Jamaica may seek reparations from Britain to fund heritage ‘dark tourism’

jamaica may seek reparations from britain to fund heritage ‘dark tourism’

Tharp House, once owned by the slave owner John Tharp, is one of the sites being considered for preservation – Sukimac Photography

Jamaica may seek reparations from Britain to fund its heritage sector, The Telegraph can reveal.

The Caribbean nation, which was under British rule until 1962, is considering plans to persuade the UK Government and major museums to fund exhibitions focused on colonialism.

Reparation payments of around £500,000, sought for the centuries of slavery suffered, would go to conserving ports, hospitals and courthouses tied to imperial rule.

The plans come after The Telegraph revealed that Edmund Bartlett, the Jamaican minister for tourism, hopes to preserve Georgian sites, including the homes of slave owners, as potential centres of “dark tourism”.

He told The Telegraph: “We are interested in what is called ‘dark tourism’. The built heritage is very, very important, because it tells a story in stone and sticks and mortar.

“Jamaica, being a confluence of so many cultures and peoples, has a story that you need to connect with, because a little piece [of the British] is really here, a piece of your history, your past.”

jamaica may seek reparations from britain to fund heritage ‘dark tourism’

It is hoped to preserve Georgian sites, including the homes of slave owners such as Tharp House – Sukimac Photography

In September, The Telegraph revealed that Caribbean Community nations were poised to formally seek payment from British institutions including the Church of England and the Royal family.

Jonathan Greenland, the director of National Museum Jamaica, told The Telegraph:  “There is a debate around reparations, but this is how reparations should be paid.

“The Government, or museums, could pay into a fund which supports museums and heritage sites in Jamaica. It is not just Jamaican history, it is British history.”

British-born Mr Greenland, who has worked in Jamaica for 19 years, is currently working on a project to create a museum in Port Royal, the one-time capital and den of piracy.

jamaica may seek reparations from britain to fund heritage ‘dark tourism’

A museum could soon be created in Port Royal, the one-time capital and den of piracy – Atlantide Phototravel

He has suggested that the former British naval base, home to a decaying naval hospital, could receive state backing from the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport or direct funding from relevant institutions such as the National Maritime Museum.

The Old Naval Cemetery could also benefit from funding, as well as the Morant Bay courthouse, which was central to a 1865 rebellion brutally put down by the British governor.

Mr Greenland said these projects would educate Jamaicans and visiting UK tourists about British rule, adding: “We go to all sorts of lengths to preserve our history in the UK, incredible stuff… English Heritage, the National Trust, amazing things. Then our history abroad, a little less so.

“The UK is the leading force in the development of museums and heritage – it could be our new export in a sense. That expertise and interest and ability to develop sustainable museums could be marketed all around the world.”

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