Tuesday, 11th February, 2025
Hon Zuwera Mohammed Ibrahimah
Salaga South
Mr Speaker, thank you for the opportunity to make this Statement in relation to the upcoming Ordinary Session of the Assembly of the African Union.
Mr Speaker, The Heads of State and Government of the Member States of the African Union (AU) will gather for the 38th Ordinary Session of the Assembly of the Union on 15th -16th February 2025 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. This annual gathering of the leaders of the AU is preceded by the Permanent Representatives Committee (PRC) meetings and the Executive Council meeting.
Mr Speaker, this year’s Assembly is significant for Ghana, because the AU Assembly through its Decision 884 of 2024 designated the theme of the Year for 2024 as “Justice for Africans and People of African Descent through Reparations.” Assembly Decision 884 was to implement the outcome of the Accra Reparations Conference of November 2023, which was co-organised by the African Union Commission and the Government of Ghana. The outcome document of the Accra Reparations Conference is the Accra Proclamation on Reparations.
Mr Speaker, at the 37th Ordinary Session of the Assembly of the Union in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia from 17th to 18th February, 2024, the Assembly adopted the decision of delegates who participated in the Accra Reparations Conference, from 14th to 17th November, 2023 in Accra, Ghana and expressed their appreciation to the Government of Ghana and the African Union for coorganising and conducting the conference, They acknowledged the invaluable statements of Heads of States of the AU and the support and contribution provided by the Union to the conference.
They recognised that the Accra Reparations Conference, which was convened with a shared commitment to addressing historical injustices and injurious crimes committed against Africans and the people of African descent, through transatlantic enslavement, colonisation and apartheid, and to address the inequities present in the international economic and political orders, as a demonstration of the African Union's commitment to advancing the cause of reparatory justice and healing for Africans and for all people of African descent.
Mr Speaker, the Accra Reparations Conference was therefore in fulfilment of the Decision 884 taken in February 2023 at the 36th Ordinary Session of the Assembly of Heads of States and Government of the African Union, endorsing the Government of Ghana's proposal to co-organise with relevant stakeholders and host an International Conference towards "Building a United Front to Advance the Cause of Justice and the Payment of Reparations to Africans." The Accra Proclamation on Reparations had proposed the establishment of certain mechanisms for the institutionalisation of the reparation agenda in Africa. The mechanisms include:
1. The President of Ghana was appointed by the Assembly as the Champion on Reparations.
2. Committee of Experts on Reparations, to develop an African Common Position on Reparations.
3. Reference Group of Legal Experts to work in close coordination with the African Union, led by the Commission and including the judicial and quasi-judicial organs of the Union.
4. Global Reparations Fund based in Africa, to work in collaboration with the African Union, to advance the campaign of the African Union on reparations; and
5. Transcontinental Partnership Framework embracing the AU, CARICOM and the African Diaspora in Latin America, North America, Europe and UK, and elsewhere in the world, to build a strong common front among them in pursuit of reparations and reparatory justice at the global level.
His Excellency President John Dramani Mahama in his capacity as Champion for the Theme of the Year 2025 on Reparations will therefore be presenting a report to the Assembly of the Union after the official launch of the theme of the year. This year's AU Assembly will also, inter alia, appoint the new Chairperson of the AU Commission and the new Deputy Chairperson, as well as confirm the elections of the new six in-coming Commissioners.
Mr Speaker, I thank you for the opportunity to make this Statement in anticipation of a grand meeting of the Union.
Hon Kojo Oppong Nkrumah
Ofoase Ayirebi
Mr Speaker, thank you for the opportunity to comment on the Statement that was just delivered to this House, and as African leaders gather for the 38th Ordinary Session of the Assembly of the African Union, we send to them our best wishes to take the right decisions that would support the continent.
Mr Speaker, however, specific to the matters of reparations, if the world, particularly the West, is interested or is minded to pay reparations for participation in the ills associated with the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade, so be it, and I do not think anybody can quarrel with that. But I think from an African perspective, the subject needs some further examination.
The Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade was not end-to-end executed by people of western descent only. Africans participated in it. In fact, if one goes to the Elmina Castle, he or she would find recognitions of the participation of Africans in the TransAtlantic Slave Trade. One would also find from our history how we indulged in inter-tribal slavery even before the white man came here. So, if today, we are looking to have a conversation about reparations as the way to cure the injustices, it raises questions about whether we would also consider paying inter-tribal reparations.
Mr Speaker, more to the point, the justice that is being sought, in my honest view, needs to be directed towards other areas than reparations. For example, the African Union has been talking about setting up strong African financial institutions to mobilise resources to help the advancement of Africa. My view is that it is a more practical and nearimmediate way to mobilise resources to help advance the African course as against the subject of reparations.
