The 44th CARICOM Heads of Government meeting took place in the capital last week. At the conference the topic of reparations was discussed.
At a press event held at CARICOM Dominican Prime Minister, Roosevelt Skerrit spoke on the issue. “There’s no doubt we believe as Caribbean people that some kind of recompense need to be provided to us for the many atrocities of slavery.”
Skerrit went further saying, “the reality is its an important question which has to occupy the mind of all Caribbean people and to appreciate our history and the atrocities which we have gone through as a people. I don’t think we should only accept apologies or recognition that a wrong was done. If a wrong is done to you and you go to court then you’ll get compensation and I think we have to start looking at these things from that vantage point.”
Also speaking on the issue was Barbadian Prime Minister, Mia Mottley who said, “…I think that our engagement with Europe has to be at a level where, as I said, we place these matters for mature consideration recognizing that we are the victims now of a double jeopardy, as Prime Minister Skerrit just said, that it was the blood, sweat and tears of our people that financed the industrial revolution and it is very same consequences of the industrial revolution that are causing us now this existential crisis.”
