Doing justice to the theme of 2025
The African Union must ensure cooperation and political will for its annual theme to deliver on its promise.
At the 38th AU Summit, African heads of state and government adopted the theme ‘Justice for Africans and people of African descent through reparations’. This builds on commitments from the 36thAU Summit, which called for a united front to advance justice and reparations for Africans. At that time, the AU Commission, member states and other organs were tasked with establishing an African committee of experts on reparations to develop a common African position on the matter.
While progress has been made, a unified stance remains elusive. Now the AU and its states can spearhead the drive for reparations and unite for justice for crimes and atrocities against Africans and those of African descent. However, given the shifting international dynamics and the AU’s pressing engagements on multiple urgent concerns, is now the time to prioritise this issue?
Why now?
Momentum for reparations comes at a point when there is ample pressure for reform of global governance institutions and multilateral systems. These remain the primary factors perpetuating Western dominance, which has long marginalised Africa in global governance systems. This timing takes advantage of the global push for reforms.
While the case for reparations has precedent in world history, this renewed push allows the AU to position the agenda as integral to the quest for justice, restoring dignity and addressing historical injustices. It is, therefore, a larger commitment than merely arguing that slavery and colonialism are too far in the past to warrant redress. This belief denies the negative realities and experiences of Africans on the continent and in the diaspora.
Past efforts
Addressing the wrongs of colonialism, the slave trade and discrimination experienced by African people is complex and requires a strategic approach beyond mere historical redress correcting historical injustices. It must include engagements on present inequalities that continue to be perpetuated in global governance architecture.
Africa’s preoccupation with this dates back to the Organisation of African Unity’s establishment of the Group of Eminent Persons in the early 1990s to pursue reparations for slavery and other wrongs. This was accompanied by the 1993 Abuja proclamation, which called for ‘full monetary payment of repayments through capital transfer and debt cancellation’.
The time is right to take advantage of the global push for reforms
The 2021 Durban declaration officially recognised transatlantic slave trade as a crime against humanity. The 2021 AU theme was ‘Arts, culture and heritage: levers for building the Africa we want’, which revived discussions on the restitution of looted African artefacts and cultural heritage. Then the 2023 Accra declaration expanded continental discussions on reparations to include a broader range of stakeholders, including Africans in the diaspora, and paved the way for the current theme.
Earlier calls for reparations were not only narrowly focused on debt cancellation and artefact restitution, but failed to sustain the debate at a higher political level to bring together diverse African constituencies. Thus, the current drive goes beyond financial compensation to a broader acknowledgement of injustice, apology, restitution and guarantees of non-repetition.
The task ahead
The AU’s enormous task revolves principally around whether it has the political and economic clout to engage actors across different divides to realise the year’s theme. Also important is ensuring that discussions of reparations do not die down amid the continent's myriad governance, socio-economic and security challenges.
Addressing the wrongs of colonialism, the slave trade and discrimination is complex
The AU and its member states must own the conceptualisation of the debate on and the reparation process. They should ensure active engagement from citizens, civil society, the private sector, policymakers and the diaspora. This will ensure justice for past crimes and transformative change to global systems and structures that continue to perpetuate exploitation and marginalisation of African people.
Currently the AU Citizens and Diaspora Directorate ensures a wide range of consultations with stakeholders. However, given the slow bureaucracies that it has to operate within, managing stakeholders to guarantee the achievement of significant milestones beyond convenings and echo-chamber debates is daunting.
Making the theme count
Success will require partnerships with global, continental, regional and national actors and institutions. It will also rely on implementation of recommendations from the Accra declaration, particularly the establishment of a global reparations fund. The AU committee of experts must be established to develop a common African position and existing collaboration with the Caribbean community strengthened to achieve a joint mechanism on reparative justice.
The AU and its members must own the conceptualisation of the debate on and process towards reparation
The appointment of Ghana as continental champion on reparations is a milestone as it mobilises African leadership. However, the magnitude of the work will require a dedicated high representative with experts to drive the agenda.
Additionally, details of payments and compensation will require negotiation among Africans, people of African descent and those associated with historical injustices. A common African position will define what reparation really means, what is sought, where to direct claims and how to reconcile the demands of claimants.
The AU faces the uphill task of navigating differences and divergences and reaching a common position that is favourable and acceptable to all parties. Most importantly, it will need to secure and sustain continental and international cooperation and political will to do justice to its theme.
