Africa needs reparations, justice for the wrongs committed against it

Last Sunday, May 25, marked the 62nd anniversary of the formation of the Organisation of African Unity (OAU), now the African Union.

The theme for this year's celebration, “Justice for Africans and People of African Descent Through Reparations,” rightly showed attempts to seek redress for the wrongs that were committed against Africans, which eventually led to the formation of the organisation.

Before most African countries gained independence from their colonisers, their people were imprisoned for unjustifiable reasons, others lost their lives and properties, and they were exploited economically.

Indeed, Africa is right in seeking justice and reparation today for these wrongs committed against its people in the past, especially when they are still bearing the brunt of them.

Africa's underdevelopment today can partly be attributed to its rich mineral resources and human resources that were taken away from the continent in the name of slavery and colonialism. 

Under the guise of colonialism, slave trade, apartheid, among others, Africans were exploited, suffered inhumanely, and its mineral-rich resources, as well as its arable lands, were taken  from them by the colonisers.

Large tracts of good land that once belonged to Africans were taken  from them by the colonisers, and Africans became labourers on their lands.

Renowned Kenya novelist, Ngugi Wa Thiong'o, whose death was reported this week, put the land issue in perspective when in his book, Weep Not Child, he brought to fore how Kenyans who were conscripted to fight in the World War came back to find out that white colonisers had taken away the lands that once belonged to them and they, the Africans, had to be employed to work on those lands that once rightfully belonged to them.

History is also replete with many stories of how Africans were whisked away to fight in a war which had nothing to do with them.

Ngugi Wa Thiong'o wrote in Weep Not Child, “All of us were taken by force.

We made roads and cleared the forest to make it possible for the warring white man to move more quickly. 

The war ended. We were all tired.

We came home worn out but very ready for whatever the British might give us as a reward.

But, more than this, we wanted to go back to the soil and court it to yield, to create, not to destroy. But Ng’o! The land was gone.

My father and many others had been moved from our ancestral lands.

He died lonely, a poor man waiting for the white man to go.”

Mineral resources

There are also stories of how Africa’s rich minerals were taken away in large quantities in the name of colonialism.

Aside from the rich minerals that were taken away abroad, cultural relics that tell of Africa’s rich cultural past were also taken away and kept in museums abroad as tourist attractions, thereby generating much revenue from them.

Slavery in Africa also left painful memories behind.

There are many stories of how Africans, who were taken away as slaves, were made to work on farms and factories in Western countries to grow their economies.

This continuous looting of Africa’s rich minerals, human resources and culture over the years not only impoverished the continent in several areas but also enriched those who perpetrated the wrongs against them.

Today, Africa lags in so many things, so far as development in the world is concerned - economic, health, education, infrastructure among others.

If these strong African men and women who were taken away as slaves or our minerals that were taken away in large quantities for a long time were around, perhaps, Africa would also be rubbing shoulders today with the rest of the developed countries.

These, among others, make it relevant if Africa is asking for justice and reparations for those wrongs. 

Importance of reparation

It is believed that acknowledging the harm done helps restore the collective dignity and identity of the African people and also shifts the conversation of Africa always being dependent on the West to understanding their historical past.

As already said, colonialism and the slave trade left painful memories in Africa, and the continuous looking down on Africans by the West doesn't help matters.

Through justice and reparation, the dignity, empowerment and self-worth of Africans can be promoted, thereby bringing the healing that is so much needed.

The Economic, Social and Cultural Council (ECOSOCC) of the African Union goes further to state that the reparations must go beyond historical grievances to redress challenges such as climate change, systemic racial discrimination, economic exploitation and marginalisation.

The council goes ahead to state that economic reparation must include fair trade practices, corporate accountability and investments that directly benefit African communities.

It added that it must also include the return of stolen artefacts to their rightful owners in African nations.

It is heartwarming that some of these artefacts have since been returned by the West to Africa.

It is also good to know that ECOWAS, for instance, has established a special committee on the restitution of African cultural heritage, and so far, it is yielding results.

There is no doubt that Africans are discriminated against racially, they are excluded from global decision-making and economically marginalised.

It is important that the reparation builds systems that protect the lives of Africans today and in the future.

As ECOSOCC rightly puts it, it must include championing for greater representation of African nations in international institutions and ensuring that global systems promote equity and justice.

But even as we seek reparations and justice for acts committed against us by others, Africans are committing wrongs that are tantamount to those we are seeking reparation and justice for.

There are so many examples of that on the continent - protesters shot and killed for demonstrating against injustices; imprisonment of opposition leaders, opposition leaders on trials, suppression of voices, corruption in the corridors of power, while citizens struggle to have basic things such as access to quality healthcare, education and basic utilities.

These are things that are causing Africans so much suffering and need to be stopped.

Africa deserves reparation and justice, but there is also a need to rid the continent of acts that are causing distress to ourselves.