Jamaica demands compensation from the UK for years of slavery

Kingston- Government Jamaica Will petition the Queen and the government United kingdom They demand reparations to the people of African descent in its lands for the role the ancient empire played in the transatlantic slave trade that reached its shores.

It is estimated that at least 600,000 Africans were captured and taken to work on plantations of sugar cane, bananas and other crops that created great fortunes for their British owners.

“We expect reparations in all the ways one would expect if you really want to ensure that justice is done for the damages our ancestors suffered,” he said. Olivia BarnMinister of Sports, Youth and Culture during an interview.

This petition was launched by a special proposal of the legislator Mike Henry who fought most of his career against bondage and its implications for the Caribbean country.

According to Henry’s estimates, about 7,600 million pounds were needed in repair, as this was the amount he paid United kingdom to slave owners when he officially abolished the practice bondage in 1834.

For this payment, the government United kingdom I borrowed 20 million pounds from the treasury to compensate the slave owners for the inconvenience of not enslaving Africans, and the interest on this loan was fully paid in 2015.

While the descendants of the enslaved did not receive any compensation.

“I demand that slaves be paid the same amount as slave owners,” said Henry, a member of the ruling Labor Party. Jamaica.

This request was supported by the country’s opposition National People’s Party.

“Our African ancestors were forcibly removed from their homes and suffered unprecedented atrocities in Africa to perform forced labor for the British Empire,” Grange added. “Reform is long overdue.”

This demand also coincides with the increased efforts of some in Jamaica Officially severing ties with him United kingdomThus, although the country gained independence from the British Empire in 1962, after more than 300 years of British colonial rule, Jamaica It still belongs to the Commonwealth and retains the Queen as head of state.