The Price of Memory

Queen Elizabeth II, Rastafari and reparations. The enduring legacy of slavery in Jamaica.

Overview

Queen Elizabeth II visits Jamaica for her Golden Jubilee Celebrations. While there, she is petitioned by a small group of Rastafari for slavery reparations. For Rastafari, reparations is linked to a desire to return to Africa, the homeland of their African ancestors who were enslaved in Jamaica during British colonial rule. The film traces this petition, as well as a reparations lawsuit against the Queen. In the background are the stories of earlier Rastas who pursued reparations in the 1960s, and who undertook a historic mission to Africa to organize official repatriation. The film explores how Britain grew wealthy from slavery and the impact of slavery on independent Jamaica, following the filmmaker on a journey, during which the question of reparations reaches Parliament in both Jamaica and the UK. Filmed over a decade, The Price of Memory is a compelling exploration of the enduring legacies of slavery and the case for reparations.