Top diplomats back CMS anti-slavery play

Six African governments have swung their support behind a £275,000 CMS campaign to end modern slavery.

High commissioners and senior diplomats from countries including Nigeria and Kenya joined Lords and MPs at Westminster last week to watch a reading of a new play commissioned by CMS.

“African Snow” has been written by Murray Watts, the award-winning writer of hit movie “The Miracle Maker”, to mark the 200th anniversary of Britain’s abolition of the slave trade.

It tells the inspiring story of an imagined confrontation between John Newton, the slave trader who wrote the hymn “Amazing Grace”, and leading black abolitionist Olaudah Equiano.

The purpose behind it is to challenge the public to take action on behalf of today’s slaves and CMS has compiled an ambitious programme of advocacy, international projects and schools work to run alongside the performances.

His Excellency Christopher Kolade, the Nigerian High Commissioner, urged the 160 invited guests at the reading to give financial backing to a tour of the play starting next year.

“Slavery is a disease that hasn’t left us. It is not possible that we will rid the world of slavery unless we who are opposed to it make some sacrifices,” said Mr Kolade.

CMS president Viscountess Brentford OBE said she thought the play would challenge thousands of people across Britain to end slavery and its causes.

“We believe this is a life-changing production,” she said.

The launch of the campaign came as UNICEF published a report on the hundreds of millions of children trapped in child labour.

CMS General Secretary Rev Canon Tim Dakin said: “We need to get beyond the headlines to change a damaging and disfiguring social order that we are part of.

“We want to move people from awareness to action.”

Lending the support of one of London’s largest churches, Pastor Agu Irukwu of the Redeemed Christian Church of God said the importance of educating children on slavery was brought home to him by his own family.

“When I told my eight-year-old son I was coming to the Houses of Parliament to talk about slavery, he said to me, ‘But I thought that was all over.’”

You can support the African Snow tour.

Donations to “CMS (African Snow)” can be sent to African Snow, FREEPOST, Partnership House, 157 Waterloo Road, London SE1 3BR.

For more information email african.snow@cms-uk.org

Ben Okafor, performing music he wrote for African Snow [Toyin Sokefun/CMS].