Reparations for countries affected by slavery and colonialism, in the form of investment and debt relief, would go a long way to redressing past wrongs and making solid foundations for the future.

This was the general consensus from activists, analysts and human rights advocates who spoke to The Royal Gazette on the issue lasts week.

And they said a formal apology for the atrocities, which was agreed upon by the European Union on Friday, would help to dissipate racial resentment.

Their comments come as South Africa plays host to the World Conference on Racism, in which African leaders and African-American activists have been pushing for a final declaration calling for reparations schemes, in various forms, to be set up by former colonial powers, as well as explicit apologies.

On Friday, the EU agreed to include an apology for slavery in the final declaration of the conference but the wording will be such that it would not commit western nations paying reparations.

Those canvassed locally felt that any attempt to redress past wrongs must look at the issues with sensitivity to their complex nature, as opposed to simply meeting legal demands for compensation.

Political analyst Walton Brown said he thought there should be proper evaluation of what would be the "appropriate mechanism" for reparations and who would deliver it.

"It's important to create genuine economic opportunities to bring about some kind of long term development in countries that are still being affected by slavery and colonialism," he said. "I'd like to see an emphasis on what kind of international assistance and debt cancellations can be made in these countries, especially in South America or in the Caribbean, where there is a serious need for tremendous financial help."

Mr. Brown continued: "The point is that these countries have all been challenged because of the process of slavery and I would like to see some real investment in infrastructure to provide some kind of structure for sustained development."

Mr. Brown also said he felt it would be an "important, symbolic step" if former colonial and slave owning nations recognised their past wrongs and made formal apologies.

Human rights lawyer Clare Hatcher said it was important to look at the issues with the appropriate attention to not only redressing the past, but also creating a stable environment in which future generations will be able to progress.

"One of my concerns is if you attempt some kind of monetary compensation with this generation, it doesn't deal with multi-generational problems in the future," she said. "You need a way of actually repairing which actually considers the past as well as the future."

Ms Hatcher said she thought it was "generally misunderstood" how much some present economies were based on the history of slavery and colonialism.

"Education in that respect is very important. Then it's really a question of how proper reparations can actually be brought about."

She said western countries should focus on investing in areas such as education, housing and job care in less developed nations.

And she added that she felt an apology was "an important part of the process" of repairing wrongs: "It's not just a question of compensation but of repairing feelings as well."

Community activist Khalid Abdul Wasi said reparations were a good idea that should be actively pursued by those interested in redressing injustice.

"When you look at what happened during the Holocaust and what happened with the Japanese involvement during the Second World War, there is a real acknowledgement that they were wrong," he said. "There needs to be the same thing done about slavery."

He said he thought western countries such as the US were reluctant to make formal apologies "because of the severity and gravity of the situation" and because such a move may open the door to liability for reparations.

"I do believe that reparations in some form would be warranted. The scheme of arrangements may be an international one."

Mr. Wasi said he thought an apology for past wrongs is long overdue.

"What grieves black people most is the lack of an apology. What we want is a genuine acknowledgement that what went on was very wrong. Basically it would transpire into a level of self-esteem on the part of the people who still bear the scars."

Former Commission for Unity and Racial Equality chairman Ken Spurling said he would favour financial aid schemes that focused on enabling positive strides in the future but said merely handing over money from one party to another would be something that would be almost impossible to work out.

"The compensation idea is a lovely dream but I'm not sure how one would go about determining how much would be paid and who would pay it," he said.

"My personal belief is that this conference would better serve humanity by working to ensure that all men and women have a chance to develop their skills and follow their vocations so we can work towards making sure nothing like this will ever happen again."

Mr. Spurling said: "Money certainly needs to be put into some countries but it would be pretty frustrating to try and determine exactly who is liable to pay whom for things that happened in the past.

"It would be better to spend time on ensuring that everyone has equal opportunity in the future through investment and development."

He said he agreed with the principle of an apology but added it would be difficult to work out who should apologise to who.

But he added: "There certainly has to be a recognition that there was slavery and suffering. People are still hurt by it and, as a whole society, it's held us all back."