The invite to speak at Durham University debating society came out of the blue.
..........As an Independent Art and Cultural Historian and current work with the Institute of Commonwealth Studies on Black British History, you would certainly make an engaging and highly knowledgeable addition to the debate.
This houses believes:
Britain Owes Reparations to its Former Colonies
8:30pm Debating Chamber, Palace Green
Friday 12th October
I was honoured and delighted to accept their invitation to speak at their debate.
The invite was particularly timely for me following my post on Scotland’s Dollar Academy where I described its need for Reparation, in doing so recognising where the source of the funds that founded the Academy came from - John McNabb’s slavery earnings - it has a slave ship as the school’s badge.
The organisation and my reception was excellent, as was the hospitality of the Chairman and the Society
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| Me, Chairman Chris Clarke, Jason Hickel |
The Speakers
Anthropologist, author, and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts. He has taught at the London School of Economics, the University of Virginia, and Goldsmiths London.
An Arts blogger who specialises in the Black African presence in Renaissance Europe, he is currently working with the Institute of Commonwealth Studies.
Director of the Asia Studies Centre at the Henry Jackson Society and an Adjunct Fellow at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies.
A second year law student at Durham , she stood in at last minute for the original speaker who had cancelled.
We, the speakers had a very agreeable pre debate dinner with Chris Clarke, chairman of the society. Tellingly, nobody accepted Chris’s generous offer of wine, we enjoyed water and polite, random witty conversation. Throughout the dinner there was an atmosphere of friendly competition - nobody over keen to share their position.
The Debate
Proposition Dr Jason Hickel
Proposition Dr Jason Hickel
He argued from as factual , reality basis the North made and continues to make trillions of dollars from the South: for every 1$ of aid to the North , the South receives 24$ this needs to be redressed
Opposition Dr John Hemmings
He reasoned why pick on Britain , Britain is not alone there were other countries and empires who are are potentially guilty where do we stop, further it’s complex, how do manage’s who receives what and why.
Proposition Michael Ohajuru (Me)
My argument was based on the the metaphor of slavery as a stab in the back - the removal of the knife is not enough - the wound needs to be healed. Reparation was needed to heal that festering wound in doing so address the social, cultural and economic imbalances caused by slavery. You can download my complete address here.
Opposition Roshni Gulati
Roshni argued it was unfair to single Britain out as there were others who had equally bad records of colonialisation. Further it would be demeaning even patronising to present day inhabitants with Reparation
The Questions
Ireland, Thailand and others survived colonialistaion and today thrive - why can’t others?
Ireland, Thailand and others survived colonialistaion and today thrive - why can’t others?
Don’t they already receive reparation via foreign aid ?
It would be impossible task to track down and pay all the descendants
Isn’t it counter prodcutive to continue to make the dependant ?
Are they not better ways to help rather than punish Britain?
The Result
The Chairman invited the audience to vote by shouting Yay or Nay and the respective volumes would decide the winner. The debate prove too close to call on a volume only basis, it was impossible to decide so a division lobby was called. The result was 95 Nay verses 100 Yay - Jason & I lost !
I believe we did have a gender win as the Yays certainly had an upper octave pitch and volume. However on reflection in a room of mostly white privileged young men I believe any Reparation argument would have been lost, might even go as far to say we had lost before we began. Nevertheless it was a great experience and many of those I spoke to afterwards enjoyed my input as I did their company as we argued into the night after the debate. #GreatExperience