by His Excellency, Ambassador Arley Gill
Chairperson, Grenada Preparatory Reparations Commission
As we commemorate another Emancipation Day here in Grenada — we must stop and acknowledge the significance of the day as a people — descendants of a rich and storied heritage and legacy.
We must always remember that our history and heritage did not begin with slavery and that our ongoing struggle for freedom from injustice and oppression is rooted in a past coloured in resistance and resilience. The many uprisings and rebellions that our enslaved ancestors led and, in many instances, won — are a testament to the legacy of strength, courage and determination willed to us by our forebearers.
This year in particular, the global movement for Black Liberation epitomised by the Black Lives Matter movement and energized by the murder of George Floyd in the United States, is a chilling reminder, I believe, that the blood of our enslaved ancestors is fuelling today’s global march toward justice and liberation.
Indeed, Emancipation Day is a day to celebrate our ancestors’ freedom from chattel slavery and it is also a day of remembrance and reflection.
As we look back at how far we have come as a people — from enslavement to emancipation; and, as we look confidently toward the future, those who committed heinous crimes against humanity — by kidnapping and enslaving millions of Africans and trafficking in people for profit — must be held accountable. They must be called upon to redistribute the unearned wealth accrued on the backs of our ancestors and to make just recompense to nations still at an economic disadvantage almost 200 years since slavery ended in Grenada and throughout the British Empire.
The time for Britain and other European nations to settle the debts owed to our nation and other countries in the region is long overdue. Emancipation Day is a reminder that our fight to earn what our ancestors were so unjustly denied is of utmost importance. We must approach reparations in the region with a sense of urgency and we cannot stop — and must not stop — until justice is served.
I encourage each and every Grenadian to continue honouring our ancestors’ legacy today and always through our culture, our history, our undying quest for true freedom — mental, economic and political — and by calling for reparations from those who devalued and disregarded the lives and humanity of our forefathers and foremothers.
HONOUR THE LEGACY OF OUR FOREBEARERS—REPARATORY JUSTICE IS A MUST!
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The Europeans perpetuated the myth that Africans had slavery to make themselves feel better. True history should be taught so that these myths could be eradicated.
Africans had open-air homes and buildings, due to the hot climate. Europeans had enclosed buildings. So Africans had a form of indentureship as a form of TEMPORARY prison due to debt, raids, etc because they could not put those captured into prison.
The African prisoners were absorbed gradually back into society because they worked toward gaining their freedom, marrying, making money, owning lsnd, and most importantly, having FREE children.
Despite not being Christians, Africans had a more humane version of prison. The Europeans, on the other hand, put their prisoners into cold dark dirty cells, invented torture devices to use on them, starved them and restrained their movements as they could be crammed into a very small cell with other inmates who would abuse each other.
Africans did not have slavery based on race. They didn’t have a system where people were forced to do back breaking work from dusk to dawn, being abused not only to death, but the European Christian system cruelly created the system to pass the slavery status on to children. All because they loved money too much.
Also, the Africans selling others into slavery had NO idea of the kind of brutal torture going on overseas. But when they found out, MANY tried to stop slavery, like in the city of Benin, orders were give to kill any European who set foot in the city, once they found out what evil intentions they had.
Slavery has not ended for Afro-caribbeans. It just evolved. When slavery ended, the masters, charged Carribean countries very high interest loans, charged excessively high taxes, kept the land ownership away from the
freed slaves so that they would starve on the land they worked on, paid them as little as possible, which is still going on today, even when trained to the same standard. After slavery ended, they contributed nothing to help build infrastructure on the island, but took the funds back to Europe to enrich their countries. Every Black person in the UK paid for their ancestors’ freedom through taxes till 2015. The British government kept it secret until a worker from the Treasury put out a damning tweet about it. The ensuing uproar made them erase it. But the damage was done. Black people today had paid for their own ancestors’ freedom.
Imagine a kidnapper and his descendants forcing their captive and their descendants to pay for not only their own freedom, but the wages that the kidnapper owed them but kept for himself and his descendants. Historian David Olusoga has excellent TRUE historical perspective on what really happened.
Slavery ended because the Europeans invented machinery to do the work. They found it was CHEAPER to keep the Africans in their country to work them to death like King Leopold of Belgium. The Brits used their oldest, slowest ships to catch slave traders from kidnapping more Africans because they didn’t want to lose profit from the African workers working on the soil. Lastly, slaves were rebelling and refusing to work.
So much of the povery in the Caribbean today is due to extortion, looting and theft of African lives, wages, resources, and bodies. It never ended! Those protesting reparations have an agenda.
We know of certain ones who enjoy seeing Black people in misery because it makes them feel superior. If Black people are lifted up in society financially, these people will have no one to look down on and they mistakenly fear Black people more successful than them will return the favour and sneer at them.
It is a pity we talk these talk every year. As mi mother use to say all crabs come out of their hole. Lets stop being hypocrites and as Bob Marley says ‘ Emancipate yourself from mental slavery, none but ourselves can free our minds.”
It is time to leave behind thoughts of reparations from long-distant actions; ignorant, selfish, misguided and cruel though they were. It engenders negative thoughts in life now and for future generations who, with luck, will simply forgive and live for the now. I have loved Grenade for nearly 30 years; its people know how to live.
Nigel, If we were to get so-called reparations, please sign over your share to me. Thanks in advance.
The Africans who sold their brothers knew about slavery. Think again. When one tribe defeated another tribe in war the losers were enslaved by the winner. They were not allowed to be free. This is not a case of putting blacks against each other. It is fact.
WOW! Did the Africans willfully/ willing sold their brothers and sisters or other tribal groups into slavery or was it a matter of cohesion. What these people knew of slavery? Did they intentionally sold them for that purpose? My contension is No. This is an excuse to blame the black man for his own demise.
What of the Africans who sold us Ambassador Gill. They owe us too. What is even more painful is that they have not acknowledged their part and is to some extent seeking benefits from the wealth built form on the back of Joseph’s children, their blood cries out from the graves in land and sea, there is no justice unless Africa too pays for their deeds.
Like Juda’s twenty pieces of Silver it never prospered them. Yet they are to be held accountable.