The post office Barbados may seek reparations from Benedict Cumberbatch’s family for slavery appeared first on Result.
Barbados began seeking reparations from the descendants of slave owners, such as The daily beast reports, and that may soon include the Oscar-nominated actor’s family Benedict Cumberbatch.
Cumberbatch’s seventh great-grandfather bought the island’s Cleland plantation in 1728 and passed on ownership until 1834, when slavery was abolished in Barbados. This plantation allegedly exploited 250 enslaved people and became the foundation of the Cumberbatch family fortune, a fact the actor did not shy away from.
In a 2007 interview, according to the New York Times, Cumberbatch revealed that his mother urged him to pursue his career under a pseudonym specifically to avoid paying reparations. He also said he played his part in 12 years of slavery because he felt sorry that his ancestors had been involved in the slave trade.
Barbados’ push for reparations follows the country’s 2021 break with the British monarchy and subsequent transition to a republic. Barbados began with a push for reparations from Conservative MP Richard Drax, who still owns the island’s largest plantation, Drax Hall. It is the only plantation that remains in the possession of the original slave family and the government demands that the land be ceded to Barbados. If he refuses, the country will seek compensation through an international arbitration tribunal.
No formal request has been made publicly to the Cumberbatch family, but the Barbadian government may seek reparations in the near future. “All descendants of white plantation owners who benefited from the slave trade should be asked to pay reparations”, said secretary general of the Caribbean Movement for Peace and Integration, David Denny, “including the Cumberbatch family”.
Last year, Cumberbatch was seen in Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness, and he is set to appear in Wes Anderson’s upcoming Roald Dahl adaptation, The wonderful story of Henry Sugar.
Barbados may seek reparations from Benedict Cumberbatch’s family for slavery
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