Emancipation National Reparations

Fre today's event I am bus and will be your host for this special event in observance of the United Nations International Day for Remembrance of the Trafficking of Kidnapped Africans through the transatlantic chatt slave trade and its abolition. We will also today honor one of St. Lucia's most prolific calypsonians her black for his song calling for reparations now that has for over a decade helped instill in St. Lucian a better understanding of why cariccom nations are demanding reparations from Britain and Europe for slavery and native genocide. We therefore welcome all joining us online and we acknowledge the presence of our in-house guests including members of the national reparations committee. Herb Black is Cecil Charles of Toot the Takeover Tent. also Ja Frederick of the National Emancipation Committee and the Cultural Development Foundation and members of a delegation representing the takeover tent as well as the National Emancipation Committee, the CDF like I said and staff of course of the GIS and NTN without whom today's program will not have been possible and we will also be having messages from the secretary general of the United Nations as well as from Dr. Jun Sumer and Ambassador David Kisang. But before we start today's event, let's review and preview the NRC's events for Emancipation Month 2026. and we urge you to please save the dates for those to come. We start off by pointing out that the NRC's first event for this year's fourth annual National Observance of Emancipation Month was a press statement on the 183rd anniversary of the birth of Marcus Messiah Garvey and that was on August 17th. The statement also coincided with a rally held by the ayanola council for the advancement of Rastaparay which took place in Miku. IA is a member entity of the NRC and its second celebration continued on Saturday, August 22nd with a market day in the vicinity of the Castries Market and its third event is planned for a grand musical concert at the Derek Walcott Square on Saturday, August 29th. and the ICAR is represented here today by its president Aaron Alexander. On Monday, 31st August 2026, the NRC will observe the United Nations International Day for People of African descent. And we will launch also on that day, the last day of this month, the second decade for people of African descent in St. Lucia. August 31st marks the end of Emancipation Month 2026, but the NRC also plans another major related 2026 event. This time on Saturday, October 17th to observe the 90th anniversary of Marcus Garvey's visit to St. Lucia and that was in 1936. All three NRC events will be hosted on this platform right here on NTN. So again, we urge you to save the dates. We have no set date yet uh for our firm plan to launch a national reparations song contest across all genres to encourage more spread and better understanding of reparations. Her black has set the pace but this contest will be with no musical limits. It will not be limited to calypso, reggae, zuk and or jazz but will include any type of music in any form. We will invite presentations in our local abos traditional music drum and poetry solo renditions and of course denry segment which has secured a unique place for St. Lucia in the upcoming fourth Caribbean music awards festival to take place in Trinidad and Tobago and that is later this year in fact next month. The festival will be hosted, like I said, in Trinidad and Tobago. And it will be from September 18th to 20th for the first time in the Caribbean because all of the previous three have been held in New York. Here again, save the date, September 18th to 20th. And for more on St. Lucia's Denry segment and next month's Caribbean Music Awards. See related articles on the website saskaonline.com sascaonline.com. And just as we plan to adopt Her Black's song as our national reparations anthem, we are also in touch with Gordon Henderson, leader of the Exile One band from Dominica to also adopt their everlasting hit Nutrai Puay as our quail reparations anthem. On another point to note, both Herb Black and Exile One's reparations hits are 45 years old this year. And the NRC, yes, we'll we will acknowledge that from our in-house audience. 45 years old this year. And the NRC also plans to work with the Caraccom reparations commission of which we are a member to promote a regional Caribbean reparations song contest. This will be to encourage more musicians and music-minded youth and students across our region to script and sing songs like the mighty Chuck Dust Grandfathers Backpe and others from great Caribbean artists from Bob Marley and the Whers to Jimmy Cliff and many others too numerous to mention. All of that said, we now start today's program on a musically spiritual note with the following once ina-lifetime historic live performance by two of the greatest jazz performers in the world. In fact, two of the latest jazz performers the world has ever known because they are no longer with us. and they'll be delivering a song we dedicate to the memory of the late great Marcus Messiah Garvey. So here's Louis Armstrong and Mahalia Jackson with just a closer walk with thee. had a great man that has given America, one of the great arts of the world, jazz, this great contribution, not only America but the world. And I want to sing this song because he happened to be from my hometown. A man with a warm smile, a man that everybody loves. And if you don't love him, I don't think really know how to love. And I want to dedicate this song to him just a closer walk with thee to Louis Armstrong. a closer grizzly granny Jesus if you please daily walking close with love. Let it be love. De love let it be. Every day I say just closer walk within the love grant and granting the you know I'm daily long I'm daily walking lord it Let it be love and weak but thou are strong. And she please keep me from her wrong and I be saddest for a long and I can walk. Just let me walk Lord. Every day