Reparations for Africa must go beyond compensation, require healing — Advocates

Speakers at a forum on reparations and racial justice have emphasised the need to look beyond financial compensation, stressing that true justice for Africans and the Global African Diaspora must include healing from centuries of enslavement, colonialism and systemic oppression. 

They stated that the long history of racial subjugation has left deep psychological, social and cultural wounds that financial settlements alone cannot repair.

The speakers further argued that genuine reparative justice must include psychological rehabilitation, cultural reconnection and structural reforms to dismantle the legacies of colonialism and racism. 

Summit

The discussions, dubbed: “Accra Summit II,” held on Wednesday, March 26, 2025, in the Gomoa East District, was organised by the Global Circle for Reparations and Healing (GCRH) and the Justice and Repair Initiative (J&R) of The Africa Transitional Justice Legacy Fund (ATJLF), in partnership with the African Union (AU).

The three-day summit, a follow-up to the 2022 Accra Summit I, was on the theme: “Centring Healing for Africans and the Global African Diaspora in the context of the African Union Theme of the Year for 2025 on Reparations.”

The AU’s theme is “Justice for Africans and People of African Descent Through Reparations.”

It brought together influencers from across Africa and the Global African Diaspora, including representatives of the AU, youth and elders, artists, leaders in philanthropy, civil society, and grass-roots groups, government officials, and representatives from the United Nations (UN), African think tanks, and Pan-African media and academia, with selected sessions to be shared online.

The event was well coordinated by Keys+Kredo, ensuring smooth execution and a great experience for all attendees.

Commitment

In a speech read on her behalf, the Deputy Chairperson of the African Union Commission (AUC), Selma Malika Haddadi, reaffirmed the AU’s long-standing commitment to reparatory justice.

She stressed that reparations were not just about acknowledging historical wrongs but about securing a just and dignified future for Africa and its diaspora.

She underscored that the transatlantic slave trade, colonial exploitation and systemic racism have left deep and lasting scars—socially, economically and psychologically—that continue to hinder African progress.

“These atrocities were not just acts of the past; their consequences persist today, manifesting in economic disparities and structural inequalities,” she stated.

Ms Haddadi, therefore, called for concrete actions beyond rhetoric, urging African nations and their global allies to push for policies, institutions and frameworks that drive meaningful reparative transformation.

Wipeout

The Head of Reparations United, a member organisation of the GCRH, Kamm Howard, said reparations for Africa and its diaspora must be defined on African terms, centring on healing and restoration.

He further stated that true justice demanded more than just managing the harm but a total wipeout of the centuries-long consequences of slavery, colonialism and systemic oppression. 

“What does wiping out all consequences of 600 years of European aggression against African humanity look like? Does it look like it leaves no trace of harmful effects of the crimes? Our goal is not to minimise or make manageable the harmful effects, but to rid this legacy from our existence entirely. Forever,” he said. 

Empowerment

In a speech read on her behalf, the Minister of Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts, Abla Dzifa Gomashie (M.P), emphasised that reparations must be a tool for empowerment and a mechanism to restore our cultural heritage, enhance our educational systems, and build the infrastructural resilience that Africa needs to thrive.

She also said reparations should be an ongoing process of justice, empowerment and healing, serving as a building block for a new era in which African nations are fully empowered, free from the remnants of colonial domination, and able to stand tall on the global stage.

“As we stand at this pivotal moment, let us be guided by the words of our forebears - the visionaries, the freedom fighters and the leaders who have long advocated justice.

Let us remember that this struggle is not just for us, but for future generations.

Let us ensure that they inherit a world where Africa is not only free but fully restored, empowered and united in its dignity,” she said.