By Enyichukwu Enemanna
Ghana’s President John Dramani Mahama on Friday played host to a global delegation seeking reparations for crimes committed against Africa, including transatlantic slavery and colonialism, a group that urged him to rally other African leaders to choose “courage over comfort” and support the growing movement.
The delegation comprising experts from Africa, the Caribbean, Europe, Latin America, and the United States, presented Mahama with priority actions under the African Union’s (AU) reparations agenda, the delegation said in a statement.
The AU had in February launched a move to create a “unified vision” on what reparations may look like, ranging from financial compensation and formal acknowledgments of past wrongs to policy reforms.
Accounts have it that least 12.5 million Africans were kidnapped and forcibly transported by European ships, then sold into slavery from the 15th to the 19th centuries. Advocates say action is needed to confront today’s legacies, including racism.
Calls for reparations have gained momentum, along with a growing backlash they have attracted.
Many European leaders have opposed even discussing the matter, with opponents arguing today’s states and institutions should not be held responsible for historical wrongs.
While Ghana has been at the forefront of reparations advocacy in Africa, the delegation emphasised the need for “strategic coherence and unity” among political leaders across the continent.
They urged Mahama to encourage other leaders to “choose courage over comfort” by standing with civil society and affected communities in Africa and the diaspora in demanding reparations.
At a European Union–AU summit in Luanda, Angola’s capital, last month, leaders from both regions acknowledged the “untold suffering” caused by slavery and colonialism but stopped short of committing to reparations.
During the summit, Ghana’s Vice President Jane Opoku-Agyemang urged EU member states to support a UN resolution Ghana is preparing to recognise slavery as one of the “gravest crimes against humanity”.
