8 episodes

This is the story of how two Heirs of Enslavement - Clive Lewis MP, a descendent of the enslaved, and Laura Trevelyan, of the enslaver - can come together to right the wrongs of the past.
In this six-part series, Clive and Laura will travel to Grenada, Barbados, and back to London to delve into their shared history. They’ll be asking what people across the Caribbean and beyond want, how to find a way forward, and whether true reparatory justice can be achieved. 
New episode every Friday.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Heirs of Enslavement Persephonica

    • History
    • 5.0 • 29 Ratings

This is the story of how two Heirs of Enslavement - Clive Lewis MP, a descendent of the enslaved, and Laura Trevelyan, of the enslaver - can come together to right the wrongs of the past.
In this six-part series, Clive and Laura will travel to Grenada, Barbados, and back to London to delve into their shared history. They’ll be asking what people across the Caribbean and beyond want, how to find a way forward, and whether true reparatory justice can be achieved. 
New episode every Friday.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    Grenada's Prime Minister Dickon Mitchell

    Grenada's Prime Minister Dickon Mitchell

    Clive Lewis sits down with Grenada's Prime Minister Dickon Mitchell for a wide-ranging conversation on the local and international politics of reparatory justice.
    From Grenada's own history to their relationship with China, what an agreement could mean for the NHS, to how money is loaned on the international stage, PM Mitchell gives frank and thoughtful answers to the themes that have cropped up throughout Heirs of Enslavement. 
    Producer: Rosie Stopher
    Production support: Edwin Frank
    Production Manager: Flick Heath
    Original music: Andre Greenidge
    Score and artwork: Sena Verdi
    Sound design: Airaphon
    This is a Persephonica Production.

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    • 30 min
    The return

    The return

    This is the story of how two Heirs of Enslavement - Clive Lewis MP, a descendent of the enslaved, and Laura Trevelyan, of the enslaver - can come together to right the wrongs of the past.
    In this first episode, Clive and Laura travel to Grenada - the island of their shared history - to explore the past of their families with two special guests: Clive’s dad, Tony Lewis, and Laura’s close friend and historian, Nicole Phillip-Dowe. As they delve into how they both came to this issue, they’re asking why reparatory justice is a conversation now, how their involvement can help, and what the future could look like.
    Producer: Rosie Stopher
    Production support: Edwin Frank
    Production Manager: Flick Heath
    Original music: Andre Greenidge
    Score and artwork: Sena Verdi
    Sound design: Airaphon
    This is a Persephonica Production.

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    • 32 min
    What now?

    What now?

    In this final episode of Heirs of Enslavement, Clive Lewis and Laura Trevelyan are reflecting on everything they’ve learned, and asking, what will happen next? Will a British government face up to the case for reparations? And if not, what could happen instead?
    They speak to Financial Times columnist Stephen Bush, lawyer Jacqueline McKenzie and Grenada’s Prime Minister Dickon Mitchell about the outlook for an agreement between the Caribbean and the United Kingdom. Plus, they hear from businessman Denis O’Brien about some of the progress being made in the West Indies. 
    Clive and Laura’s reading list:
    Britain’s Black Debt by Hilary McD. Beckles
    The First Black Slave Society by Hilary McD. Beckles
    How Britain Underdeveloped the Caribbean by Hilary McD. Beckles
    Capitalism and Slavery by Eric Williams
    Junior History of Grenada by Dr. Nicole Phillip-Dowe
    The Interesting Narrative and Other Writings by Olaudah Equiano
    Empireland by Sathnam Sanghera
    Slave Empire by Padraic. X. Scanlan
    Uncommon Wealth by Kojo Koram
    Legacy of Violence by Caroline Elkins
    Paradise and Plantation by Ian Gregory Strachan
    Beyond a Boundary by C. L. James
    A to Z of Grenada Heritage by John Angus Martin
    African Europeans by Olivette Otele
    A Short History of Slavery by James Walvin
    The Case for Reparations (article in The Atlantic) by Ta-Nehisi Coates
    Producer: Rosie Stopher
    Production support: Edwin Frank
    Production Manager: Flick Heath
    Original music: Andre Greenidge
    Score and artwork: Sena Verdi
    Sound design: Airaphon
    This is a Persephonica Production.


    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    • 39 min
    The Windrush link

    The Windrush link

    The West Indies is looking to the UK government for reparations, so this week, Clive Lewis and Laura Trevelyan are heading back to London, to understand the link between the Caribbean and Britain. It’s time to revisit the history of the Windrush generation - the men and women who travelled to Britain for work and to help rebuild after World War Two. Clive talks to his dad about his experience, and Professor Olivette Otele explains how the treatment of the Windrush generation adds to the call for reparations. 
    With that in mind, Laura and Clive are keen to know what the reparatory justice movement looks like in London. Clive’s Labour colleague Bell Ribeiro-Addy, who chairs the All Party Parliamentary Group for Afrikan Reparations, shares her insights. 
    Producer: Rosie Stopher
    Production support: Edwin Frank
    Production Manager: Flick Heath
    Original music: Andre Greenidge
    Score and artwork: Sena Verdi
    Sound design: Airaphon
    This is a Persephonica Production.


    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    • 32 min
    The climate question

    The climate question

    Clive Lewis and Laura Trevelyan have heard what Grenada and the Caribbean islands want reparatory justice to address, but now it’s time to find out whether any of those issues are moving forward. 
    There’s one policy area that’s seeing more development than any other in terms of global support - and that’s climate resilience. In this episode, Laura and Clive hear about why the West Indies is at particular risk in a warmer world, and how a plan designed by Barbados could offer a solution that brings reparations and climate planning together.
    Producer: Rosie Stopher
    Production support: Edwin Frank
    Production Manager: Flick Heath
    Original music: Andre Greenidge
    Score and artwork: Sena Verdi
    Sound design: Airaphon
    This is a Persephonica Production.


    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    • 32 min
    The big ask

    The big ask

    Clive Lewis and Laura Trevelyan have heard about the legacies left behind by enslavement in the Caribbean - but what do people in the West Indies actually want reparatory justice to address?
    In this episode, they hear about the specific needs of Grenada and beyond - illiteracy, poverty, healthcare and more. Clive and Laura visit the Grenada Community and Resource Library to see firsthand how important education resources are to the island. They speak to Arley Gill, chair of Grenada’s national reparations committee, and to Russell Fielden, a Brit-turned-Grenadian and local entrepreneur.
    Producer: Rosie Stopher
    Production support: Edwin Frank
    Production Manager: Flick Heath
    Original music: Andre Greenidge
    Score and artwork: Sena Verdi
    Sound design: Airaphon
    This is a Persephonica Production.


    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    • 26 min

Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5
29 Ratings

29 Ratings

PacoRome ,

Very interesting!!!

Very interesting podcast on a part of The slavery history through the lenses of the descendants of the enslaved and the enslavers in dialogue.

London’s Finest ,

The Londoner

Brilliant production - so good to hear a podcast that’s out and about, not in a sterile studio.

Chris Falcinelli ,

Heirs Of Enslavement

Very interesting podcast on a topic that is complex in its own right and also widely misunderstood. I particularly liked the discussion of the reclaiming of specific Grenadian history apart from the traditional colonial lens of Caribbean history. The principals here have laid a base for further work and one senses that the success or failure of their work will be vital to the pursuit of other similar endeavors. Kudos and good luck to the participants.

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