AROUND the 1660s, African enslavement began and this was the genesis of a racialised system of chattel slavery which spurred the horrific Trans-Atlantic slave trade, native genocide and outright violations of human rights. The effects of this are still being felt 180 years later and the Caribbean region has sought reparatory justice.

Now what exactly is reparatory justice and why are we calling for it now?

Here’s where pursuing History for the Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examinations (CAPE) shows its brilliance. This past academic year was the first year the Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC) introduced the study of Caribbean reparations in our syllabus. And with moves apace from the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) to challenge European powers, the practicality of History comes to the fore.

Let me try to paint a clear picture without going full History nerd. Chattel slavery meant that the Africans were mere pieces of property, used at their owners’ discretion. The colonists were free to transport and use their property as they desired. For years, Africans who came to the Caribbean suffered; they toiled for their masters’ comforts and with barely any consideration for their rights as humans (Did I mention they weren’t actually considered human?).

But from 1823 when Amelioration was introduced, maybe, just maybe, the imperialists decided to listen to their conscience and accept that enslavement was just wrong. A great Caribbean leader, Dr. Eric Williams, however, advanced that enslavement came to an end because it simply was not profitable enough. The cheap, manual labour was hindering the wave of industrialisation and crops could be produced at a significantly lower cost for the planters.

If the end of enslavement was guided by a guilty conscience, then it illustrates that the Europeans acknowledged that the system was inhumane. And if the end was prompted by the capitalists’ influence, then again the use and abuse of Africans manifests again because they were like broken toys just discarded after they lost their purpose. Do you see the picture?

But it doesn’t stop there, not by a long shot. You see, enslavement might have ended 180 years ago but to this day its effects are still felt.

Emancipation came but poverty ensued. The plantation legacy exacerbated the harsh working and living conditions faced during life as free people. And let’s not forget that the enslaved people were for the most part- not educated or trained.

Now the Heads of Government of CARICOM, in 2013, established the CARICOM Reparations Commission (CRC) which serves as a governing body to provide advice and coordinate the overall strategy, as well as national and regional activities to pursue reparations for the injustices that occurred through enslavement and because of enslavement. And through the Ten-Point Action Plan for Reparatory Justice, the Community is seeking to have the European powers that exploited the Africans and Indigenous people pay for the injustices.

Historian and Caribbean man, Sir Hilary Beckles chairs this commission and has been spearheading the moves to hold the foreign governments accountable. In a lecture at the Oxford University, he stressed: “Most of [the Caribbean’s] public expenditure is about cleaning up what we call the colonial mess.”

And what exactly is this mess? Consider for a minute that female-headed households are more susceptible to poverty, and this family type grew because of the pervasive experiences on the plantation where male absenteeism was the norm and females had to lead the family. Consider that Africans are more susceptible to some health issues because of their poor nutrition on the plantations. Consider that cultural, educational, economic and technological advancement has been stunted. Consider the lasting psychological damage. And consider most of all, that Africans were taken from their homeland and forced to work without redress and that they died easily alongside the thousands of natives who were decimated.

So when we celebrate Emancipation, we are not only celebrating mere freedom. We are celebrating the strength and fortitude of our ancestors to surmount insurmountable circumstances. And now, to be truly free from the shackles of the legacy of enslavement, reparations must be the avenue we take.

And I know for a fact that there are many things that money cannot compensate for, but I believe the underlying symbolism is that responsibility has been taken for past misdeeds and efforts are genuinely being spared to correct these wrongs.

The CARICOM action plan calls for a full and formal apology, first and foremost. It details that the governments must work to repair all stunted development and damage done. Aside from being the right thing to do, it is a debt owed. These European countries made their wealth at the expenses of millions of enslaved Africans and they ought to repay their debt.

And though the concept of Caribbean reparations is slowly manifesting, it must be something that all Guyanese must get behind. It will pave the way for the progression of the entire society. Better must come.