St Lucia PM makes the case for Slave Trade Reparations

Anthony gave CARICOM's perspective on Slave Trade Reparaton
Anthony gave CARICOM’s perspective on Slave Trade Reparaton

The ground-breaking study on the abolition and emancipation of British West Indian slavery, Capitalism and Slavery, by Dr Eric Williams was recently the framework for an address on CARICOM’S political stance on slave trade reparations.

UWI Graduate, Dr. Kenny Anthony, Prime Minister of Saint Lucia, spoke on “Reparations and 21st Century Development: The Silence Is Broken and We Speak to the World” at the 16th Annual Eric E. Williams Memorial Lecture at Florida International University (FIU).

Although published in 1944, Dr Eric Williams’ book, Capitalism and Slavery is a study on the abolition and emancipation of British West Indian slavery. Popularly referred to as The Williams Thesis, the book established the contribution of Caribbean slavery to the development of both Britain and America, continues to inform today’s ongoing debate and is referenced in arguments on the slave trade reparations. It has been translated into eight languages including Russian, Chinese, Japanese, Turkish, and this year, Korean. According to the New York Times, the book was “years ahead of its time…this profound critique is still the foundation for studies of imperialism and economic development.”

In a determined and measured fashion, entirely consistent with his legal background, Dr. Kenny Anthony addressed CARICOM’S perspective. He discussed recent precedents of reparatory justice made by Great Britain to the Mau Mau freedom fighters of Kenya – to the tune of 20 million pounds sterling; and the payment of some 455 million dollars to an indigenous community in the United States. The most well-known case of compensation for historical wrongs, of course, remains that of the Jewish Holocaust for which, as late as 2013, Germany had agreed to pay survivors almost 800 million euros.

“These awards suggest,” stated the Prime Minister, “that the world has begun to understand and accept the idea of compensation…[for the] ‘value extraction’ … wealth, labour, liberty, dignity, and everything else [wrested by] one section of the community, the free section …from the enslaved community.” The most egregious example of reverse reparatory justice can be found in Haiti, which won a war of national liberation and was declared a free nation in 1804. In its independence constitution of 1805, the world’s first black republic promptly abolished slavery and slave trading and declared them crimes. In 1825, after 21 years of nationhood, Haiti was forced by the French led pro-slavery international community, to agree to pay reparations of 150 million gold francs (later reduced to 90 million) to former slavers in France – for the loss of their ‘property.’ Haiti’s ‘debt’ was not satisfied until 1947, almost a century and a half later, leaving the small island nation seemingly intractably impoverished and the national psyche irreparably wounded.

FIU’s annual Eric Williams Lecture honours Eric E. Williams, distinguished Caribbean statesman, consummate academic and historian, and author of several other books. He was also the first Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago and an Honorary Graduate of The UWI. It seeks to provide an intellectual forum for the examination of pertinent issues in Caribbean and African Diaspora history and politics and is supported by The Eric Williams Memorial Collection Research Library, Archives and Museum which is located at The University of the West Indies, St Augustine Campus.

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23 Comments

  1. History or His Story
    November 8, 2014

    I wonder how many of us have read Sir Walter Rodney’s book, “How Europe underdeveloped Africa”, or Sir Eric Williams’, ” Capitalism and Slavery.”

    The so called developed nations did not get to where they are today because of pure ingenuity or sound economic policies. They systematically exploited groups of people.

    In the 18th and 19th century African slaves in the Caribbean were oppressed purely to produce and enrich their European masters. When these colonies subsequently gained independence they were ill equipped with the resources necessary to effectively run a state.

    According to the IMF paper, Caribbean Small States, “Many Caribbean economies face high and rising debt to GDP ratios that jeopardize prospects for medium-term debt sustainability and growth. ”

    Given these economic challenges and the history of the region, I think it is high time that we be compensated for our oppression.

    Before we use history to argue against reparations, we must first ask ourselves, who wrote it.

  2. UDOHREADYET
    November 7, 2014

    I’m all for reparations if its equitably distributed and paid for in free university education for descendants of slaves numbering in generation from the time their ancestors were freed, to debt forgiveness for Island nations owing debts to former colonizers, as well as business investment and development of the infrastructure of said countries by their former colonizers establishing equal dealing of trade between each other. finally 0% interest loans for island governments to be out towards paying off debts owed to other countries (non-colonizing nations).

