Outgoing Caricom Chair rejects “Haiti fatigue” and calls for reparations

by Curlan Campbell

• Dickon Mitchell reflected on Caricom’s history of advocating for human rights
• Rejected “Haiti fatigue” in the face of ongoing civil unrest and gang violence
• Called on European colonial powers to formally apologise and provide reparations 

Caricom’s outgoing Chair, Prime Minister of Grenada Honourable Dickon Mitchell, called on European colonial powers to formally apologise and provide reparations for their role in the transatlantic slave trade.

This statement was directed to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, who was among heads of government, ministers, delegates and specially invited guests at the 48th Regular Meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government of the Caribbean Community (Caricom) in Bridgetown, Barbados held on Wednesday.

Prime Minister Mitchell’s statement on reparations was linked to his earlier plea for Caricom leaders to support Haiti, rejecting what he called “Haiti fatigue” in the face of ongoing civil unrest and gang violence. Haiti currently lacks both a president and a parliament. He said that Haiti’s current plight isn’t the people’s fault alone; it’s the result of extensive systemic oppression. “So many [in the] international community may be suffering from what is called Haiti fatigue, but until and unless we accept that a large part of what has happened in Haiti is not the doing of the people of Haiti, we in the Caricom will not accept or encourage or support Haiti fatigue.”

He reiterated the importance of supporting Haitian’s right to life, liberty, and decent living conditions while highlighting the historical significance of Haiti in the fight against slavery and the need to support its recovery. “Make no mistake, Haiti symbolises the revolution that changed this part of the world. Had it not been for Haiti,” PM Mitchell said, “The idea that one human being could own another human being as a chattel slavery and put him to work for their profit may very well still be persisting.”

Mitchell also discussed reparations for the transatlantic slave trade and the enslavement of Africans, directly addressing European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. “The issue of reparations for the transatlantic slavery and the enslavement of African peoples and black bodies, as my comrade Ralph [Gonsalves] likes to say, is an issue that we will take up with you, and we are doing so in hands of partnership, and we are doing so in the cause of humanity because as long as we do not openly and explicitly reject the idea that one human being can own another human being, we run the risk that idea may somehow take root again,” he said.

Mitchell emphasised that as members of Caricom, we have a responsibility to ourselves and future generations to recognise the transatlantic slave trade and the enslavement of Africans in the Caribbean, Latin America, Central America, South America, and North America as crimes against humanity. He affirmed the need for appropriate apologies and compensation to be made, and called on the international community to acknowledge that such atrocities must never occur again.

While condemning slavery as a crime against humanity and asserting the inviolable dignity and rights of all people, Von der Leyen’s response notably omitted the question of reparations. “Slavery is a crime against humanity…and the dignity and universal rights of every single human being is untouchable and must be defended by all means.”

Caricom, through the Caricom Reparations Commission (CRC), has proposed a 10-point plan for reparatory justice, continuing the growing global demand for accountability for Europe’s genocidal role in the transatlantic slave trade.

In his concluding remarks, Dickon Mitchell reflected on Caricom’s history of advocating for human rights, highlighting past efforts to support South Africa against apartheid and to lift the embargo on Cuba.