Antigua and Barbuda Renews Reparations Call on Emancipation Day

Prime Minister Gaston Browne has renewed his call for reparations for slavery and colonialism, arguing that repair must include investment in critical sectors, debt reform and fairer access to international financing.

In his Emancipation Day address, Browne said reparations should not be viewed as charity or an attempt to blame present generations for the actions of their ancestors.

“Reparations are neither an appeal for charity, nor an exercise in assigning inherited blame,” Browne said. “They are grounded in principles of justice, equity and historical accountability.”

He said countries enriched through the unpaid labour of enslaved Africans entered the modern era with significant accumulated capital, while former colonies gained independence burdened by structural disadvantages.

Those inequalities remain visible in global wealth, access to financing, technological development and economic opportunity, Browne said.

The prime minister argued that reparatory justice must produce practical measures to address the lasting effects of slavery and colonialism. He proposed investment in education, healthcare, technology, climate resilience and institutional development.

Browne also called for debt reform and equitable access to international financing and markets, particularly for small developing states facing barriers within the global economic system.

“Repair is not about revisiting the past. It’s about creating a more just and equitable future,” he said.

Browne said slavery’s abolition in 1834 ended the institution legally but did not eliminate exploitation or inequality. He noted that poorly paid labour and discriminatory laws continued to preserve economic and political power among a privileged minority after emancipation.

He said the consequences of those systems continue to affect developing countries, particularly Black-led small states, which face restricted development options and unequal access to resources.

Browne added that reparations could also serve as a deterrent against future atrocities by reinforcing international accountability for crimes against humanity.

As Antigua and Barbuda marked 192 years since emancipation, Browne urged renewed commitment to building a society where freedom is measured by economic opportunity, social justice and human dignity, as well as political rights.

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