A FAITH-BASED RESPONSE TO THE TEN POINT ACTION PLAN OF THE CARICOM REPARATORY JUSTICE PROGRAMME

摘要

The history of the Caribbean Community is shared across its territories. This is a history steeped in the exploitation of resources, both material and human, the genocide of the Indigenous Peoples, the brutal enslavement of Africans (Beckles 2013), an overwhelming loss of authentic identity and the displacement of an African religiosity, especially in a region so densely peopled with persons of African descent. With this shared uniqueness in mind, one can hardly disagree with Jose Marti's description of what became of the region upon the arrival of the first Europeans' "devastating civilization" (Martinez 1993, 1) - a devastation which is akin to no other in human history; a devastation undeserved, unparalleled and unconscionable to say the least, all ensued by the invasion of the Europeans, thirsty for wealth and territorial prowess.