A welcome commitment to reparations for the crimes against humanity

As Guyana joined other Caribbean nations in observing 183 years since the emancipation of enslaved Africans, President Dr. Irfaan Ali stated that Guyana recommits to the goal of gaining international reparations for the crime of African enslavement.

The President highlighted this in his Emancipation Day message last Sunday, which, if you follow the reparations movement in the Caribbean, is the first time this new administration stated its support for the reparations to be given for the crimes against humanity.

These crimes, of course, were the centuries of forced transportation to the Caribbean and enslavement of African people on the plantations, exacerbated by the horrible treatment these Africans experienced while on the plantations. The Caribbean movement for reparatory justice also focuses on the crimes (genocide) committed against the region’s indigenous people.

It was important, for me, that this commitment was made on the eve of the President’s first anniversary in office. This, in my mind, means that he will direct some of his attention over the next four years to join his Caribbean counterparts in advocating for the meaningful advance of reparatory justice.

And, because I am more hopeful than most, I believe that this isn’t a political gimmick or some false commitment. My reason being, again, he said it just as he was observing his first year in office (and not his last year, ahead of new elections) and also because he was not asked about this by some journalist, for example. It was his own routine message on the occasion of Emancipation day.

As usual, cognisant that reparations are still a foreign concept that many of us are not knowledgeable of, please permit me to provide some context.

Caribbean enslavement lasted for hundreds of years, involving a system of forcibly bringing enslaved Africans from West Africa to the Caribbean- Guyana included- and forcing them to toil on the plantations.

European nations profited as these enslaved Africans toiled on the plantations and suffered extremely harsh and inhuman treatment. In Guyana, that meant that the British and the Dutch were enriched when the sugar, for example, was produced and sold in Europe.

Contextually, reparatory justice relates to the action of making amends for a wrong done, by providing payment or other assistance to those who have been wronged.

As I have written about several times before, Reparations have been something that the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) has been advocating over the past few years through the CARICOM Reparations Commission (CRC). And through CARICOM’s 10-Point Action Plan for Reparatory Justice, the Community is seeking to have the nine European nations that exploited the Africans and Indigenous people pay for the injustices.

In July, the new Chairman of CARICOM, Prime Minister of Antigua and Barbuda Gaston Browne made a strong call for climate reparation against the backdrop of the natural disasters that have plagued the Caribbean just this year.

According to the Prime Minister, the volcanic eruption in St. Vincent and the Grenadines, the massive flooding in Guyana and Suriname, and the recent passing of Hurricane Elsa have underscored the region’s vulnerabilities. And, these natural disasters, he explained, adversely impact lives and livelihoods in the Caribbean, constantly placing the countries of the region in a precarious state.

Climate reparations are not separate from the push for reparations; it is part and parcel of the movement for reparations.

I am not unaware, however, that many people believe that enslavement was a long, long time ago and that we should just forget about it and move on. I disagree with this notion because I am aware of research that supports the position that many of the Caribbean’s pervasive issues- including health issues (owed to the poor diet on the plantation)- are linked to enslavement.

Furthermore, Caribbean countries are debt-ridden and that is because of the economic structure they inherited (during colonisation which followed emancipation). Importantly, too, enslavement was a long period of treating Africans as though they were less than humans and not- deserving human beings and as such, we see systems of white supremacy and black prejudice plaguing our societies till today.

And, as President Ali said in his message, Emancipation Day remains a constant reminder of the debt that is still owed to Africans and their descendants. As a Guyanese and a Caribbean citizen, and a student of history, I believe that these statements and commitments by the President and the CARICOM Chairman are important. And I hope we will all work towards reparatory justice.

If you would like to connect with me to discuss this column or any of my previous works, feel free to email me at vish14ragobeer@gmail.com

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