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Descendants of British slave owner in Guyana apologise as Caribbean nation seeks reparations

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(AP) — The descendants of a 19th-century Scottish sugar and coffee planter who owned thousands of slaves in Guyana apologised Friday for the sins of their ancestor, calling slavery a crime against humanity with lasting negative impacts.

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Charles Gladstone, a descendant of former plantation owner John Gladstone, traveled to Guyana from Britain with five relatives to offer the formal apology.

“It is with deep shame and regret that we acknowledge our ancestors’ involvement in this crime and with heartfelt sincerity, we apologise to the descendants of the enslaved in Guyana,” he told an audience at the University of Guyana. “In doing so, we acknowledge slavery’s continuing impact on the daily lives of many.”

Neither Guyana President Irfaan Ali, who on Thursday demanded reparations and lashed out at the descendants of European slave traders, nor other senior government officials were in the audience of a couple hundred students, university staff members and representatives of grassroots organisations.

During his speech, Gladstone announced that his family would create a fund for various unnamed projects in the country as part of a “meaningful and long-term relationship between our family and the people of Guyana.”

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“In writing this heartfelt apology, we also acknowledge Sir John Gladstone’s role in bringing indentured laborers to Guyana, and apologise for the clear and manifold injustices of this,” he said.

John Gladstone was the father of 19th century British Prime Minister William Ewart Gladstone and received more than 100,000 pounds in compensation for hundreds of slaves.

A renowned 1823 slave revolt took place on his estate at Success Village on Guyana’s east coast. The Demerara rebellion was crushed in two days with hundreds of slaves killed. Some enslaved people were beheaded and had their heads planted on poles on the way to Georgetown, Guyana’s colonial and current capital, as a lesson to others with similar ideas.

Outside the auditorium where Gladstone made the apology, a handful of protesters shouted “Murderers!” and held signs reading, “The Gladstones are murderers” and “Stolen people, stolen dreams.”

The leader of the protest, Cedric Castellow, dismissed the apology as “perfunctory” and said Britain and other European countries owe Guyana and the Caribbean billions of dollars in reparation payments.

“The British government and others benefited from the slave trade, their descendants and heirs,” Castellow said. “They owe us, and the legacy will affect future generations as well.”

Some protesters slipped into the auditorium. One began to shout at the end of the apology and was shushed by the university’s vice chancellor, Paloma Mohamed, who asked them not to embarrass Guyana.

Gladstone also demanded that the British government start “meaningful discussions” with a 15-nation Caribbean trade block known as Caricom that is seeking reparations and hired a law firm to examine its case for financial compensation from Britain and other European nations.

“We also urge other descendants of those who benefited from slavery to open conversations about their ancestors’ crimes and what they might be able to do to build a better future,” Gladstone said.

Among those who traveled to Guyana for Friday’s apology was former BBC journalist Laura Trevelyan. Earlier this year, her family apologised to slave descendants in Grenada because her ancestors owned hundreds of slaves in that eastern Caribbean island.

A handful of nations have apologised for their role in slavery, including the Netherlands.

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One response to “Descendants of British slave owner in Guyana apologise as Caribbean nation seeks reparations”

REQUEST FOR EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST

(CONSULTING SERVICES – INDIVIDUAL SELECTION)

 

OECS MSME Guarantee Facility Project

Loan No.: IDA-62670, IDA-62660, IDA-62640, IBRD-88830, IDA-62650

Assignment Title: Senior Operating Officer (SOO)

Reference No. KN-ECPCGC-207852-CS-INDV

 

The Governments of Antigua and Barbuda, Commonwealth of Dominica, Grenada, St. Lucia and St. Vincent and the Grenadines have received financing in the amount of US$10 million equivalent from the World Bank towards the cost of establishing a partial credit guarantee scheme, and they intend to apply part of the proceeds to payments for goods, and consulting services to be procured under this project. 

The consultant will serve as the “Senior Operating Officer (SOO)” for the ECPCGC and should possess extensive knowledge of MSME lending with some direct experience lending to Micro, small and medium-sized businesses, knowledge of the internal control processes necessary for a lending operation and the ability to design and implement risk mitigation procedures. The ideal candidate should possess an Undergraduate Degree from a reputable college or university, preferably in Business, Accounting, Banking or related field, with a minimum of 5 years’ experience in lending, inclusive of MSME lending. The initial employment period will be for two years on a contractual basis. Renewal of the contract will be subject to a performance evaluation at the end of the contractual period. The assignment is expected to begin on September 30th, 2021.  The consultant will report directly to the Chief Executive Officer of the ECPCGC.

The detailed Terms of Reference (TOR) for the assignment can be viewed by following the attached link below. 

 

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The Eastern Caribbean Partial Credit Guarantee Corporation (ECPCGC) now invites eligible “Consultants” to indicate their interest in providing the Services. Interested Consultants should provide information demonstrating that they have:

  • An Undergraduate Degree from a reputable college or university, preferably in Business, Finance, Banking or related field; and
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  • The ability to design and implement risk management procedures 
  • Extensive knowledge of MSME lending with some direct experience lending to small and medium-sized businesses
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The attention of interested Individual Consultants is drawn to Section III, Paragraphs 3.14, 3.16, and 3.17 of the World Bank’s Procurement Regulations for IPF Borrowers July 2016, [revised November 2017] (“Procurement Regulations”), setting forth the World Bank’s policy on conflict of interest. A Consultant will be selected in accordance with the Approved Selection Method for Individual Consultants set out in the clause 7.34 of the World Bank Procurement Regulations for IPF Borrowers. 

 

Further information can be obtained at the address below during office hours 0800 to 1700 hours:

Eastern Caribbean Partial Credit Guarantee Corporation

Brid Rock, Basseterre,

St. Kitts.

Expressions of interest must be delivered in a written form by e-mail by August 11th, 2021, to [email protected]

 

For further information, please contact:

Carmen Gomez-Trigg                                                            Bernard Thomas

Chief Executive Officer                                                          Chief Financial Officer

Tel: 868-620-8144                                                                  Tel: 869-765-2385

Email: [email protected]                                          [email protected]