Bridge to the past

As Barbados and the rest of the Caribbean work towards seeking reparations and reparatory justice for the trans-Atlantic slave trade, there is an appeal for young people to play an active role in the discussions and to have their proposals and ideas on the subject go beyond mere words.

This was the view shared by the panellists when the National Task Force on reparations held the third in its series of discussions on the topic recently, this time bringing in two representatives from the Caribbean Regional Youth Council (CRYC), Shamar Wedderburn and Ashleigh Onfroy, both of whom hail from Jamaica.

Wedderburn, who is presently the Vice Chairman Elect of the organisation, said he first got involved in the youth organisation just before the Covid- 19 pandemic hit the region at the start of 2020. “I was introduced to CRYC about three months before Covid-19 came, and I must say that the pandemic brought to the fore just how bad things have been all along, in terms of economic issues, domestic violence, mental health and psychological issues people were facing. But it also showed us that despite the difficult situation, we can still thrive so it motivated me to get other young people up and help them achieve their goals.”

In terms of his role as Vice Chairman, where he will oversee policy and advocacy, Wedderburn said: “We recognise that there are still a lot of young people who don’t really understand what reparations are all about. There are some who know about it but haven’t really engaged the topic deeply, in that they may think of it as the United Kingdom giving us money for this or that, and then some view it with apathy because we have been talking about it for years and nothing seems to be happening.”

His colleague Onfroy, who is the Board Member Elect responsible for Communications and Information, said she decided to get involved in the council after attending one of their meetings and being inspired by some of the speakers she heard. In identifying one of her goals in her position, she stated: “We want to have a communications policy, because there are some young people out there with brilliant ideas, but they need the chance to bring them out effectively, so I want to start a newsletter highlighting not just the regional council, but the other nine councils in the Caribbean that make it up as well.”

Ashleigh Onfroy and Shamar Wedderburn

In terms of her views on reparations, she noted that, “I have always been enamoured with history, and I have uncovered some previously hidden truths as a result of that. Yes, we have to acknowledge the fact that the legacy of slavery kept us back in so many ways, but how do we move on from that? Yes, we may have our Caribbean identity, but there is a part of us that we still don’t deal with, and once we get that right, then it will take us where we need to be.”

Wedderburn added: “More than ever we have to decide for ourselves to act; we cannot afford to have anything else disenfranchise us now. We must get perspectives form young people and the way you can feed into their perspective is through education at all levels, primary, secondary and tertiary. Apart from having us speak on platforms about it, whether social media or traditional media or in public fora, we believe policy makers must always have young people banging at their doors, and we also want to have our views put in writing, the opinions of youth from all over the region, so that that can inform the decision-making process from our perspective.”

Another panellist, Simon Alleyne, said one of the ways forward for the Caribbean in terms of developing our economies coming out of the pandemic would be for the region to create its own digital currency. “Our Prime Minister has spoken about the importance of creating a digital wallet for all Barbadian citizens, but I suggest that we take the idea further and that the Governments of CARICOM should agree to create a digital currency for the entire region. We will still hold on to our respective currencies, but this will make it easier for us to trade with each other and will also enhance our digital knowhow, and it will represent an investment in our technological infrastructure that will enhance the regional integration process.”

Simon Alleyne

Meanwhile, Programme Advisor in the Office of Reparations and Economic Enfranchisement, Rodney Grant, lauded Wedderburn’s suggestion of holding a Caribbean Youth Forum later this year. “We definitely need more regional conversations on this matter at all levels, and if there is a way that we can get all the youth in the Caribbean to come together in a symposium and come up with concrete ideas that we can put into action, that would be good.

“There is nothing wrong with a Caribbean youth programme on reparations running alongside the CARICOM ten-point plan; our young people represent the bridge we have to cross over to make this fight meaningful.”