'The Unrepaired Past': Global Justice Academy Innovation Initiative Fund

The GJA has awarded fund to support a three-day event, entitled ‘The Unrepaired Past’, that will contribute to Black History Month in Scotland, organized by the Coalition for Racial Equality and Rights (CRER) in Glasgow, and the Africa in Motion (AiM) Scotland African Film Festival. On 26–27 October 2015 at St John’s in Edinburgh, I will be working in collaboration with AiM to screen two films relating to slavery and reparations: Tony Buba’s The Ghosts of Amistad and Peres Owino’s Bound: Africans versus African Americans. These films will be accompanied by a poster exhibition on the ‘The Unrepaired Past’ and a dance performance, entitled ‘Traces of Time’, performed by the Dutch-Surinamese professional choreographer, Farida Nabibaks. On 29 October 2015 in Glasgow, I will be screening Katrina Browne’s film Traces of the Trade (2008), and organizing a public debate on reparations for slavery in collaboration with CRER and AiM for Black History Month. The purpose of each of these events is to engage the public by asking them to focus on the living consequences of European-led slavery, while inviting discussion on the different forms of repair within contemporary society.