By EARYEL BOWLEG

Tribune Staff Reporter

ebowleg@tribunemedia.net

THE Bahamas National Reparations Committee supports approaching the United Nation’s International Court of Justice (ICJ) for an opinion on securing reparations for slavery.

Ralph Gonsalves, head of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (Celac), said the body is considering approaching the ICJ for a legal opinion on getting compensation from ten European countries over slavery.

Dr Niambi Hall Campbell-Dean, head of the Bahamian reparations committee, said yesterday: “The committee, yeah, that’s definitely an approach that has been discussed in the CARICOM reparations commission. The commission is now in its tenth year, and so they’ve engaged bodies through letters.”

“You know, we’ve seen an apology from the Dutch monarchy, but that was not really backed up with any formal form of reparations. So as the United Nations has designated the transatlantic slave trade and the genocide of the native peoples of this land as crimes against humanity, I agree that it is the next logical step in the reparation movement.”

Prime Minister Philip “Brave” Davis recently affirmed the government’s commitment to getting reparations from the United Kingdom, though many believe this is a long shot.

Mr Davis said he conversed with King Charles III about the matter and the monarch responded by highlighting scholarship opportunities.

“I can tell you that we are committed to reparations, not just for the transatlantic slave issue,” he said last week. “In fact, we recommitted ourselves at our last Heads meeting last week in Trinidad.”

“There was a question of reparations. We had last year written to the UK government, to the Netherlands government, to the Portugal government stating our case in respect to reparations, insofar as the slave trade is concerned.”

“We have now the apologies of the Anglican church, the Anglican Communion in England — they did their study that’s been published, recognised their role in it. Some families, wealthy families in England have now taken up the cause to assist in promoting reparations.”