Ce’cile Says Rasta Reggae Artists Should Be Leading Reparations Fight Against Great Britain
Dancehall bad gyal Ce’cile says Jamaican Rastafarian Reggae artists should be the ones leading the charge to compel Great Britain to pay Jamaica billions of pounds in Reparations for the TransAtlantic Slave Trade which saw an estimated 600,000 Africans being trafficked to Jamaica.
She was responding to a Wio News video shared by radio disc jockey ZJ Sparks featuring a commentary on slavery, Britain’s conquests, history of theft over the centuries, and the fact that the Jamaican Government had taken the lead in requesting full reparations for the island, whose people the Brits had ill-treated and robbed of their dignity.
“This is where the most “influential artistes: should step in. AS WE ALL KNOW know music impacts only positively so please let the most influential send out some tune and push the agenda. We were instrumential in the fight against apartheid… i miss those days when di rasta dem used to bun fire,” Ce’cile said.
The largest English colony in the Caribbean, Jamaica was the epicentre of the slave trade, under the British who enforced what is deemed the biggest human-trafficking ring of all time, forcibly transported West Africans to work on plantations of sugar cane, bananas and other crops that enriched the British empire and made it a global superpower.
Many officials pursuing the calls for reparations have gotten impatient, arguing that despite calls for an apology over the years, Britain has refused to apologize or pay restitution for the atrocities.
There were some cynical comments about the Rasta artists, among them one from Kirk “Koolface” Ford, who said the dreadlocked men did not have reparations on their minds as they were busy imbibing and doing counter-productive things.
“Most of the Rastafarians are too busy drinking Henny and freaking out to meds redemption songs, but this song be on the agenda of every artist,” the Billboard-charting producer wrote.
The power and influence of Prime Minister Andrew Holness, who was last week admitted to serve on Queen Elizabeth’s Privy Council, was also a subject of discussion.
“@badgyalcecile what abt bro gad sitting on the privy council?” miro_swagg asked.
“@miro_swagg he has no power nor reach like the artistes .ask him he will tell u ..so me nuh bizniz wid what he doing..hes a human being doing a job that more of s curse than a blessing,” Ce’cile responded.
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Earlier today Reuters reported that Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sports Olivia “Babsy” Grange said Jamaica plans to ask Britain for compensation for the “Atlantic slave trade under a petition that could seek billions of pounds in reparations”.
“We are hoping for reparatory justice in all forms that one would expect if they are to really ensure that we get justice from injustices to repair the damages that our ancestors experienced,” Grange, is reported to have told Reuters in an interview on the weekend.
“Our African ancestors were forcibly removed from their home and suffered unparalleled atrocities in Africa to carry out forced labour to the benefit of the British Empire…Redress is well overdue,” she said.
Britain prohibited trade in slaves in its empire in 1807 but did not emancipate the enslaved people until 1834. According to Reuters, “to compensate slave owners, the British government took out a 20 million pound loan – a very large sum at the time – and only finished paying off the ensuing interest payments in 2015”.
The reparations petition is based on a private motion by Member of Parliament Mike Henry, who deemed himself a “Red Ibo” and had said he was pursuing the matter as he had, all his life, “fought against chattel slavery which has dehumanized human life”.
The petition, with approval from Jamaica’s National Council on Reparations, will be filed pending advice from the attorney general Marlene Malahoo Forte and three legal teams, following which Forte, will then send it to Queen Elizabeth, who still remains head of state.