A recent groundbreaking proposal from Ghanian’s president for reparations for his country’s citizens stands to have an impact that reverberates throughout the world. But while many appreciate the notion of descendants of the slave trade finally receiving reparations, many are calling out the messenger himself.
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During the United Nations General Assembly in New York, Ghanaian President John Dramani Mahama unveiled plans to submit the first formal motion demanding reparations. The proposal will reportedly urge the international community to support UN-funded compensation for the enduring injustices of the Transatlantic Slave Trade — losses that have long affected Africans on the continent and Black Americans across the diaspora.
A possible global reparations framework could bolster the case for federal acknowledgement and material compensation for centuries of stolen labor, economic exclusion, and ongoing inequity.
The call for reparations resonates deeply in Ghana, a nation whose wealth was gutted by the Transatlantic Slave Trade. As enslaved Africans were forced to the Americas, Western powers extracted nearly all of Ghana’s riches including gold, cocoa and other vital resources. The action ultimately left the country impoverished while nations like Britain and the United States grew rich off its loss.
“We demand reparations for the enslavement of our people and the colonization of our land that resulted in the theft of natural resources, as well as the looting of artifacts and other items of cultural heritage that have yet to be returned in total,” Mahama added in his speech.
Some social media users are applauding Mahama’s remarks, saying it’s long past time for the atrocities of the slave trade to receive the recognition they deserve.
“The fact that the transatlantic slave trade, which saw millions of Africans ripped from their homes, forced into slavery, and subjected to unimaginable atrocities across the Americas and the Caribbean, is still not formally recognized as a crime against humanity is ridiculous,” said X user @got_cake.
However, some users are pushing back on Mahama’s call for action, citing findings that African tribes allegedly played a role in the slave trade.
Mahama’s remarks ultimately called for reparations that extend to the entire Black diaspora, arguing that the lasting effects of the Transatlantic Slave Trade have placed Africans and Black Americans at a severe disadvantage for centuries.
The success of Ghana’s proposal, however, will most likely depend on support from non-African allies who see reparations as a step toward collective progress for the global Black community.
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