Dateline: March 14

Next week on Dateline is “Breaking Up with Britain” as reporter Darren Mara travels to Jamaica.

The death of Queen Elizabeth II on 8 September 2022 sent shockwaves across the Commonwealth. Now, several former colonies, including Australia, are debating ditching the monarchy entirely.

Reporter Darren Mara travels to Jamaica, where constitutional tides are turning, and the government is pushing to become a republic.

Like Australia, Jamaica has a troubled history as a British colony. Darren visits sites at the heart of the nation’s history. He tours a slave house that was once home to the country’s British elite, while some 2,000 indentured servants toiled in its gardens.

The Caribbean was a crucial waypoint of the transatlantic slave trade, with an estimated 40% of enslaved Africans shipped to the islands. But from this history of subjugation, a spirit of resistance grew strong. The rebellious songs of Jamaica’s reggae music were the soundtrack of emancipation and continue to inspire a movement of independence.

Following a move by neighbouring Barbados, Darren meets the Jamaicans fighting for reparations, and others who still feel loyal to the crown.

9:30pm Tuesday on SBS.