Okama Ekpe Brook’s paper, “Addressing Justice for Africans and People of African Descent Through Reparations: The Role of Christianity in the Americas, Africa and the Dutch Caribbean,” explores how the global movement for reparatory justice intersects with history, governance, culture, and faith.

In line with the African Union’s 2025 theme on justice and reparations, the presentation highlights the historical harms caused by colonization, slavery, and systemic racism, and the urgent need for corrective action. These actions include recognition, documentation, land restitution, cultural preservation, financial compensation, and policy reforms. It also references the United Nations’ Second Decade for People of African Descent.

Okama analyzes several global frameworks—Millennium Development Goals, Sustainable Development Goals, CARICOM’s 10-Point Reparations Plan, the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, and past HDI data for Curaçao and Sint Maarten—to show how development, governance, and justice are deeply connected. She stresses that good governance, citizen participation, and accountability are essential to reducing inequalities and strengthening communities.

A major part of the paper examines Christianity’s historical and ongoing role in the lives of Africans and Afro-descendants. While churches were part of colonial systems that enabled slavery, they also hold present-day influence that could support reparatory justice—through apologies, inclusion, trauma-informed healing, mental health support, and community empowerment. Okama calls for the meaningful participation of Afro-descendants in leadership and decision-making, not tokenistic involvement.

The presentation ends with a call to action: adopt gender-sensitive approaches, revive African ecological knowledge, promote peaceful coexistence, strengthen South-South cooperation, and engage youth in intergenerational knowledge sharing. She emphasizes the importance of cultural exchange, educational partnerships, and volunteerism between the Caribbean and Africa to build a future grounded in justice, dignity, and repair.