Emancipation and Reparations: ‘Repair is about reconnection to self’
August 13th, 2025
Who are you and what is your work with repair?
My name is Brian Royes – I am an artist, singer, and content creator from Kingston, Jamaica, with an educational background in social psychology. I work as a Campaign Manager with The Repair Campaign to raise awareness about the Caribbean’s reparations movement and build solidarity amongst the numerous activists and communities calling for repair.
What does repair mean to you at a time when both Emancipation from enslavement and independence days of Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago are celebrated?
Chattel slavery and colonialism robbed our people of a sense of personhood. But emancipation gives us an opportunity to reflect on the price that our ancestors paid to reclaim that sense of full humanity which was denied them. As we celebrate Independence, repair gives me hope that we can reconnect to our fullest sense of self, be proud of who we are and where we come from, in order to build thriving societies in Jamaica and the entire Caribbean.
What are you looking forward to in the ongoing movement for reparations in the Caribbean?
Right now, I’m most excited about our effort to galvanise teams of trained repair advocates across the region to build solidarity for reparations within grassroots communities. I’m looking forward to seeing our people come together in one voice to stand behind our leaders who will continue to advocate for the UK and EU governments to commit to long-term reparatory justice.
This will be supported by The Repair Campaign’s Socioeconomic Reparatory Justice Plans which propose, through consultation and research, country-specific interventions which reparatory funding can address at the community level. I’m also looking forward to having these plans finalised by CARICOM government leaders because having tangible roadmaps to how reparations can be done will, in my opinion, totally shift the conversation and bring us closer to our common goal.