by Ras Dakarai
Please let us be clear that our reparations are entirely due to the restitution owed for the charges of crimes committed to our people, namely — human rights violations, kidnapping, child labour, human trafficking, rape, paedophilia, human harvesting, plundering, desecration and genocide among others.
The quantum of such restitutions (reparations) ranges in the sums of trillions of dollars, and the financial institutions and governments of the guilty parties ought to be prepared to set aside budgets to commence the reconstruction of the health, educational, infrastructural, agricultural, scientific and cultural sectors of the descendants of chattel slavery.
On account of these crimes, our existence as a proud and peaceful people was obliterated to the point of us becoming a clone of the so-called conquerors in whose images we still see fit to defend at their command. So much so that we are willing to sacrifice our warriors at the behest of the puppet masters’ instructions and fancy.
Our programming was/is so severe that the mere thought of regaining our self-esteem and dignity as a people to be counted as equals amongst mankind scares us for the very fear instilled in offending our oppressors.
Some of us walk around like peacocks celebrating our “successes” of assimilating to these distorted realities, instead of spending time rediscovering the true meaning of self-worth, which is who we are as a people and what will preserve our future generations on the world stage.
Sadly, we relish in bureaucratic conversations of ridiculing ourselves and trying to convince each other that the measure of our destiny can only be realised through the validation of our captors.
Shamefully, however, we still join others in celebrating their glorious history, traditions and achievements, and not for a second stop to pay homage to ours, much less to include same in our school curriculum even today. If the old adage of charity begins at home applies to any real construct, then why are we only offered symbolism instead of substance at every juncture?
If we were to take a page off the books, hypothetically speaking, of other nation-states today, and analyse their strategies, the common denominator would be the looking inwards, preserving their own cultures and motivating their people towards self-reliance and, most importantly, defending it militarily if necessary.
Our disposition as a confused and disoriented people was by design through politics, commerce, and most notably, greed. The institutions established were all geared toward domination, subjugation, and exploitation. Until and unless we are prepared to take the bold step, to first accept that only we as a united people can liberate ourselves; and stop accepting handouts in the form of platitudes, grandstanding, and showboating, study our great history, culture, and our ancestors’ contributions to civilisation.
The defiling of our culture came with a price both to us and the culprits who perpetrated it. Said culprits built “empires” still in existence today, and they are willing to defend their ill-gotten “treasures” through cunning, tomfoolery, deceit, trickery, and empty promises. We, on the other hand, ought to be willing to go to war if necessary to preserve our future, our resources, and YES, to collect our inheritance, the debt owed which is long overdue — namely REPARATIONS.
It’s good to know and witness that s debate has begun about slavery of our people and Reparations for same.but it’s also amazing and sometimes disquieting how some of our people will attempt to make excuses about the History of slavery and who was involved in it throughout the centuries.however note this .Chattel slavery was practiced by one race Caucasians and on one people Africans . We need to wake up and stop making excuses about what has happened to our people not by accident but by design perpetuated for centuries without remorse up untill today by some nations .It is said Hitler killed a million Jews in the holocaust.we lost over 20 or so million ,thot was an African holocaust beyond one’s, imagination . we are called “West Indians”?and all kinds of names to disorient and hide the evil done to our people .today we hear preachings about human rights and democracy by those who carried out inhumane practices on our people all in the name of so called progress while we digressed into who knows what. So today centuries later we are still fighting for justice and human rights .yet their are those who still think that this is farfetched…give me a break.lets not forget the toil of our great leader Marcus Mosiah Garvey and many of our Heroes domiciled in the Caribbean and elsewhere.”Wake up you mighty race the time is at hand to correct these wrongs”