Located about 482 miles (775km) northwest of mainland Colombia, the archipelago of San Andrés, Providencia and Santa Catalina is one of Colombia’s departments. San Andrés, the largest island, is home to the departmental capital, San Andrés City.The archipelago’s links with Jamaica date back to the 17th century, when English traders and enslavers brought Africans from Jamaica to the islands. Their descendants became the Raizal people, who today speak Spanish and an English-based Creole.Those historical connections will be the focus of the Caribbean Continuity Conference, scheduled for July 23 at the Regional Headquarters of The University of the West Indies, Mona. The one-day event is being hosted by the African Caribbean Institute of Jamaica/Jamaica Memory Bank (ACIJ/JMB), in partnership with the Embassy of Colombia to Jamaica and the Centre for Reparation Research (CRR).Dr Kirt Henry, director of the ACIJ/JMB, said the conference reflects the institute’s commitment to research that connects historical experience with contemporary cultural realities.“The preservation of cultural memory is not an exercise in nostalgia; it is a necessary foundation for informed policymaking, social cohesion, and sustainable development. The historical relationships between Jamaica and San Andrés have too often existed at the margins of Caribbean scholarship. This conference seeks to bring those connections into sharper focus by creating an interdisciplinary platform where historical inquiry, cultural practice, and community knowledge can collectively contribute to a richer understanding of our shared Caribbean experience,” he said.Under the theme ‘Shared Histories, Shared Futures: Pathways to Reparative Justice in San Andrés and Jamaica’, the conference forms part of a broader cultural exchange programme aimed at strengthening cooperation between Jamaica and the archipelago. Diplomats, academics, researchers, cultural practitioners, policymakers and community leaders are expected to attend.According to the organisers, participants will examine the historical, linguistic and cultural links between Jamaica and San Andrés.“Through scholarly dialogue, community perspectives, and cultural performances, the event will explore how these shared histories can inform contemporary conversations on cultural preservation, identity, reparative justice, and regional collaboration,” they said.The keynote address will be delivered by Dr Alberto Gordon May, an educator, theologian, community leader and president pro tempore of the Western Caribbean Peoples. Two panel discussions featuring representatives of traditional communities, including the Maroons and Rastafari, as well as officials from participating institutions, are also planned.“Cultural performances by musicians from San Andrés will further celebrate the living traditions that continue to bind Caribbean peoples across geographical boundaries,” the ACIJ/JMB said.Emiliana Bernard Stephenson, Colombia’s ambassador to Jamaica, described the conference as an important step in strengthening bilateral relations through cultural engagement.“The Caribbean has always been connected by more than geography. It is connected through memory, migration, language, and the creativity of its people. This conference recognises that our histories are deeply intertwined and that meaningful diplomacy must also be cultural diplomacy. By creating spaces where scholarship, community voices, and lived experiences converge, we reaffirm our shared responsibility to preserve our collective heritage while shaping a more just and collaborative future for our region,” she said.On reparative justice, Professor Sonjah Stanley Niaah, director of the Centre for Reparation Research, argued that the concept extends beyond legal and financial considerations.“Reparative justice is fundamentally about restoring relationships, recognising historical truths, and affirming the cultural identities that colonial systems sought to erase or diminish. The dialogue between Jamaica and San Andrés offers an important opportunity to examine how shared histories of displacement, resistance, and cultural continuity can inform contemporary models of justice that are rooted in dignity, mutual recognition, and regional solidarity. This conference demonstrates that culture itself is one of the most powerful vehicles for repair.”The conference is free and open to the public. Organisers are encouraging prospective attendees to register interest by emailing info@acij-ioj.org.jm.editorial@gleanerjm.com