RECONSTITUTING (restoring and reconstructing): WHAT IS REPARATORY JUSTICE AND WHY? – a conversation with Prof. Elazar Barkan, Jessica Ann Mitchell Aiwuyor and Omari Ashby

A conversation exploring the basics of what reparations
means for descendants of Africans enslaved, the historical and
contemporary issues behind the justifications.





Elazar Barkan, Professor of International and
Public Affairs at Columbia University, Director of SIPA's Human
Rights and Humanitarian Policy Concentration, and Director of
Columbia's Institute for the Study of Human Rights. Professor
Barkan is also founding Director of the Institute for Historical
Justice and Reconciliation (IHJR) in The Hague. His research
interests focus on human rights and on the role of history in
contemporary society and politics and the response to gross
historical crimes and injustices. He is the author of The Guilt
Of Nations: Restitution And Negotiating Historical Injustices and
Reparation: A Moral And Political Dilemma.


Also in this conversation, we talk with Jessica Ann
Mitchell Aiwuyor, a cultural communications expert,
author, and publisher based in the Washington, DC area. Aiwuyor
is the founder of the National Black Cultural Information Trust.
In addition to her work with national organizations and firms,
J.A.M. Aiwuyor serves as the Communications Chair for the Pan
African Congress, North American Delegation. As an author and
cultural storyteller, her writings about African American
cultural heritage and ethnicity have been published and cited
across a wide range of publications including Huffington Post,
the Business Insider, MSNBC, LA Progressive, and TV One’s “News
One Now.” She publishes books celebrating Black life and culture
with her publishing company, Our Legaci Press.


Omari Ashby is a Rapso artist and music producer
with over 29 years of experience as a performer. As one half
of the duo Kindred, Omari stormed on the scene with the hit
single “Dis Trini Could Flow” in 1992. In the years that
followed Kindred racked up several hits and Omari then took
his talent to music production arena.
The past decade has seen Omari establish an
elementary programme for training and development of young
talent and musical enthusiasts from primary through to
the
professional level. His programme covers a number of
areas inclusive of composition and lyrical development as
well as melodic approaches and rhythm
patterns. Additionally, Mr. Ashby was instrumental in the
design and authoring of a digital sound engineering course
for beginners. The course was initiated through his Studio
161 and Jaliman entertainment limited and adapted by
YTEPP for their academic agenda. Omari Ashby holds a BA
Frist Class Honours in Carnival Studies, an MA in Creative
Design Entrepreneurship, and is currently pursuing a Ph.D.
in Cultural Studies at the UWI. Omari Ashby is also one of
the foundation members and tutors of the Breaking New Ground
training course promoted by the Network Community
Organisation and NALIS for young artists and practitioners
of the oral tradition. Currently, Omari is an adjunct
lecturer at the Department of Creative and Festival Arts,
UWI in the Carnival Studies Unit.





See more of the festival at
https://theblackconsciousnessfestival.com/reparations-2021