Mr Speaker, we have also just spent a lot of time and resources pushing the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), setting up its office here in Ghana. There has been a lot of talk about it but very little trade on going. If African leaders are looking at ways of deepening justice for the African people, I think that is another area which is practical and real, and it can be facilitated, instead of expecting a group of western countries to write cheques for us for their participation in an exercise that we ourselves were doing, and we participated in as Africans.
Mr Speaker, finally, there is also the need for more south-south trade to empower Africans. A lot of young people in Africa are looking for opportunity for African leaders to open up borders for trade and employment across Africa. If African leaders would spend time to talk about reparations from the West for their participation in slave trade, I think it would be good for them to include, in this conversation, how they can fast-track efforts to open up our borders and south-south trade. These, in my view, are more realistic ways to get justice for today’s generation of Africans as against what appears to be a nice theoretical conversation of reparations from the West.
Mr Speaker, we were doing this evil act among ourselves. We participated in it because the white man did not go into the villages to pick Africans and put them on the boat. Africans participated in picking black people up and selling them to the white man, so we have a responsibility on our own to take immediate practical steps as we have mouthed in times past, to provide justice for our own people. So, as the African leaders gather to discuss reparations, I believe that these are things they should consider as part of that exercise.
I thank you, Mr Speaker.
Hon Philip Fiifi Buckman
Kwesimintsim
Mr Speaker, thank you very much.
Mr Speaker, respectfully, I would want to continue from where my Brother left off, especially when he said that that “nice theoretical conversation” should be put aside. We should ensure that we put up practical reasons or means of uplifting ourselves, as Africans, than coming together always and talking about reparation.
What are we, African leaders, doing to ourselves as a people? For me, I believe that Africa is endowed with the natural and human resources that can be harnessed for the betterment of its people rather than always having conversations about reparations. Who are we going to take the money from?
Mr Speaker, I believe that, in this time and age, we still have the natural resources all across Africa. We still have the human resources that if our leaders put up and have the political will, would better the lots of us, as Africans; we would be able to do it, and we would be able to lift ourselves from that quagmire of poverty.
Mr Speaker, just now we were lamenting. The Minority Leader brought up a Statement about cholera in his place, and one of us raised the issue about meningitis. These are some of the things we should look at solving, and I was happy when the Minority Chief Whip said that it is unpardonable. Our people are dying from poverty, so our leaders must sit up, and our leaders must look at harnessing our natural resources for our betterment. So, for me, yes, it is good.
They may decide to talk about it, but, back home, we have our resources: gold, manganese, et cetera. For example, looking at our country, we export raw materials. What do our people need? What we need is work, so I would add my voice to the maker of the Statement—Yes, we appreciate them, and we appreciate whatever they are doing, but we would also want to plead with them that they should look back home. They should not just think about reparations; we have the resources here. We can put them together for our betterment.
Thank you, Mr Speaker
Hon Francis-Xavier Kojo Sosu
Madina
Thank you very much, Mr Speaker.
Mr Speaker, I want to thank the Hon Member for Salaga South, Ms Zuwera Mohammed Ibrahimah, for such a very important reminder of reparation and to also contribute to say that, as African leaders gather to look at this discussion, they need to be reminded that what Africans need today is not a reparation in the form of handout.
It is not a reparation in the form that could be described as a charity model where Africa is treated as an object of scorn or an object of pity where world leaders would now be looking at Africa as if we are at their beck and call.
Mr Speaker, Africa has a population of over 1.5 billion people. We are so youthful when it comes to our population. I dare say that there are several research materials that show that any corporation which is not based on economics does not yield any outcome. Mr Speaker, you can look at the Organisation of African Union which metamorphosed into AU and all the attempts made at the regional levels with the “spaghetti” approach of integration that we have on the continent.
Mr Speaker, when you look at what is happening, it is the reason we are not advanced. Remember that we have the Lagos Plan of Action for the Economic Development of Africa, and the Abuja Treaty; all these treaties and plans of action were based on how we could use economics to transform Africa and it is because of that that today, we have the African Continental Free Trade Area Agreement (AfCFTA). Not until Africa wakes up; if our leaders do not wake up to come together at the table, as far as this African Continental Free Trade Agreement is concerned, we are not going anywhere.
Mr Speaker, if you look at how the coal and steel factories corporation began in Europe, it was only a small trade area between France and Germany, and today, it is what we call the European Union.
So if Africa can move from trade integration, removing our barriers, tariff and non-tariff barriers, liberalising our markets, having a common market, having a common monetary union and eventually having an economic union, there is no way we would come out of this quagmire.
Mr Speaker, I want to use this platform to draw the attention of the African leaders, as they gather to deliberate our reparation. The reparation we need today is emancipation from mental slavery. This is what we need, this is the only way we can come out of our quagmire.
Thank you very much for giving me the opportunity to contribute.
Hon Patrick Yaw Boamah
Okaikwei Central
Mr Speaker, let me add my voice to the Statement ably made by my Colleague from Salaga South.