I pray a closer walk with thee. Oh Lord, grant it to you. All of you please walk it like let it be Lord. Oh dear Lord let it be. Oh, when help when my fever liv oh oh and time time for me know it won't be no more won't be no more I won't you guide me Lord guide me deadly to thy kingdom. Thy kingdom I plead a closer walk with thee. Help me. Oh grant it. Hallelujah. We are just closer. Walk with me. I got Oh, great. Jump. Heat up here. Oh, heat, heat. Sing it one more time. I'm with the end. Yes, I >> I'm weak. >> Was weak. >> I was strong. >> I was down. >> You can keep me out for tomorrow. >> Oh, please keep me >> long. I'll be satisfied as long. >> This is I satisfied. I been wonderful, baby. Wonderful. We want to keep in the rain. >> Yes. >> Oh, hello darling. >> Swinging mama. >> Oh, look at him trucking on out that gate. Got them full of red beans and rice. What a evening folks. >> Wonderful evening. >> Keeping away with me. Oh, listen. New Orleans cat swinging on and down. And everybody sing when we do that. Sorry. Sorry. The United Nations International Day for Elimination of Racial Discrimination is observed on March 21st every year. And this year, 4 days later, on March 25th, the United Nations General Assembly passed a historic UN resolution declaring the trafficking of kidnapped Africans through transatlantic tatel slavery as the greatest crime against humanity. The resolution was presented by Ghana on behalf of the African Union with support from CARICOM among the 123 member states of the United Nations that voted in favor with 52 abstensions and only three against Britain and the European Union member states that built empires off the transatlantic slave trade. abstained and the three votes against were United States, Israel and Argentina. The heavily supported resolution calls for the following. First, formal state apologies for historical enslavement. Second, restitution or return of looted cultural property and artifacts. Thirdly, consideration of compensation and reparatory justice measures. And fourthly, addressing contemporary systemic racism and inequalities linked to colonialism. It was a great day for African and Caribbean history which set the stage for us today to be able to upend by turning upside down the so-called great triangle that built Europe off enslavement of Africans. reversing the so-called middle passage that saw millions of kidnapped Africans possibly taken to the Caribbean and the Americans and shutting the doors of no return in Africa and opening today the new doors of return that welcome people of African descent everywhere to return home and find their roots. Carrickcom played a significant role in supporting the African Union resolution at the historic UN General Assembly session. And when we talk about the opening of new doors of return this year 2026, Barbadian and Caribbean global superstar Rihanna did exactly that. She flew to Africa to produce an ineitable music video album that includes this selected piece appropriately called Back to My Roots. And here it is. Sol tonight my m Mama. City lights. Lost my rhythm chasing the stars. But my spirit whispers low. There's a place my heart still knows. Golden dust under my feet. Echo rising every voices in the wind. Tell me where my soul begins. I hear the drums in my veins calling me back again. Through every road I roam, I was never alone. Take me back to my roots where the river sing the truth where my name feels brand new. Back to my roots. Let the fire light my way. Dancing hard. The rain. I'm alive when I choose. back tomorrow. Barefoot dreams on sacred ground. Every heartbeat is a sound of the love I left behind. I was rising strong and kind. Colors burst in twilight. I see my story in their eyes. No more running from my past. I found where I belong at last. Feel the rhythm in my chest. Like a drum that never rests. Every step that I take leads me home to my grave. Take me back to my root where the river sing the truth. Where my name feels brand new. Back to my roof. Let the fire light my way. Dancing freely. I will stay. I'm alive when I choose. Back to my root. I'm call >> rise again. I remember singing it louder from the I power. Heartbeat drum beat louder now to my roots. I take a bow. No more shadows in my view. I see life in every you. I am home. I am true. I'm back to my rooted. Hey, I'm Dr. Call my name tonight. Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey. Lost my rhythm, chasing the stars. But my spirit whispers low. There's a place my heart still knows. Golden dust under my feet. Echo rising every voices in the wind. Tell me where my soul begins. I hear the drums in my veins calling me back again. Through every road I roam, I was never alone. Take me back to my room where the river seems the truth where my life feels brand new. Back to my room. Let the fire light my way in the rain. I'm alive when I choose back to my root. Barefoot dreams on sacred ground. Every heartbeat is a sound of the love I left behind. Out with a rising strong and kind. Colors bursting twilight skies. See my story in their eyes. No more running from my past. I found where I belong at last. Feel the rhythm in my chest. Like a drum that never rests. Every step that I take leads me home to my grave. Where the river sing the truth where my life is brand new. Back to my room. Let the fire light my way. Dancing free. I will stay. I'm in love when I back to my room. >> Mama call me my rise again. I remember >> singing louder from the soil. I got the power drum me. I take a bow. Oh yeah. Yeah. No. No. No. No more shadows in my view. I see life you. I am whole. I am true. I'm back to my root. >> What a lovely piece. But go to YouTube and enjoy the rest of this great album that like Herb Black's song significantly promotes reparations. So why do we highlight Rihanna? because Barbados Prime Minister Mia Mley is the chair of the Caraccom Prime Ministerial Subcommittee on Reparations which through the CARICOM Reparations