Minister Grange leads Jamaica reparations delegation to UK
Key Points(5)
- Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport Minister Olivia Grange is leading a Jamaican delegation to the United Kingdom as the country steps up its push for reparations for the enslavement of Africans during the colonial era.
- The Privy Council remains Jamaica's highest court.
- According to the Ministry of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, the petition does not seek payment but represents a new legal approach to Jamaica's longstanding reparations campaign.
- “This novel legal approach is being taken after years of deliberations and is intended to ensure the long outstanding settlement for the hundreds of years of the most horrific abuse that our African ancestors endured - the gravest crime against humanity,” Grange said.
- While in the UK, Grange is also participating in an ecumenical church service focused on remembrance, justice and repair at New Park Road Baptist Church in South London on Sunday, September 6.
Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport Minister Olivia Grange is leading a Jamaican delegation to the United Kingdom as the country steps up its push for reparations for the enslavement of Africans during the colonial era.
The visit is timed to coincide with the filing of a petition to King Charles III on Monday, September 7, asking him, in his capacity as Jamaica's head of state, to refer three questions concerning the transatlantic chattel enslavement of Africans in Jamaica to the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council.
The Privy Council remains Jamaica's highest court.
According to the Ministry of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, the petition does not seek payment but represents a new legal approach to Jamaica's longstanding reparations campaign.
“This novel legal approach is being taken after years of deliberations and is intended to ensure the long outstanding settlement for the hundreds of years of the most horrific abuse that our African ancestors endured - the gravest crime against humanity,” Grange said.
While in the UK, Grange is also participating in an ecumenical church service focused on remembrance, justice and repair at New Park Road Baptist Church in South London on Sunday, September 6.
The service coincides with the anniversary of the 1781 voyage of the slave ship Zong, which sailed from the West African coast toward Black River, Jamaica.
During the voyage, crew members threw at least 132 enslaved Africans overboard in what became known as the Zong massacre.
“September 6 is an historic day,” Grange said. “We cannot forget the victims and the survivors who made it to Jamaica, nor how the crew of the Zong threw at least 132 enslaved Africans overboard in an act of mass murder that was representative of the horrors of the slave trade in Africans.”
Grange is expected to lay a floral tribute in honor of the victims.
The minister will also meet with officials from the British Museum to continue discussions about the repatriation of Jamaican artifacts taken to the UK during the colonial era.
“They are priceless, they are significant to the story of Jamaica, they belong to the people of Jamaica and we are working to bring them home,” Grange said.
The Jamaican delegation includes representatives from the Office of the Attorney General and the National Council on Reparations, as well as officials from the culture ministry.
