Calls for reparations make a splash in Commonwealth leadership debate
The Commonwealth – a voluntary grouping of 56 countries that grew out of the end of the British empire – is in the process of selecting a new secretary-general, and all three candidates have expressed support for reparations for slavery and colonialism in their campaigns for the post.
King Charles is still the ceremonial head of the organisation, which is often viewed as being a colonial relic. But Shirley Botchwey of Ghana, Joshua Setipa of Lesotho, and Mamadou Tangara of Gambia, all said they see the grouping of nations as a platform that can help tackle pressing common issues, from climate change and youth unemployment to the legacies of colonialism and slavery.
The three are standing to replace Patricia Scotland of the UK as secretary-general at the Commonwealth heads of government meeting that will take place in Samoa at the end of October. They expressed their views on reparations during a debate at Chatham House in London on 11 September.
“Financial reparations is good,” said Botchwey, adding that whether the Commonwealth will have a role in tackling the issue depends on the mandate given to the next secretary-general by the heads of government.
“I support the idea of reparative justice,” Setipa said. “The Commonwealth has a long history of facilitating discussions around difficult issues.”
“I am fully in support of reparatory justice,” said Tangara. “The Commonwealth can use its convening power to facilitate the dialogue and make it happen.”
Calls for reparations have been gaining momentum globally since the murder of George Floyd in the US sparked the Black Lives Matter movement in 2020. The Caribbean Community (CARICOM), for instance, has proposed a 10-point reparations plan, which includes demands for debt cancellation, while the African Union, led by Ghana, is working toward a unified stance on reparations.
The British monarchy has acknowledged Britain’s colonial history, and King Charles acknowledged Britain’s role in the slave trade, calling it an “appalling atrocity” in 2018, when he was still a prince. But he has resisted calls for reparations.
For more on how calls for reparations are reverberating in the aid and philanthropy sectors, listen to this podcast: Rethinking Humanitarianism | ‘Give us the money’: Aid as reparations.