Commission CRC which the NRC is part of plays a key role in promoting the Caribbean's movement for reparatory justice globally. Indeed, in the past 10 years, thanks to the work of the CRC and the PMSC, CARICOM's 10point plan for reparatory justice, which was developed in 2013, has become the most important and popular global human rights and reparations template of the 21st century. So what's happened since the March 25th resolution? Several things. One, Ghana hosted the next steps conference on the 18th of June where the African Union and CARICOM together took another historic step. the joint adoption of Caraccom's 10point plan for reparatory justice which has now become a global manifesto for the coming enlightenment and I have a a copy of this here which I can share with you and copies will be made available currently being printed and will be made available by the CARICOM reparations commission and here by the National Reparations Committee. Secondly, the CARICOM summit here in St. Lucia in July of this year hosted a special reparations forum on July 6th where the world learned more about the region and Africa's common quest for reparatory justice. And thirdly, the CRC met on August 18th to further promote the region's repar reparations cause. So where do we go from here? We want to next present the messages that are due for today. And what's the best place to start off than with the message for the 2026 UN International Day of Memory of Transatlantic Chattered Slavery by the United Nations Secretary General Antonio Geres. Here he is. >> Today we commemorate the victims of a staggering crime. Millions of people stolen from their families and communities in Africa, trafficked across the Atlantic. And if they survived the journey, enslaved in the Americas. Millions more were born into bondage, brutally exploited for their labor, and denied their basic humanity. We honor their quiet resilience and courageous acts of open resistance. This global order prevailed for over 400 years and halts our world even now. in systems and institutions shaped and enriched by chattal slavery, in social and economic inequalities rooted in past injustices, and in biases that permeate our culture and impact us all. On this international day of remembers of the victims of slavery and the transatlantic slave trade, we are called to confront these legacies by rejecting the false narrative of racial difference and the ugly lie of white supremacy. By dismantling racism online, in the media, in schools, at work, in politics, and within ourselves, and by working for truth, justice, and repair. I welcomed initial steps by some governments to address the consequences of slavery, but far bolder actions by many more member states are needed, including commitments to respect African count's ownership of their own resources and steps to ensure their equal participation and influence in the global financial architecture and the UN Security Council. Together, let us commit to a world where all people live and thrive in dignity. We have two more messages. The next is from St. Lucia's ambassador Dr. Jun Sumer and after her will be from Barbados's ambassador to carryom Mr. David Kisong. >> Mr. Earlb, chair of the St. Lucian National Reparations Committee. other members of the committee. Distinguished ladies and gentlemen, I would like to thank Mr. Urbus for inviting me to speak on the occasion of the commemoration of the United Nations International Day of Remembrance of the victims of slavery and the transatlantic slave trade. This forced journey of millions of Africans was a wellorganized human trafficking enterprise which commenced in 1502 when the first documented enslaved person was brought to the Americas. It legally ended in 1888, the final year of state sanctioned enslavement in Brazil. This coming to an end of the most dehumanizing trafficking of Africans did not end the inhumanity inflicted on the people considered cattle or property. Now 219 years since the British officially ended their trafficking. We continue to reckon with an entrenched systemic racism that does not even acknowledge that people of African descent have a mind and remains intent on the erasia of their history and contributions. I want us to recall the first part of redemption songs by Bob Marley. old pirates. Yes, the rabbi sold thy to the merchant ships and reiterate that it was this human trafficking in African bodies and its partner cattle enslavement which set the foundation for the growth of European empires, American hedgemony and colonial expansion. Some perpetrators may not have had ships, but they invested in companies who were involved in transportation or plantation internment and in manufacturing goods for their cruelty, including producing the chains and the torture instruments used on those ships. We now know that there were over 36,000 such voyages. The debate over numbers is still ongoing but does not diminish the trauma faced by the enslaved in those bottomless pits. It is estimated and verified by many sources that about 15 million Africans were removed from Africa and transported across the Atlantic to the Americas. And this does not include the 2 million who were victims of the crossing. Note that this enterprise also involved removal of people from villages to the coast and the new figures estimate that approximately 60 million people also died in Africa. The extent of this holocaust can be seen in the British West Indies with the British landing approximately 2.6 million enslaved people in the Caribbean during that time but emancipating 800,000 in 1838. In other words, ladies and gentlemen, only 25% survived. Black bodies were expendable as they seem to be an endless supply. This genocide that started on the continent continued on the 5,000 mile passage. or waterways strewn with drowned black bodies thrown overboard because they were in short bodies or because some preferred to perish in the sea than to be enslaved. Even closer to home, the Caribbean Sea flows with the blood of our ancestors. 