Days ago, on August 1, we celebrated Emancipation Day and the enormous and indelible contribution of Afro-Guyanese to the development of Guyana. This year’s celebration came amid intensified conversations on reparations, and this, for me, is a welcomed development.

At the end of July, the University of the West Indies (UWI) joined forces with the Economic, Social, and Cultural Council of the African Union (AU), the Barbados government, the Open Society Foundations, and the Caribbean Pan African Network to bolster the call for reparations.

This combined effort was viewed as historic and much-needed. It shows deepening cooperation among crucial stakeholders: those in the African continent, where millions of Africans were taken to provide unpaid labour under horrible, inhumane conditions, and those in the Caribbean, who are the descendants of the people brought here and enslaved. This meeting follows another one held in Brussels, Belgium; there leaders from the European Union- Latin America and the Caribbean addressed the matter and there were some hints of the provision of reparations. No definitive commitments were made, nor was any direct responsibility assumed however.

Still, I think these meetings show that progress is being made. Increased international reporting on the matter, such as a reparations story printed on the TIME magazine cover, helps. And it is about time we see more progress.

Ten years ago, in 2013, countries part of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) decided they would advocate for reparations from Britain, a nation once a dominant colonial power in the region and one whose development was fuelled by the exploitation of people and resources in the Caribbean.

Through the CARICOM Reparations Commission, chaired by Sir Hilary Beckles, the bloc has been advocating for these reparations through a 10-point plan that outlines what reparations are being called for and why.

To summarise, the plan articulates the need for reparatory justice for people in the Caribbean. And the ten points are: a full and formal apology; repatriation to Africa; the development of cultural institutions; addressing the public health crisis, illiteracy eradication; the Development of an African knowledge programme; psychological rehabilitation; technology transfer, and debt cancellation.

These reparations are needed to help people- especially those who live with the historical trauma and ramifications of enslavement- heal.

Right here in Guyana, there have been calls for reparations. Local Afro-Guyanese interest groups, for example, have been working with CARICOM, and its reparations commission, to demand reparations.

President, Dr. Irfaan Ali, in his Emancipation Day message this year, said his government remains committed to the struggle for reparations.

He said, “We demand that those who were complicit in and who profited from the trade in captive Africans and African enslavement pay just reparations.”

And he acknowledged the work CARICOM has been doing to push for reparations.

“The Caribbean Community (CARICOM) has been at the forefront of demanding reparations for the descendants of enslaved Africans. Within the region, there has been a concerted effort to seek both the acknowledgement of and redress for the injustices inflicted as a result of the slave trade and slavery,” Dr. Ali stated too.

Other Heads of Government across the region also talk about reparations. However, this shouldn’t come as a surprise since the commission falls under the aegis of CARICOM.

I’m no expert or authority on the matter, but I do believe that an increased focus on reparations becomes even more important with each passing day because of the legacy of enslavement and colonisation and the nexus between that legacy and our region’s underdevelopment. Our countries are not developing at a fast enough pace to help people live better lives as envisioned under the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and certainly not fast enough to withstand the events of worsening climate-related disasters.

Reparations, it is envisioned, will help countries fund developmental needs while addressing some of the psychosocial concerns of those affected by enslavement and colonialism. Therefore, I think it is important for more people to understand and appreciate the call for reparations and support bona fide efforts being made to demand those.

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