We must not apologise for reparations demands

I remain unapologetic in my support for, and advocacy around, the issue of reparations for the victims of the genocide of the indigenous people of the Caribbean and the inhuman trade in African people. It is my fervent hope that the vast majority of the Caribbean people, here and in the diaspora, will adopt a similar attitude, because we must be positive if we are to succeed in this historic quest.

It is the great irony of our times, and a major tragedy at that, that the victim is being made to feel guilty for crimes perpetrated against them. Even the prominent opinion-shapers among us, who one would expect to see at the forefront of the reparations claim, are somewhat hesitant. Perhaps this has to do with the way that the issue is being approached by our governments – governments in which they place little confidence. But our claim to reparations is bigger than the Caribbean Community and Common Market (CARICOM) or any individual government or leader.

We will have to blow our own trumpets in this regard; no one is going to blow them for us, and the battle for reparations may very well turn out to be a protracted one, in which our unity of purpose and determination will be critical. Our first battle will be to convince ourselves of the justness of our cause, for one of the lasting effects of colonialism and slavery is that we lack confidence in ourselves as a people. Perhaps if the late John F. Kennedy or Bill Clinton had endorsed the claim to reparations, many more of our own would have found it more acceptable.

All kinds of red herrings are being strewn in our path, creating more confusion as we try to map the way forward. Among them is the spurious argument that we are not likely to succeed in our claims. Well, all I can say in reply is that there were slaves who doubted whether they would ever be freed and, whilst desiring freedom, thought it wiser not to be clearly identified with the fight to end slavery.

A lot of this confusion in the minds of many of our people stems from the fact that we are yet to fully comprehend the lasting effects of genocide, slavery and colonialism - and how they relate to our condition today. It is really no fault of ours; our education system was not designed to so enrich our understanding. The result is the rather simplistic view that ‘slavery ended nearly 200 years ago so we should stop harking back to the past’. Associated with this view is an acceptance of the rape and plunder of the Callinago and Garifuna people and their resources. Those people lost land, culture and dignity and are still among the poorest here, in Dominica and Guyana. Do they not have a rightful claim to reparation?

At the recent CARICOM Heads meeting, held here two weeks ago, a document prepared by the Caricom Reparations Commission (CRC) was approved. This document, the Caribbean Reparatory Justice Programme, is a 10-point action plan which simply sets out what the reparations claim is all about. It is a very important document in terms of helping our people to understand the issue. Strangely, and here I continue to harbour grave concerns about how we are going about the reparations business, not much publicity has been given to the document. Even our journalists seem to be focusing more on the issues related to marijuana and the St Kitts/Nevis situation, than on publicising the document.

But my reservations about the handling of the reparations issue do not in any way undermine my staunch belief in the righteousness of the cause. I urge the various national committees to publicize the 10-point plan, so that it can be known by all exactly what it is that we are seeking. In particular, we need to respond to the false and dangerous idea that this is all about money, and that if we succeed, the distribution of funds will lead to in-fighting and disaster.

For the record, the 10-point plan makes it plain that ‘international reconciliation’ is part of the process, that Caribbean people ‘have a duty to call for reparatory justice’, and that ‘the persistent harm and suffering experienced today by these victims’ (of genocide and slavery) is ‘the primary cause of development failure in the Caribbean’. If we came to understand this, we would realize that, notwithstanding the failings, shortcomings or even misdeeds of our post-independence leaders, we are poor because of our historical experiences.

This is what those who profited from plunder refuse to acknowledge, to apologize for, or to compensate the victims and their descendants for. Hence, the reparations claim is a just call, and must begin with ‘the offer of a sincere formal apology by the governments of Europe’ (Point number 1). We must not be ashamed or timid; we are the wronged.

I implore the Reparations Committee and the media to educate our people by publishing and publicising the 10-point plan.

* Renwick Rose is a community activist and social commentator in St. Vincent & the Grenadines.

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