6 ft long, 16 in wide, and about 3 ft high was the space allotted to each enslaved person. 5,000 miles was the length of the journey. Three months was the duration of the voyage. The majority who faced the terror were the youth of the continent, young men and women of childbearing age, fit to work on plantations, most between the ages of 10 and 40 while reproducing more enslaved. Ladies and gentlemen, that is the basis for our calls for repart justice. So that when Herb Black sings, how long must black men wait to get reparations now? And calls for what is due for one of the worst atrocities now called by the United Nations, the gravest crime against humanity. We are obliged as a National Reparations Committee to commend his tremendous contribution to the growing discourse on reparations and calls for justice. As we move into the second decade for people of African descent, a decade for reparatory justice, we continue to ask when will Europeans acknowledge their atrocities and move towards repairing the damage they caused as we grapple with underdevelopment, inequality, inequity, fractured sovereignty, racism, and Eurasia. Hope Black's anthem will certainly move the conversation forward and increase the advocacy for reparatory justice in our region. I commend the St. Lucia National Reparations Committee and urge that they keep up the excellent and consistent work with your support. We want reparations and we want it now. >> Greetings. My name is David Kishang and I am the chairman of the Barbadus government's national task force on reparations. I'm also Barbados's ambassador to Kerry Karma. I have been involved in this issue of reparations uh for a very long time. Um I was involved in the 2001 United Nations World Conference against racism um in Durban, South Africa. And that conference was very important in terms of launching the modern um campaign for reparations. Out of out of all of that um as you would know emerged the carryom reparations campaign uh in 2013 and the establishment of the carryom um reparations commission. Barbados established its own national task force on reparations in 2012. Um so when all of this came together in 2013 and and subsequent years, it became clear to us in the Kerrycom region that as much progress as we were making with our reparations campaign that we really needed to bring the continent of Africa on board with us. we needed to bring the African Union on board with us and you know that was not a new insight because um many of us in civil society had been working on that um project for some years. I mean I can tell you that the Caribbean um Panaffrican network CPAN which is a a Caribbean civil society panafricanist network headquartered in Trinidad and Tobago that I'm associated with. Um we were working on that from um our founding in 2004 trying to introduce reparations to the African Union's um CEDO the citizens and diaspora department and the African Union's ECOS the economic social and cultural um u council um and trying to provide them with the information as to reparations and where we were taking it in in in the Caribbean but all all of those efforts to to to develop that partnership with Africa really um came to fruition last year um 2025 at the second Africa Carrycom heads of government summit that was held in Adisaba, Ethiopia on um the uh 7th of September. And out of that summit came this decision of of both AU and Kerrycom to develop the partnership on on on reparations and to go forward together on this issue. And um because of that decision, the African Union established two continental bodies to take forward um reparations. the African Union um uh committee of experts on reparations and the African Union reference group of legal experts on reparations. And in keeping with the idea of a partnership, they invited Ambassador Jun Suma of Kerrycom to sit on the group of experts on reparations and they invited me to sit on their um reference group of legal experts on on reparations. And uh so so so by the end of 2025, I would say the partnership had taken um very solid form. And then in in this year 2026 on the 25th of March um we went forward um basically in collectively to the United Nations. Um the resolution was was um put forward by Ghana but it was then co-sponsored by a number of carry countries. the the the United Nations resolution declaring the um ch the enslavement of Africans and the system of racialized child slavery as the gravest crime against humanity. And that resolution was passed by 120 something um United Nations member states. So that is where we are now. The African Union carryom Africa carryom Caribbean partnership on reparations is has taken shape and and it has already begun um to deliver results and we are looking forward to the third Caribbean conference on reparations that will be held in Barbados next month, September. um where we will further refine this Africa Caribbean partnership on reparations and and go on um to conquer new heights in our journey towards achieving reparations for our people. Thank you very much. >> Thanks to the UN Secretary General Dr. Suma and Dr. Commisong for those timely messages encouraging remembrance. So what next for the global reparations movement at this stage? Still to be observed this year are the following and again save the dates. September 7th will be observed as the fifth African Union cariccom day since its inception in 2021. And around that same time, September 7th, Jamaica will present a petition in London to King Charles as a test case involving the crown, the British crown and the British Privy Council. That will be an interesting landmark case and we can only look forward to the conclusion. Then like I said earlier, well I didn't say earlier from September 17th to 19th will be the third CARICOM reparations conference which will be taking place in Barbados. And like I said earlier from September 18th to 20th will be