There has been another call for reparation amid the recent celebrations of the bicentenary abolition of the transatlantic slave trade.

The latest call came from Professor Rupert Lewis during his lecture titled: 'The Transatlantic Slave Trade: Reparation and Our Livity', last week Tuesday, at the Kingston and St. Andrew Parish Library.

Rectify the legacies

The University of the West Indies (UWI) professor asserted that reparations must seek to rectify the legacies of the slave trade.

"I emphasise that reparations begin with our actions and also refer to the actions of those states which have been beneficiaries," he said.

Prof. Lewis noted that the slave trade is regarded as a multi-trillion sterling business in today's currency. It is also estimated that more than 15 to 20 million African men, women and children were forced into making the journey to the Western Hemisphere from the 1520s to the 1860s.

Prof. Lewis said that priority regarding reparation must be placed on political discussion and public education.

"We owe it to ourselves and to our ancestors who first made the call. It is incumbent on the Jamaican Parliament and parliaments in CARICOM to call for reparations. It is a call that requires political will," he added.

While much more was needed to be done, Prof. Lewis acknowledged that progress had been made regarding the recognition of reparation.

Said he: "I am of the view that we are no longer groping in the dark without international discussion or recognition. Let us make full use of these openings to help correct the terror and gross injustices of our history, and to help reshape policies at the global, regional and national levels. Critical to this is the global networking of states, organisations and individuals committed to this process."