The price of slavery in the Caribbean

Caribbean nations seek reparations for damages related to Atlantic slave trade.

Saint Vincent and The Grenadines Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves addresses the 68th session of the General Assembly at United Nations headquarters on September 27, 2013. Gonsalves and other Caribbean leaders used the event to call attention to the region’s push for slavery reparations. (EPA/MARY ALTAFFER /POOL)

What is the legacy of slavery in the Caribbean, and can it be repaired by reparations? Fourteen Caribbean countries are suing their former European colonisers and seeking payment for damages rooted in the slave trade. Leaders of the campaign say the money would go towards development projects. Many feel there is a moral case for compensation, but how strong is the legal case? Join the conversation at 19:30 GMT.

In this episode of The Stream, we speak with:

Jomo Thomas

Chair of the St. Vincent and the Grenadines reparations committee

Martyn Day @LeighDay_Law

Senior partner at Leigh Day law firm

www.leighday.co.uk/Our-experts/partners-at-ld/Martyn-Day

Gelien Matthews

Lecturer at the University of the West Indies history department

sta.uwi.edu/fhe/history/GelienMatthews.asp

Attillah Springer @tillahwillah

Writer

tillahwillah.wordpress.com

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