What's happened
Barbados government halts a plan to buy a plantation from British MP Richard Drax, whose family profited from slavery, following public backlash and calls for reparations. The government had intended to purchase the land for housing but paused the acquisition to allow for further discussion.
Why it matters
The decision by Barbados to halt the purchase of the plantation from a British MP due to public outcry and reparations demands highlights the ongoing debate around historical injustices and reparations for slavery. This move could impact future discussions on reparations and the handling of historical legacies of slavery.
What the papers say
The Guardian reports that the Barbados government is facing criticism for planning to buy land from Richard Drax despite calls for reparations. The Independent highlights the public backlash and the government's decision to pause the acquisition following widespread anger. The Guardian also covers the demands for France to repay Haiti for harsh reparations imposed two hundred years ago.
How we got here
The controversy stems from the historical involvement of Richard Drax's ancestors in Caribbean slavery, with calls for reparations and criticism of the government's plan to purchase the land. The issue has sparked discussions on reparations, historical injustices, and the legacy of slavery in the Caribbean and beyond.
Common question
More on these topics
-
Barbadians or Bajans are the people who are identified with the country of Barbados, by being citizens or their descendants in the Barbadian diaspora. The connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural.
-
Barbados is an island country in the Lesser Antilles of the West Indies, in the Caribbean region of North America. It is 34 kilometres in length and up to 23 km in width, covering an area of 432 kmĀ².
-
Richard Grosvenor Plunkett-Ernle-Erle-Drax, known as Richard Drax, is a British Conservative politician, journalist, landowner and former British Army officer, serving as the Member of Parliament for South Dorset since 2010.
-
The Caribbean is a region of the Americas that consists of the Caribbean Sea, its islands and the surrounding coasts. The region is southeast of the Gulf of Mexico and the North American mainland, east of Central America, and north of South America.
-
Drax Hall Estate is a sugarcane plantation situated in Saint George, Barbados, in the Caribbean.
Drax Hall still stands on the site where sugarcane was first cultivated on Barbados and is one of the island's three remaining Jacobean houses.
-
Mia Amor Mottley QC, MP, EGH, OR is a Barbadian politician and attorney who is the Prime Minister of Barbados since 2018, and leader of the Barbados Labour Party.