A DESCENDANT of the notorious Elizabethan slave trader John Hawkins went to Africa to apologise for his ancestor's deeds.

Instead of sack cloth and ashes, he wore chains similar to those that kept so many in bondage. I admire his gesture, but wonder where it would end if the people of every nation that ever transgressed sought atonement for past sins. The British would have their hands full, of course - but what about the Japanese, Americans ad infinitum? The awful truth is that Mankind is a savage mammal, the only cruel creature in Creation. Saying sorry is only enough when there is a general acceptance that the sons cannot be held responsible for the sins of the fathers.