The Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport yesterday presented cheques totalling $8.125M to 89 African cultural groups to assist them in their Emancipation celebrations on August 1.
A release from GINA said that since 2005 Government has been supporting Emancipation activities, starting with just three groups.
Minister of Culture, Youth and Sport Dr. Frank Anthony prior to handing over the cheques said “When we think about sacrifice, when we think about what people had to endure, the conditions under which they were living, I think that it is important that we read some of the documents of that time”.
“When we talk about slavery as a people we must understand the horrific system it was,” he added.
“It’s not just about understanding, it’s about knowing that we don’t have things like these being repeated anywhere in the world because it’s about dehumanising us, and we must use these bad examples to make sure they never recur,” Anthony emphasised.
According to GINA, Anthony said that one of the things that persons must understand around the Caribbean is that there has been a call for reparations and there is a Caribbean Commission that has been established and been working to talk to the Colonial powers of the past and present.
