Chairman of the Forbes Burnham Foundation, Vincent Alexander, yesterday petitioned for the return of ancestral lands that were “unjustly” transferred from their rightful owners and for the administrative authority of local villages to once again be vested in the village councils.
Alexander appeared before the commission of inquiry (CoI) investigating African ancestral lands and other land matters, yesterday, when he lobbied for the return of communal lands to the descendants of enslaved Africans who had purchased them. Those lands were once plantations and, once bought, were converted into villages.
“I am hoping that the commission comes to terms with the fact that these lands were unjustly transferred and that they seek to ensure that justice is meted out to those villagers who have suffered as a consequence of the unjust transfer of the lands,” the Chairman told the tribunal.
