The CARICOM Reparations Commission (CRC) has issued a strong call for the United Nations to observe a Second International Decade for People of African Descent, as the current Decade comes to an end this year. This announcement comes as the CRC joins in celebrating Africa-CARICOM Day, a day dedicated to honoring the shared history and strong bonds of culture and ancestry between Africa and the Caribbean Community.
The CRC’s message highlights the significance of the Inaugural Summit of African and CARICOM Heads of Government held in September 2021, which established 7 September as Africa-CARICOM Day. This summit also articulated a vision for a united Global Africa, emphasizing people-to-people connections, increased trade, investment, and travel between the two regions.
The spirit of Pan-Africanism continues to shape CARICOM-Africa relations and the work of the CRC. The Commission’s Ten Point Plan for Reparatory Justice has inspired initiatives to facilitate the reconnection and resettlement in Africa of African-descended people from the historical diaspora. These initiatives have also raised awareness of the reparatory justice agenda on the African continent, addressing the crimes perpetrated by European colonizers during the trans-Atlantic slave trade, chattel slavery, and the genocide of indigenous people in the Caribbean.
Education is recognized as a cornerstone of the shared future between Africa and the Caribbean. The CRC encourages academic exchanges, joint research initiatives, educational partnerships, and scholarships through its Ten Point Plan to bridge the knowledge gap and promote a deeper understanding between Africa and her diaspora. Cultural collaboration is also a priority, with the CRC supporting the development of cultural institutions and the return of cultural property to African countries and communities.
The CRC celebrates the richness and diversity of African and Caribbean heritage and creative industries, acknowledging the profound impact of African cultural expression on global heritage. Through Africa-CARICOM Day, the CRC continues to champion the cause for reparatory justice, emphasizing the need for CARICOM and Africa to act together in advancing their joint claim for reparations.
The African Union’s designation of the theme for 2025 as “Justice for Africans and People of African Descent Through Reparations” aligns with the CRC’s call to action. Reparations are seen as essential to restoring the dignity of victims and their descendants, dismantling structural racism, and providing redress for systemic injustices and inequality.
The CRC’s call for a Second International Decade for People of African Descent underscores the ongoing need for global recognition and action to address the historical and systemic injustices faced by people of African descent.
That’s what they all keep telling us while you enjoy ill-gotten wealth (I can tell your a Black with a job, good for you. But how far back?
We’ve been looking back to the days of jesus. Big mistake? No wonder we are still poor and broke while privileged people gloat that we should have moved on from even jesus of 2000 years ago.
Should we go back just 10 years?
@Guenter Martis, below.
I am wondering how long the population of the Caribbean wants to take the past with them. Yes, the Europeans have created a huge tragedy , no doubt and no one ever will deny that. But the people living today on the Caribbean islands have everything in their hands to create their own life. Why constantly look back? Look ahead of you, raise your head, put your back straight and live your life. Looking back hardly ever brings a solution. It usually stops any development, mentally and therefore also in reality. People have enormous capabilities and they need to be enabled to discover them, to develop them, to live them in their specific environment. It does not help to look at others first. First you need to look at yourself. You will discover all the beauty and force you need to proceed and to go your way. Trust in yourself, you will make it! Let us quote Nike when they started their business: JUST DO IT!
I wish you the best of luck and a bright future.