By NAN Staff Writer
News Americas, NEW YORK, NY, Mon. Nov. 28, 2016: Organizers of the #NotMyPrince Campaign on Sunday called for reparations for slavery from Britain as Prince Harry continued his Caribbean trip, stopping over in St. Vincent & The Grenadines Saturday and as he continues on to Grenada today.
“#SVG: Reparations time come now,” @NotMyPrince tweeted while slamming the visit as propaganda” and noting there is “no apology from the palace.” The group, which says it is an anti-colonial welcoming committee for Prince Harry’s Caribbean, is being curated by Nalini Mohabir and Jermain Ostiana.
St. Vincent & the Grenadines Prime Minister, Dr. Ralph Gonsalves, who has been a major proponent of reparations for the Caribbean, was at a welcome reception for the Prince in St. Vincent Saturday evening but it’s unclear if he raised the hot button issue with the Prince.
The only other body to echo the group’s reparations call is The Iyanola Council for the Advancement of Rastafari (ICAR).
“ICAR, as a diplomatic organization, we welcome the visit of the Prince to our shores, however we have our issues as far as the British Monarchy is concerned and key among them is reparations,” ICAR’s Public Relations Officer, Aaron ‘Ras Iron’ Alexander told the St. Lucia Times while questioning whether the Prince’s visit was an attempt to stamp more British authority on the Caribbean when the region has already undergone a divorce from the UK through independence and the British have not given the Caribbean a dime in reparations for years of abuse and brutality during the slave trade..
The Prince’s visit across the Caribbean has been warm and welcoming so far, especially from local residents in Antigua, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia and St. Vincent, who seem thrilled to see him. So far the only cold shoulder has come from Polly, a St Vincent and the Grenadines parrot who can say hello and good morning, but refused to return the royal’s greeting – much to his amusement.
Meanwhile, the @NotMyPrince group showcased a photograph of St. Vincent and the Grenadines children singing for the Prince Saturday under the caption: “How the colonial mentality is passed from generation to generation.”
“We need to teach the youth this man is #notmyprince @NotMyPrince,” they tweeted under the photo showing the Prince listening to a group of schoolchildren singing and a kids’ steel band.
The Prince is representing his grandmother, The Queen of England, on the Caribbean trip to all former British colonies.
He began his trip in Antigua & Barbuda on Nov. 20th and continued to moves on to St. Kitts & Nevis on Wednesday, November 23rd and St. Lucia on Thursday November 24-25th. On Saturday, November 26th he was in St. Vincent and the Grenadines.
On Tuesday November 29th – Thursday, December 1st Prince Harry will visit Barbados, which is marking its 50th year of independence. He will wrap up his Caribbean trip on Friday, December 2nd to Sunday Dec. 4th in the Republic of Guyana, which celebrated its 50th year of independence from Britain in May this year.
