Caribbean leaders are preparing to press the issue of reparations for slavery and colonialism at the upcoming Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Antigua and Barbuda, where King Charles III is expected to attend.
The issue gained renewed momentum this week as regional leaders, activists and scholars gathered in Barbados for the Third CARICOM Regional Conference on Reparations, held from September 17–19. The conference is focused on advancing the Caribbean’s campaign for reparatory justice and follows a United Nations resolution adopted in March that recognized the trafficking and racialized chattel enslavement of Africans as the gravest crime against humanity.
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Barbados Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley has hosted discussions involving policymakers and campaigners on strategies for pursuing compensation and other forms of reparatory justice. Delegates at the conference have indicated that Caribbean governments intend to place reparations on the agenda when Commonwealth leaders meet in Antigua and Barbuda next month.
The push comes days after Jamaica formally lodged a petition addressed to King Charles seeking legal guidance on the country’s historical slavery claims. The petition asks for consideration of whether the transatlantic enslavement of Africans in Jamaica was lawful under English law, whether it breached international obligations and whether the United Kingdom has a legal obligation to provide a reparatory remedy.
Jamaica’s Culture Minister Olivia Grange, who led the delegation that delivered the petition in London, has emphasized that the filing does not itself seek a specific monetary payment. Instead, the government is asking for legal determinations that could inform what it describes as an appropriate remedy for the historical and continuing consequences of slavery.
The regional campaign has received support from other Caribbean governments, which have for years pursued the CARICOM Ten-Point Plan for Reparatory Justice. CARICOM Secretary-General Dr. Carla Barnett said the region’s position is that reparations involve recognition, accountability and transformation, rather than being limited to financial compensation.
Britain’s position remains that it will not pay reparations. A UK Government spokesperson said earlier this month that while the transatlantic slave trade was abhorrent and its historical wrongs should be acknowledged, Britain would continue working with other countries on present-day challenges rather than making reparations payments.
With the Commonwealth summit approaching, Caribbean governments are expected to use the gathering to seek greater international attention to their reparations claims. The discussions are likely to test how far the region can advance the issue within the Commonwealth while Britain maintains its opposition to financial reparations.