  3. The Facts
    November 6, 2014

    We are not forgetting our history. I wished I knew my African and French ancestors, also the one who was a slave master. By the time I was born, this ancestor was long gone – passed on. I only heard of him and the others through an elderly family member.
    As I have previously stated, our heritage is that of two different races, at least, the majority of us, if not all of us.
    My message to the St. Lucia PM is: “Frankly, I could not care less and I am not interested in this reparation.” They assume that all islanders are interested.
    The so-called white man could not have taken the Africans from their homeland were it not for bribing African men to catch them. They used these people as baits. These are the ones who should really pay reparation but they have died and who knows, may be punished eternally for what they did to their very own, selling their souls for a little money.
    Let it be and leave well alone. Let our African ancestors rest in peace. For the sufferings they underwent, their souls may be in Heaven anyway while some of their masters may not be.
    The St. Lucian PM better not open a can of worms for much discrimination took place among our very own people which I will not elaborate on.. If he wants me to testify I will but it will not be in his favor.
    He does not have my blessing and encouragement. I want nothing to do with this reparation.

    • Nac Vibes
      November 6, 2014

      The Foolish and The Wise.

      You need some serious lessons in Black history and if you are indeed of Afrikan linage, it saddens me to hear a bredrin repeating the false lies of the slave masters.

      You might want to take a look at the only book which chronicles our resilient Black Race “The Holy Bible” to start educating yourself.

      I will however agree that this reparation drive should be left alone because our redemption will not come from that but untill we turn our heads back to our creator. The book of Deuteronomy chapter 28 verses 1 to 68 will guide you, for we, the resilient Black Race are the real Jews of the Bible and the Bible is our history.

    • UDOHREADYET
      November 7, 2014

      The facts. you are in fact forgetting your history. Whether you’re interested or not interested willing to stand up for people whom you are a part of who suffered immeasurably, worst of which were the Arawak race which were wiped out entirely and the Caribs who only survived in Dominica. You are in fact forgetting your history and your ignorance on the matter is mirrors the same ignorance as those who committed crimes of kidnap, rape, murder, slavery, beatings, war, disease to and against innocent people for hundreds of years. UDOHREADYET!

  4. Rabbit
    November 5, 2014

    Who told you we were sold into slavery by our own brothers? Africans never sold their brothers into slavery. It was a religious mindset that sold Africans into slavery. Islam is the reason Africans were sold into slavery because muslims don’t see anybody that is not a muslim as their brother . I am not here to keep class so examine what I mean by what I wrote. The european jew got reparations & so did the Japanese. Reparations is a must.

  5. Duncekyat
    November 5, 2014

    That reparations tune won’t win the Crown, but it might get Road March.

  6. Morihei Ueshiba
    November 5, 2014

    Don’t give dem a dime, they too Corrupt, their people will never see the money, better u deal thru a chaitable organization.

  7. weh weh
    November 5, 2014

    if we read the history books we would see that we were made slaves by our own people….
    we were sold by the various tribes in africa to the white man for guns and trinkets…..
    so if any one owes us anything its the black men in Africa whol sold us….

    • Nac Vibes
      November 6, 2014

      And who wrote the books from whence you got your information. Stop believing the centuries of lies that has kept us down and still is keeping us down. Next you will be telling me our Lord Jesus was white.
      Read and understand our History book “The Holy Bible” there you will find the truth of who we are and why we are seen as the bottom of the pile by all other races

      • UDOHREADYET
        November 7, 2014

        Nac Vibes… you hit the nail on the head… these guys are so blind they cannot even understand that what they know is they are taught by the people that put them where they are. The greatest trick the devil ever did was to make people believe he wasn’t real!

      • out of south city
        November 7, 2014

        We are so confused that it is no laughing matter. If we really knew our history we would not be talking the way we do. All the three major religions (Christianity, Islam and Judaism) played a major role in the African slave trade). Futhermore the story books that we have been reading are those of the Europeans and they have purposefully hidden our history from us because they knew that we were a great people with a rich history. Africa had civilisation when these war-mongers went to capture our ancestors. Our ancestors were forced to capture each other because the Europeans had the gun.
        It is said that when they went to Africa, they had the bible and the gun. They asked the natives to close their eyes and when they opened their eyes, the natives had the bible and the gun and the Europeans had the land.
        The bible that we hold and cherish so dearly is not our history book. How could those who oppressed us give us a book to save and deliver us? This book has been used to further keep us in bondage and unless we give it up we will never be free in our minds. Our history, as far as spirituality, is written in stones in the pyramids of Egypt and that’s where the Europeans copied the story, plagiarised it and gave it back to us in bible form. Our ancestors were a spiritual people but they did not believe the jesus story. They were already one with creation and were in harmony with nature before the so-called jesus came on the scene.
        The jesus picture that so many cherish is a painting that Michael Angelo did of his cousin and the jesus story came about during the Council of Nice in 325 A.D. (“History of the First Council of Nice; A world’s Christian A.D. 325”)
        The Europeans had no civilisation but were living in caves while Africa was already civilised.
        The Europeans’ story has misled us and continues to do do so.
        We need to do our own research and stop depending on the Europeans to tell us who we are. As long as we believe them, we will never be free.
        ONE LOVE

    • UDOHREADYET
      November 7, 2014

      weh weh… its your ancestors that sold other Africans to slave traders, they even sold themselves that’s why you’re here talking about being sold by Africans. So if i were Arab and I sold you my daughter and instead of treating her like a wife you abused , raped, enslaved, beat, demoralized, miseducated and killed her for you own gain. Do not think that I should not just as a father who loved his daughter but as a business man, should receive compensation for the loss of a daughter and the abuse you did to her. one step short of taking your life for her life?

