Jamaica serious about reparations from Britain, says Grange

The sounds of Bob Marley and the Wailers' Crazy Baldhead blared from the speakers yesterday as Jamaicans prepared to welcome two influential members of the royal family, William and Kate, to Culture Yard in Trench Town, Kingston.

Crazy Baldhead hits out hard at imperialism, and calls attention to the exploitation of blacks in Jamaica, first as enslaved people and later by an unjust economic system.

The royal couple's visit to Trench Town, where Bob Marley and the Wailers created some of their smashing hits, come as advocates for reparatory justice chastise the Jamaican Governing for rolling out the red carpet to representatives of the monarch. However, according to Jamaica's minister of of culture, gender, entertainment and sport, Olivia 'Babsy' Grange, the British Prince's royal visit has not changed the ministry's position on reparations.

"This is a free country and there are those who would want to express their feelings about the colonisers, so to speak, and those who had inflicted torture and injustices on our ancestors, and we share the view that reparations must be achieved. And so I have the national council for reparation in my ministry, we are developing a policy and we are going to have a roadmap to achieving reparations and we are staying focused," Grange said.

"That does not mean that we can't show respect to our guests. That doesn't mean that we can't interact. I think it is important that we show respect and we get respect, while we treat with the issues that affected us in the past, and ensure that there is some restitution. We are focused on that, but it does not prevent us from welcoming our guys and for showing how great a little country we are," Grange said.

While in Trench town, Prince William and his wife Kate Middleton were treated to a friendly game of football. William participated in the game and registered an assist for his team. After the game they travelled to the Trench Town Culture Yard Museum for a tour of the facilities and a performance by the Bingi Strong band.