the Caribbean Music Awards in Trinidad. the fourth but taking place for the first time in CarryCom from October 31st to November 4th. The Commonwealth Heads of Government Summit or the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting called Chog will take place in Antigga and Barbuda to be attended by King Charles in the presence of African, Caribbean and European member states. The King of the Commonwealth, Charles, has long said, and I quote, "It's time for a conversation on reparations." End of quote. And therefore, Africa and the Caribbean will be looking and listening to hear him start that conversation in the Caribbean in Antigga and Barbuda in November. And if you've just joined us today, uh we observing the United Nations Day for Remembrance of the Transatlantic trade of Africans in chat slavery and its abolition. And now we close this first part of today's program with the following fitting tribute to Mama Africa by Andrew Tosh, son of the late great everliving Peter Tosh. Here he is. Mama Africa. Oh why you do mama? Mama Africa. Oh why? Long time no see you mama. You took me away from you mama. Yeah. Yeah. Long before I was born. You took me away from you, mama. Yeah. Yeah. Long before I came on. Yeah. And I said, "Mama Africa, how are you doing, my sweet mama?" Yeah. Mama Africa. long long long time may not see you. There's so many things about you and I'm wondering where you are. I'm trying your best to hide you. Come on. But I searched I found you. Mama, what are you doing my sweet mama? Yeah, mama. Africa. I said a long long long long time may not see you. I've been crying, praying, looking, searching to find you. Said I've been crying, praying and open that I may find you, mama. Mama Africa. Oh. Oh. Are you doing my sweet mama? Yeah, I'm free. >> I said a long long long long time I see you. Can't you see I love you every sweet mama? Yeah mama Africa. I said a long long long long time may not see you. In you there's so much beauty. In you there's so much life. In you there's so many kingdoms. And to me it's out of sight. Mama, >> how are you doing? Mama. Mama. Mama. Every time I see you, mama. Mama. Heat. Heat. And that music video was courtesy a label called Playing for Change. And that came alive during the coid9 pandemic. Uh bringing musicians together from around the world. As you saw, all of those uh musicians singing and playing were in different parts of the world playing at the same time, which was a development that came through COVID when musicians had to stay home and were unable to perform and had to find a way to keep bringing music to the world. So there they were in this particular instance playing the same song together across seas and skies. And I need not ask whether you enjoyed this but will rather say that we all did as we also pay tribute to the late great everliving Peter Tosh and his no less legendary son Andrew. And here we start part two of this special program which will highlight the NRC's adoption of Herb Black's phenomenal song reparations. But why did we choose to do this on this program today in the way that we are doing right now? One big reason among many is to make the Caribbean connection and the connection with St. Lucia as we not only recall the wars of the grievous crime against humanity but also because we need to know that our ancestors fought against that crime long before slavery was supposedly abolished in 1834. So let's look at the Caribbean and St. Lucia elements also worth remembering today. It's important because today observes the evening of August 23rd, 1791 when the revolution against slavery started in Haiti, which 13 years later resulted in the Declaration of Independence of Haiti and the banishment of enslavement. United Nations history records this date in 1791 as the start of the most important revolution that saw Haitians under the leadership of Tusen Lu and Jeanjac Des Sal defeat three imperial armies France, Britain and Spain. 21 years later, France imposed demands for compensation on Haiti. And on that was on April 17th, 1825 when King Charles issued a royal ordinance forcing Haiti to pay a 150 million Frank indemnity to compensate for former plantation owners. to compensate the former plantation owners uh for their lost property and the enslaved persons that they had. That move led to the payment of reparations not to Haiti for slavery but by Haiti to France which almost took 100 years to pay and started the economic decline of Haiti that we still see today. Haiti's rich history is global. Recorded as the world's first black republic and a Caribbean nation that rivaled the USA, United Kingdom, France, and Spain in its time and having contributed to the expansion of the then young United States of America. That rich history was further enriched recently with revelation that Pope Leo I 14th, the head of today's Roman Catholic Church, has deep Haitian roots. His predecessor, Pope Francis, also from Argentina in the Americas, abolished the so-called doctrine of discovery, a 15th century legal code used by the Catholic popes to give the European nations the right to claim land, rule over non-Christian people, and take resources in newly found parts of the world. enacted as a papal bull. That's what it's called, a papal bull in 1452. This doctrine was revised in 1493, one year after Christopher Columbus claimed to have discovered what he called the West Indies. And that paper bull, the doctrine of discovery was given to bless the troops dispatched by Spain to seek new worlds to conquer. The conquestadors were dispatched to our part of the world on ships with red crosses on their sails, transporting killers with swords shaped like crosses and wearing rosaries around their necks to conquer lands, kill native people, and destroy civilizations in the name of the father. But 500 years later, Pope Francis quietly abolished the doctrine that had been used to impose Christianity on native people of his Americas through native