  8. de zoet
    November 5, 2014

    noble words to cover demagogic intentions…Entire idea of compensation is based on extremely squalid premises: compensation or any form of reward are useless in terms of repairing damage done by the slavery. Another billion of dollars distributed among Eastern Caribbean island will do nothing good for such benighted place as the Caribbean. Entire idea of compensation is an entertainment for uneducated peasantry minds. But idea of something for free is very attractive for Caribbean mentality – free bonanza always seen as divine intervention but never as an evil misfortune.
    If St Lucian PM really wants to do something to repair damages then he could start from St Lucia with complete reform of educational system, public administration etc…Maybe he could build a normal public library for people St Lucia and increase amount of people reading books and using their own brains instead of listening of another political leader appealing to emotions and avoiding facts,logic and common sense…

    • UDOHREADYET
      November 7, 2014

      your negativity and complacence is noted!

  9. Massacre
    November 5, 2014

    It is about time we receive some payment for what our Fathers did over 4 hundred years to enrich people who have clearly turned their backs on us.
    The wealth that the so called “third world” enjoys today is directly related to the abuse of our people. Yet all our resources were taken away from us and we were left in poverty to fight for our selves without raw materials.
    WE need a collective voice here!

    • Anonymous
      November 5, 2014

      Sit and wait. In the meantime, I will work to make myself a better person.

  10. Anonymous
    November 5, 2014

    Give it rest. It is not going to happen, so focus your energy to develop your country.

    • Massacre
      November 5, 2014

      It is about time we receive some payment for what our Fathers did over 4 hundred years to enrich people who have clearly turned their backs on us.
      The wealth that the so called “third world” enjoys today is directly related to the abuse of our people. Yet all our resources were taken away from us and we were left in poverty to fight for our selves without raw materials.
      WE need a collective voice here!

      • Duncekyat
        November 5, 2014

        Psssssst (whisper, whisper), we were sold to the Europeans by our own African “brothers”. So while we are at it, we need to appeal to African states to contribute to the reparations fund. And their contribution needs to be exponentially larger since selling your own brother for silver is much more morally reprehensible than a stranger enslaving you.

        And oh (whisper, whisper), don’t forget to tell the Caribbean national leaders that they need to compensate the indigenous people of the region for squatting on their land while relegating them to a sliver of dirt as they try to survive through economic slavery.

    • St.Joerph
      November 5, 2014

      It was people like you ,who sold he own people to the captors in the first place.
      Are you ashamed of your pass? Do you even tell your kids whence where and how they came from?? Yes it happened already, but we do not have to forget.
      No other race forget their plight! I don’t know why it is that we tend to want to leave our history behind.

      • out of south city
        November 5, 2014

        Yes, I agree with you. We are the only race of people who want to forget our history, a history that’s second to none. The thing is, we do not know our history because we were not told our history but rather European history. The Europeans know our history and have kept it from us. They had to go to Africa to learn about civilisation because that’s where it all began. They were living in caves while Africa was civilised. We know Africa as the dark continent and everything else that’s negative so we are ashamed of Africa. Africa was the first in civilisation and everything else as far as education was concerned.
        Our ancestors were forced to capture each other because if they didn’t they would be killed by the guns that the Europeans armed themselves with.
        I don’t think we can tell our children what we do not know. We should be proud of our race, rather than thinking that we are the worse in the world.
        After doing my research as far as Africa, I can say that I am proud to be of the African race because my history is richer than any other on the planet. Africans were the first people on the planet and every other people came from Africans.
        We need to know our history and stop thinking in the Europeans’ box. Our history did not start with Christopher Columbus. In fact, he was engaged in the slave trade as well. ( Christopher Columbus and the Afrikan Holocaust; Slavery and the Rise of European Capitalism), by John Henrik clarke.

      • Nac Vibes
        November 6, 2014

        And the Lord shall bring thee into Egypt again with ships, by the way whereof I spake unto thee, Thou shalt see it no more again: and there ye shall be sold unto your enemies for bondmen and bondwomen, and no man shall buy you.

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