No study of Caribbean history can be
complete without an examination and appreciation of the topic of reparation.
The opposition to reparation by former colonial powers and others, though,
means that the demand for it is an ongoing struggle. Reparation, however, is
the final link required to close the circle which began with two of the worst
crimes in human history (indigenous genocide and chattel slavery) and must end
with atonement and restitution by the perpetrators on the one hand, and
redemption for the descendants of the victims on the other. Otherwise, there
can be no true peace. As reggae singer Peter Tosh declared, “Everyone is crying
out for peace, no one is crying out for justice. . . . I need equal rights and
justice.”