Caribbean and African entities request reparations for slavery.

Rashaed Esson

Staff Writer

August 4, 2023 – Reparations were requested for slavery and its legacy in today’s society by representatives from African and Caribbean entities that came together joining forces at a historic event in Bridgetown Barbados.

The entities were, The University of the West Indies (UWI), the Economic, Social and Cultural Council of the African Union (AU), Barbados’ government, grant-making network Open Society Foundations and the Caribbean Pan African Network and they united and made the “call for reparations for historical crimes”.

Hilary Beckles, head of the CARICOM reparations commission expressed the importance for reparations saying,

“This is a historic moment… humanity cannot go forward with all the toxic interferences of colonisation.” She further stated that “We have to clean up this mess to allow humanity to function.”

The CARICOM reparations commission, which was set up to seek reparations from former colonial powers such as the United Kingdom, France and Portugal, highlighted that slavery is the reason for the suffering of descendants today. It “sees the persistent racial victimisation of the descendants of slavery and genocide as the root cause of their suffering today,” as pointed out in its 10-point reparation plan.

Similarly, the EU described slavery earlier in July, as a “crime against hunanity” expressing the need for reparations for the “untold suffering” caused.

This was further expressed by Youssouf Mandoha, AU official who stated that “It is crucial to recognise how slavery, colonialism and racism intersect and impact the lives of Black people around the world.”

It is crucial to note that the idea of reparations or making other amends for slavery goes back in history. However, the movement is gaining momentum worldwide and a good example of this is where Barbados relinquished Britain’s late Queen Elizabeth as head of state in 2021 and renewed its campaign for reparations.

The meeting which lasted  from Monday to Thursday, included strategy sessions and plenaries and marked the beginning of an “intercontinental campaign”, according to  UWI a statement, further describing it as “ground-breaking.”

Furthermore, it resulted in a proposal for a roadmap for cooperation between the AU and CARICOM, as revealed by UWI statement.