Education as a cornerstone for reparative justice in Mauritius
via Le Mauricien7 min read
On August 1-2, 2026, the Kolektif Reparasyon Avansman Kreol KRAK, in collaboration with the Cardinal Jean Marg茅ot Institute ICJM, will host nearly 100 experts from the Indian Ocean, Africa, the Caribbean, and Europe in Beau-Bassin, Mauritius. The International Conference on Reparative Justice, titled "Corrective History and Reparations: Restoring Truth, Preserving Memory, and Reclaiming Dignity," aligns with the Accra Global Framework 2026 and UN General Assembly resolution A/RES/80/250. Dr. Jimmy Harmon, an independent researcher, emphasizes education as a priority strategic pillar for reparations, drawing on the 2011 Truth and Justice Commission TJC Report, Volume 1, Chapter 7. The TJC Report identified the denial of education during slavery 1721-1835 as the most destructive long-term consequence, perpetuating illiteracy and dispossession among descendants. Post-emancipation, education remained vocational, serving employer needs rather than emancipation. The report highlights how forced illiteracy led to massive land dispossession and exclusion from property and political rights, contrasting with the trajectory of Indian indentured laborers. A current challenge for corrective policies is the absence of ethnic data in official censuses, making it difficult to justify affirmative action, despite high rates of school failure in Priority Education Zones where descendants of enslaved people are predominant. Dr. Harmon argues that education is the primary form of reparation becau
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