of present day slavery but as far as history is concerned there was another side to every story although of course he will never admit to this.

R W Selway Burden Close Stratton St Margaret

2:34pm Monday 12th May 2008

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