Panellists: Time ripe to push reparations

by David Hinkson

As Barbadians join their counterparts in the United States and other parts of the world in celebrating Black History Month, some believe that now is the ideal time to promote the importance of reparations.

This was the general consensus of a panel discussion hosted recently by the Barbados National Task Force on Reparations.

During the discussion, Shane Archer, Vice President of the Democratic League of Young Socialists, the youth arm of the ruling Barbados Labour Party (BLP), stated that “Black history should be celebrated all the time, not just once a year.

“Black History Month as we know it is an American thing, but we here in the Caribbean have a different perspective because the nature of the slave trade here was different from that in the United States.”

He noted that the Barbados National Task Force on Reparations was guided by the ten-point CARICOM plan for reparations, which touched on issues like education and economic enfranchisement, and he said the CARICOM committee was now working on the economic enfranchisement element.

“We recognise the importance of this because our young entrepeneurs in many instances lack the knowledge to build businesses and sustain them in the long run, so they need the tools that will enable this.

“We also need to look at exactly what we will do with these reparations funds once they come in to build up our countries, for example in terms of building hospitals, stadiums, and providing scholarships.”

Taahir Bulbulia, who recently returned from a Barbados trade mission in Dubai, also touched on this.

“We must ensure that any funds coming for reparations benefits the country as a whole, and not just Government officials.”

He also made the point that sports has been a pillar for national development over the years, but some athletes in certain disciplines still faced racial prejudice.

He stated that during his time in Dubai, “I realised that people have a lot of respect for the Barbados brand, given the successes of Rihanna, the impact of some of Prime Minister Mia Mottley’s speeches on the world stage, and the fact that Barbados has produced more West Indies cricketers than any other country in the region.”

Simon Alleyne acknowledged that Black History Month was important since our foundation was in Africa.

“When the slaves came here, they brought their history, culture, food, music and all aspects of their lives with them, in short, their entire civilisation.

“When you acknowledge that, then you get a real understanding of who we are as a people. Many of the leading entertainers in the world today are of African descent, and several of them also have their roots in the Caribbean.”

He also noted that members of the creative sector had begun exploring new avenues in which to promote their work since the COVID-19 pandemic, and said that it was important that they remained true to themselves.

“The more you share your message, the more people can relate to it, even years from now. You don’t need to copy anyone else; find your own voice, and your own ways of expressing yourself.”

Poet Akeem Chandler-Prescod echoed these sentiments. “Black history is history overall, but the problem is that history is always written by whoever wins a fight, so they spin the narrative to suit themselves. As I got more exposed to black culture, I put more of what I learned into my work.

In the past we had people like Langston Hughes and Maya Angelou who spoke of the black experience through their work in a truthful way, and Black History Month gives us a chance to shape our own narrative on world affairs and how they have affected us and continue to do so.”

Meanwhile, Firhaana Bulbulia said: “Black History Month is one of the few times Muslim women get the opportunity to share aspects of their culture with other Barbadians. For example we go into the schools and teach the children how to tie scarves and put on the hijab, and we see that as an opportunity to build bridges between the different races in Barbados. It is also important to note that 20 percent of the slaves and indentured servants who came to this island were Muslims.”

Picking up on that point, her brother Taahir said the lack of awareness about that religious denomination was such that, “If a black man becomes a Muslim, his family might say: ‘Why are you getting involved in that Indian thing?’ since they do not know that the Islamic faith actually began in Africa. We must also note that Muslims have played a major role in building
this country over the years.”

Gabrielle Gay said black history was synonymous with education.

“If we go back 500 years, it was illegal for slaves to read, and this was done because the best way to disenfranchise people was to starve them of opportunities to learn for themselves.

The more educated we became, the easier it became for us to get into places we could not go before. To my mind, education is the nucleus of a society’s progress.”

Moderator of the discussion, La Shawna Griffth, stated that “The National Task Force on Reparations will be going into the schools to teach more about black history, in our efforts to sensitise Barbadians to the importance of reparations, and also teach Barbadians anti-racist practices and the role of black and Indian culture in the development of the Caribbean over the years.”