Dear Editor,

After participating in a discussion panel on reparation at the Institute of Jamaica recently, I am more convinced than ever that the reparation movement is a totally lost cause. However, while I must say that I was somewhat encouraged by the feedback that I got from some of the few people, including students, who did attend that event, I am really convinced that the reparation movement is its own worst enemy.

The movement is in a state of serious denial. Hoping to shed some light on some of the members of the movement, I pointed out the obvious fact that Africans were, in fact, selling Africans into slavery. Indeed, by the admission of the Africans themselves (like the former ambassador of Benin and the Government of Ghana), if black Africans were not willing participants in slavery and the trade, then slavery as we know it could never have happened. History is very clear on this; and anybody can check these facts for himself.

To my surprise, or perhaps not, many people at that event, and one panel member in particular, refused to accept this well-established fact. Now, while I can understand that if the members of the reparation movement, in recognising this fact, will greatly weaken their case, denying it should clearly never be an option for them, as its truth cannot be denied. Indeed, denying it would surely come across as silly.

The reparation movement still believes that Europe will pay the trillions (yes, trillions) of dollars that it is being demanded. Now, which European country is ever going to pay that amount of money — even if they were legally and morally obligated to (and they are not, by the way)? Absolutely none! Most of these European countries already have their own financial problems. Why on Earth would they pay out money that they don’t have? Take Britain, for instance, if Emperor Napoleon, Kaiser Wilhelm the second and Heil Hitler all failed, even through the might of their armies, to get Britain to give up what she had, why does the reparation movement still thinks that it will be successful?

During the event the issue of repatriation also came up. This is the desire of some to go back to Africa. As I have said so many times, and repeated at that event, this is a pipe dream. Sure, if anyone wants to go to Africa to live then that person is free to go. However, to expect the majority of us to go back to Africa, in body or mind, is nonsense. Indeed, when I asked for an honest show of hands of those who wanted to go back to Africa, most of the members of the audience refused to raise their hands. I have no doubt that even less people out there really want to go back there – and, for what?

However, I was at least partly encouraged by the responses that I got from some members of the audience. This is the response that told me that Jamaicans are not completely fooled by these arguments for reparation. One student even came up to the podium, after the event, to congratulate me for my very calm disposition and responses and another, while not agreeing with everything that I had to say, told me that he understood my position. One gentleman, who I spoke to after the event, went further. He told me that this reparation movement is nothing but a distraction. At the start of my presentation, I told them, very calmly, that it was a waste of time.

You know, the reparation movement doesn’t need people like me to destroy it — it is doing a very good job of destroying its cause all on its own. No wonder so few people take the cause of reparations seriously; the vast majority of us can see right through it.

Michael A Dingwall

michael_a_dingwall@hotmail.com