genocide. Survivors of the original victims of that genocide have, in my view, not yet made enough use of the openings offered by that doctrine's historic repudiation by the head of the Vatican. However, unlike any pope who preceded the two from the Americas who succeeded each other a year or two ago, Pope Leo recently made statements about the church's role in enslavement of Africans that many in the reparations movement find not strong enough. But there's still room for progressive Catholics, cardinals, archbishops, bishops, and priests to continue to press for more to be said and to be done to atone for the sins of the Vatican that even preceded transatlantic slavery. That said, there's another aspect of history of Haiti revolution that's not attracted the interest of contemporary historians, but which is important for St. Lucia and for the Caribbean and that is the fact that there were several revolutions against slavery in the Caribbean that preceded Hades. For example, in Jamaica, there was the first maroon war of 1725 to 1739, which was followed by Takis war in 1760, also in Jamaica. And the second maroon war of Jamaica between 1795 and 1796. And remember those two dates, 1795 to 1796, one year. There were also the first and second carib wars in St. Vincent and the Grenardines in 1772 and 1773 and again in 1795 to 1796. In Guyana there was the 1763 revolution in Burbis led by coffee. Dominica had its Bala revolution in 1784. But it's important to note too that in the year between 1795 and 1796, there were successive revolts across the Caribbean which were called everything from riots to revolts and rebellions. But they were in fact revolutions and that also included St. Lucia's own successful revolution in 1795. St. St. Lucia's revolution started in Sufre and eventually abolished slavery and that was long before Haiti until the British and French which had previously fought over the island united to quash the revolution in castries in 1796. So the St. Lucia revolution only lasted one year but it did away with slavery. But the St. Lucia revolution was successful four years after Haiti and I repeat it's important to note that St. Lucia's revolution which took place on June 19th 1795 the very first Junth also started in 1791. So 1791 saw the starts of the revolutions in Haiti and in St. Lucia. But St. Lucia's revolution was successful four years later in 1795 while Haiti succeeded 9 years later in 1804. It is therefore these revolutions in and across the Caribbean during that period leading to the Haitian Revolution that led the British and other European empires to conclude that slavery was unsustainable leading to the decision to abolish it in 1834. Further in 1834 as well the British introduced apprentichip for six years during which the supposedly free exslaves had the chains merely removed from around their feet and put around their stomachs to allow their enslavers to find new ways. six years to find new ways to keep the wheels of fortune turning on the plantations in the Caribbean. That resulted six years later in the introduction of the coast Indian indentured servitude which they called indenturship starting in Guyana. So, as we remember the days of slavery and its abolition, let's be clear that enslavement was not abolished because the British felt sorry for our ancestors, but because they fought, our ancestors fought and they never stopped fighting until freedom came. or as in the case of coffee, another coffee in Barbados in 1675. There was a plan by Coffee and others for a revolt across Barbados. But the plans were discovered before they even started, resulting in the capture and execution of Coffee and the planners. And now therefore, just so that we don't forget to remember, here's a vintage reminder from Burning Spear. Here it is. Heat. Heat. So, do you remember the days I So, do you remember the days I s and the vision that we And they work so hard and they use us to use us. So do you remember the days of slavery? Oh, we got you. We must sh around our me so slow. So do you remember there's a player Oh my god. Including my sister. Yes. Sherry John is majesty. It's my is my justice. It's my justice. It's my inferior majesty. Mama Africa. Mama Africa highlight is proud the African Jamaican African Africans West Indian Africans. Africans I highest in majesty has majesty his majesty it's not Just my It's my mama. Mama Africa. Roar. present. Come on. And thanks to Burning Spare for those memories lest we forget too that it was the Rastafari movement that started preaching of repatriation and reparations over 90 years ago. go in Jamaica when the rest of the world was looking elsewhere for liberation like in Europe and the United States of America. Hail the eye. >> You're watching this program on NTN, the national television network of the government of St. Lucia, and it's presented to you by the St. Lucia National Reparations Committee as part of observation observance of Emancipation Month 2026 being coordinated by the National Emancipation Committee of the Cultural Development Foundation. And folks, this is where we come to our biggest Remembrance Day observance today with our special tribute to our own veteran calypsonian Herb Black. His he and his was the first he was the first to sing and to show us why every St. olution and every Caribbean man, woman and child has an interest in demanding reparations from Britain and in our case St. Lucia also from France for slavery and native genocide. Herb Black is here with us today because the NRC has decided, like we said earlier, to honor him for his song reparations. It's a 12-year-old masterpiece of work combining words and music in a message we can see, hear, and feel, telling the full story of why we must demand reparations. It's a full work that's both compact and detailed in the messages that it sends. and as you will see and hear and feel when we play it in full. So, let's honor Herb Black and invite him to share his song with us