Introduction to Reparation for Secondary Schools

No study of Caribbean history can becomplete without an examination and appreciation of the topic of reparation.The opposition to reparation by former colonial powers and others, though, means that the demand for it is an ongoing struggle. Reparation, however, isthe final link required to close the circle which began with two of the worstcrimes in human history (indigenous genocide and chattel slavery) and must endwith atonement and restitution by the perpetrators on the one hand, andredemption for the descendants of the victims on the other. Otherwise, therecan be no true peace. As reggae singer Peter Tosh declared, "Everyone is cryingout for peace, no one is crying out for justice. . . . I need equal rights andjustice."