Social Rehabilitation Minister Dale Butler was flying the flag for the region as the International Slavery Museum opened in the UK.

The museum, in Liverpool — a port city which played a huge role in the Transatlantic Slave Trade — has been created to mark the bicentenary of the Slave Trade Act. Mr. Butler was invited to yesterday's opening through links he forged with organisers during his spell as Cultural Affairs Minister.

After offering the invitation to current Cultural Affairs Minister Wayne Perinchief — who was unable to attend — Mr. Butler went himself, paying for his own transport and accommodation as the four-day trip fell outside his Ministry.

Mr. Butler, who said he appeared to be the only Minister from the Caribbean region present yesterday, reflected on how the slavery museum has been built from humble beginnings around a decade ago.

"It was an excellent experience," he told The Royal Gazette. "I had attempted to establish a relationship with the museum in 2003 when I became Cultural Minister. They were interested in Bermuda, that we had slavery here, and kept in touch.

"In 1994 the museum had in its possession a very small slavery section. It was very controversial because it was in its basement. But through the years, they decided to build something proper."

Liverpool's ships and merchants dominated the Transatlantic Slave Trade in the second half of the 18th Century. Its inhabitants gained great civic and personal wealth from the trade, paving the way for the development of the port into one of the UK's leading cities.

At the trade's peak in the two decades leading up to its abolition in 1807, up to 130 ships left the port for Africa every year — representing three quarters of all European slaving ships.

In total, Liverpool ships transported half of the three million Africans carried across the Atlantic by British slavers.

Mr. Butler, who studied in Liverpool during the 1970s, said he was pleased to see the city was now acknowledging its role in the trade.

"I got the feeling for years there was a sense of denial," he said. "There's a small group here who feels it's a waste of time, and say: 'why bring up the past?' But you can't eliminate certain parts of history."

The Minister praised the museum's use of interactive technology to show how groups such as banks and churches benefited from slavery, while he was also impressed with a replica of a sugar-mill factory.

A section on racism — highlighting the achievements of outstanding blacks such as Nelson Mandela and Jesse Owens — also caught his attention.

He said he would like to see some of the museum's ideas taken to the Island's own slavery exhibition at Bermuda Maritime Museum, particularly the emphasis on using modern technology.

Mr. Butler is a historian who has studied Bermuda's slavery past. Earlier this year, he backed this newspaper's Break The Chains campaign by signing Anti-Slavery International's on-line petition which calls for world leaders to take action to help free more than 12 million modern-day slaves.

To sign the petition, visit www.antislavery.org/2007/actionsign and fill in your details.

The International Slavery Museum was officially opened to mark the International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade yesterday.

For news about the memorial day, turn to page 13