after over 45 years printing an indelible mark on the minds of our people. But before all of that, also with us, like I said, are members of the takeover tent, which her black belongs to and is also observing its 45 years in the Calypso business this year. The longest lasting Calypso tent in St. Lucia. Let's give them a round of applause. So at this point we'll do something different. Um we will ask her black to tell us how he came to sing this song and how the video came about but it will not be me asking him. Next to him is Sicil Charles the head of the tent. And of course um we all know Sicil. Sicil is going to be telling us first of all how to feels about participating in today's event and our decision to work with toot to not only um honor her black but to also work with them towards a legacy of freedom caravan which he will tell you about during the next five minutes. So over to Cecil Charles and then we will have an ac capella of the song by her black. Over to you Cecil. Thank you all. Actually this morning just listening to you, you brought me back into the classroom as a historic in terms of being a teacher for how many years. It really touched me in terms of the amount of research that you did there and the information that you give. So for us it's also a good feeling and of course tot says it all for itself. It actually started 45 years ago and that was started by gear through and suku to rapherian brothers and when you look at the whole history about it was that it paved the way for a lot of persons who would not have been considered as part of the class people and so on. And through that what we realized is that tot produced a number of persons who were downtrodden and so on. But one of the key things about that is that it was able to bring out creative work of a lot of persons as I said once again who never ever went back into doing things that was considered antisocial and that we are very proud of the the work that was done by totally responsible organization even from its inception. So hats off to Teot. Um happy to see Babsy here this morning. Babsy was one of the first musical groups um Lacasel and he he's here with us this morning. So that to me is a pleasure once again in terms of that. Of course to celebrating 45 years it's a it has been a long struggle but at the end of it all we have survived and we are here and we could actually prove that we have made it. No other person has made it. We don't know if whoever will make it because for sure 45 years we might not be here but the fact is we have produced a tent that has produced a number of conscious music serious social um music and it has spoken to the messages that we are experiencing in terms of had what I would say the powers that be had listened to the calisonians we would not have been um finding ourself in a lot of the decency that we are experiencing now. So it's always have good that the calipians have actually done that for us. Sometimes we have not appreciated them but they have actually done it and if as I said the policy makers and those in government and so on listen to the calistsonians then we would be saved with a lot of the troubles that we have now. Of course, Herb Black has remained loyal to the tot. In fact, he has been the longest person in terms of being there from the beginning and celebrating 40 years this year. So, actually our whole programming is centered around that achievement, not just for in terms of 45, but also her black's contribution to St. Lucia to the art form and of course to the upliftment of society and the awareness that he has brought to it. Um we always say a good calypso is timeless. He might not have won the crowns with his really powerful calypso but if you notice they are there even now and I'm sure they'll be there for the same way we talk about coffee and those guys who actually did the revolution or pave the way for that that song is actually doing that and her black when we listen to his conscious music and it is just unfortunate that we do not appreciate persons like that because we in Teote have always said apart from her black being just the scallopsonian that people see every once in a year or only when he's called to perform at a show. But we are of the opinion that her black could be one that could be used in terms of the education of St. Lucia and we need to have persons like him going into the schools and doing something for the artist so that sorry the the youngsters so that he could pass on that knowledge also and that is something that we are working on right now. Toot is partnering with a lot of organizations like yourself, the FRC. Um we have part we are partnering with um the Cuban um association as you would know and that is strategic that is deliberate because what we want is that a lot of the documentation has to be done. Okay. And that is one of the key things that we are hoping so that when her black is gone from this mortal body that what will happen is that his legacy will be there in terms of the documentation whether it is the publishing of his work whether it is through the music and so on but this is a big project that toot is involved in right now and we are just ensuring that that will work out for us and not just for us but for the world for the world because we see Oblak as a superstar, a world star and we are not going to keep him down. Okay. So we have always asked black in terms of boy when he every year he comes out with those powerful melodies and those lyrics you know how he does it. Of course as we said he did reparation how many years ago? So black tell us sir reparation Well, repar the reparation song came about some years ago when the Caribbean leaders were seeking ways to get compensation for for slavery, reparations as we call it. And so I I I I thought well this is a good opportunity you know to to send that message out to black people you know to let them know that it is time we get our reparations and that is how the song came about >> and we would ask you to do us the honor. >> Well definitely definitely definitely. Sometimes all I could do is only scratch my head. When I get to thinking about slavery dread, all the struggles black man went through is well documented. It's true. Now the Europeans refuse to give towards black people what is due. must always know this is a master. Yes, cuz it was prophesied by Marcus. How much will they compensate? When will blacks repatriate? How long must the black man wait to get reparation? Now tell me no I'm not a West Indian true son of an African enslaved by Europeans and want preparation now reparation reparation reparation now my heart goes out to the Haitian First negroes who fought for our liberation. They say to say was a rebel. He was leading the black struggle. So for burning down of plantations they held Haiti accountable. So Haiti was penalized in court. Yes. To this day the country still bankrupt. H how much will they compensate? When will blacks repatriate? How long must the black man wait to get reparation? Now tell me, no, I'm not a West Indian, true son of an African, enslaved by Europeans and want reparation now. Reparation. Reparation la reparation. Now let's look at the beneiciaries of one of the world's worst human atrocities was started by the Vatican continued by the Europeans. It was one great triangle shipping slays out of the motherland. Now they are wealthy because of us. So yes, all we gained was the sign of the cross. How much will they compensate? When will blacks repatriate? How long must the black man wait to get to reparation? Now tell me no I'm not a West Indian true son of an African enslaved by Europeans and one preparation now reparation reparation reparation now reparation reparation. Reparition now. Thank you so very much. And folks, if you thought that was all, we also have a music video of Her Black's song. I repeat, a music video of Herb Black's song that was shared with the world on July 6, 2026 at the Caraccom reparations forum that I referred to earlier during the 51st Caraccom Summit in St. Lucia. Not only was the music video very much welcomed, but its contents simply shocked those who didn't expect the whole history of reparations of the reparations movement to have been so colorfully compacted into one music video and in the way that you're about to see, hear, and feel. So here we go. Imagine you. Yes. You you in your household with your family, your loved one tucked in for the night night and then it happens. Then they came the invaders, decetors, plunderers, traitors ripped you from one another, man from woman, woman from children. Even babies were severed from their families. Dragged into the dead of night. Beaten, ambushed, brutalized, chained, and wrenched into dark, cold, musty, holding hands on a leaving behind their language, their sold into customs, values, beliefs, their God. All sold into snakes every day. Rearation. Rearation. Reparation. Now, reparation. Reparation. Sometimes all I could do is only scratch my head. When I get to thinking about slavery, dread, all the struggles black man went through is well documented. It's true. Now the Europeans refused to give to us black people what is due this is a must. So yes, cuz it was prophesied by Marcus. How much will they compensate? When will blacks repatriate? How long must the black man wait to get reparation? Now tell me, no, I'm not a western guy. True son of an African en by Europeans and want reparation. Now reparation. Reparation. My heart goes out to the Asian belie for our liberation. They say to us are rebel. He was leading the black struggle. So for burning down of plantations they held accountable. was penalized in court. So yes, to this day the country still bankrupt. How much will they compensate? When will black? How long must the black man wait to get preparation? Now tell me no I'm not a West Indian true son of an African enaved by Europeans want reparation now right now reparation reparation let's look at the beneiciaries of One of the world's most human atrocities was started by the Vatican, continued by the Europeans. It was one great triangle shipping slaves out of the motherland. Now they are wealthy because of us. Oh yes. All we gained was the sign of the cross. How much will they compensate? When will blacks repatriate? How long must the black man wait to get reparation? Now tell me, no one does not a true son of an African by Europeans and want reparation. Now preparation. Now listen, now is the time I must emphasize. It's very important black people realize that it is united we stand as we forward on this mission. Our leaders must make sure we get proper representation and for all the blood the sweat and tears. Oh yes, we found one voice. Let's demand our shares. How much will they compensate? When will black party? How long must the black man wait to get reparation now? Tell me. No, I'm not a West Indian true son of an African en by Europeans and want >> reparation. Thank you very much. Good night. Thank you folks. And with that music video and all that you've seen and heard today, I will remind us of what we have just observed. One, International Day in remembrance of the trafficking in enslaved Africans through transatlantic chat slavery. Two, the United Nations Day for Elimination of Racial Discrimination. Three, adoption of the United Nations resolution declaring transatlantic slavery as the worst crime against humanity. Number four, the joint adoption of the CARICOM 10point plan as the new manifesto for the coming enlightenment and that was done in June at the next steps conference in Ghana. Five, the Caraccom reparations forum in July here in St. Lucia. Six, observance of Marcus Garvey's anniversary and emancipation month in August. And number seven, honoring Herb Black for his great reparations song. So we thank all who joined us online and in our audience today with all due respect from the St. Lucia National Reparations Committee. One love free.