The Jamaican Government May Possibly Use Reparations to Finance the Upkeep of Heritage Sites Connected to Slavery

As discussions continue across the Caribbean and the world at large about how funds obtained from reparations would be best spent, reports state that the Jamaican Government may use potential reparation funds to finance the heritage sector.

In 2023, the Report on Reparations for Transatlantic Chattel Slavery in the Americas and the Caribbean was released.

The report determined that the United Kingdom (UK) owed almost £19 trillion in reparations for its role in the slave trade, with Jamaica said to be entitled to approximately US$9.5 trillion of the UK’s slave debt.

According to reports from the Telegraph, the Jamaican Government may seek reparations from the UK to finance the heritage sector, specifically sections of the sector concerned with slavery and colonialism.

Of the estimated trillions Jamaica is owed for the years of slavery imposed on black Jamaicans by the UK, the government is said to be contemplating persuading the UK Government to pay approximately £500,000 in reparations. 

The funds would be used to finance conserving ports, hospitals, and courthouses connected to Jamaica’s history of British colonialism. This decision would follow statements made by Minister of Tourism Edmund Bartlett, who previously expressed interest in taking advantage of “dark tourism.” 

This would see the government leading multiple conservation and restoration projects for historical sites and monuments, such as the homes of slave owners.

“We are interested in what is called ‘dark tourism’ [ … ] The built heritage is very, very important, because it tells a story in stone and sticks and mortar. “

“Jamaica, being a confluence of so many cultures and peoples, has a story that you need to connect with, because a little piece [of the British] is really here, a piece of your history, your past,” Bartlett stated.