Mr Speaker, our Colleagues have drawn our attention to how poorly we have traded among ourselves in Africa. African global trade share is just three per cent which is very low and poor to the extent that we would want to increase investment in Africa and create more job opportunities.
Mr Speaker, I would want our leaders to reconsider the theme for this year’s AU Summit if they can. Looking at the issues around the world lately, President Trump has signed a lot of Executive Orders; some affecting African nationals and I believe that this is the time for African leaders to go to Addis Ababa to consider the implications of what President Trump has done with regard to the nationals of Africa, not to be talking about reparations. We have been talking about reparations for many years and we have achieved nothing.
I believe that we are not going to achieve anything. There are issues in Congo DRC, between Rwanda and South Africa; soldiers are being killed here and there. Those are issues that bother the Africans today. Nigeria is the biggest economy in Africa and they are seeking to join the BRICS like South Africa did. We have countries in the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) leaving to form other unions outside ECOWAS; those are matters that affect us and must agitate the thinking and thoughts of African leaders should they meet in Addis Ababa — I do not know when they are meeting.
Mr Speaker, I believe that there are very important issues other than talking about reparations. The Global Reparation Fund was to have been set up last year and I do not think that we even have a dollar in that account, yet, we are going to be sitting in Addis Ababa with delegations upon delegations from about 55 countries in Africa to read speeches with no effect on the people on the continent. That is why the youth of Africa are constantly losing interest in our politics and democracy and will fall for anything.
Today, I read online a BBC story that there are some Ghanaians even fighting alongside the jihadists or whatever in the Sahelian areas across countries in the north; Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger. Ghanaians participated in activities of those people who cut people’s limbs and arms—not Boko Haram—in Europe.
Mr Speaker, I believe there are very critical issues that should agitate the minds of these 21st-century African leaders such as trade, we talked about a common payment platform and a common airline. Our transportation system is very bad. If you want to travel from here to Guinea or Sierra Leone, you would have to go to three other countries. Those are the things that we have to be talking about. Our road networks are not linked properly, so how can we talk about trade and be part of global trade?
Mr Speaker, I believe that we should reconsider this theme for the AU Summit in Addis Ababa if it is not too late and talk about those critical matters that would spur up our economic growth and ensure that Africa becomes a leading light in the world.
Hon James Agalga
Builsa North
Thank you, Mr Speaker. I would like to commend the maker of the Statement which simply calls for reparation in view of certain disturbing historical occurrences such as the transAtlantic slave trade.
Mr Speaker, the fundamental question is whether or not it is justifiable for Africans to be asking for reparation at this point in our history. I heard one of our Colleagues, Mr Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, argue in relation to this Statement that in the course of the conduct of the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade, Africans participated. That is a historical fact, but is that enough justification for us to say it is not proper for us to be talking about reparation.
Mr Speaker, I think we need to set the record straight. The narrative that Africans participated in the conduct of the slave trade for which reason we should not be talking about reparation, is the Western narrative.
The facts are very clear that those Africans who participated in the conduct of the slave trade were induced. In fact, historical accounts have it that following the advent of the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade, the face of warfare in Africa changed for the worse; wars became very brutal because we had been induced into thinking that some humans were less human than others. So some ethnic groups could afford to capture their own kind and sell them into slavery.
I think we should be guided by the works of Walter Rodney who wrote a book entitled, “How Europe Underdeveloped Africa”. I would recommend that masterpiece to all of us. If we read Walter Rodney, we would come to terms with the fact that our under development was induced by imperial Europe. They started with the slave trade, and when they had no use for slaves again because machines had now been invented, they switched to the mode of colonialism. Today, colonialism has taken another form.
Dr Kwame Nkrumah described it as “neo-colonialism”. So, let us not talk about collaboration on the part of some Africans because even when the holocaust was committed, there were some Jewish groups that collaborated with Adolf Hitler and his ilk. With these few words,
Mr Speaker, I would like to commend the maker of the Statement and to indicate clearly, in very strong terms, that we have sufficient justification to demand for the payment of reparation.
I thank you, Mr Speaker, for the opportunity.
Hon Gizella Akushika Tetteh-Agbotui
Awutu Senya West
Mr Speaker, I have learnt to manage my expectations when it comes to the discussions on restitutions, reparations, and restorations. Let me give a little example. In my little Constituency— Well, not a little constituency—In my constituency of Awutu Senya West, I have a fort called Fort Good Hope, which was built by the Dutch.
One day, I decided to pay a visit to the Dutch Embassy to have a discussion with the Ambassador, and I said to him that I have a fort in my Constituency and I want to see what collaboration could be done with the fort in terms of tourism.
I had also read an article on Reuters that said that the Dutch Prime Minister at the time, Mark Rutte, had apologised for the Dutch involvement in slavery, so I thought that was a good time to open up and have a discussion on my little fort sitting at Senya Bereku. The Prime Minister had also indicated that they are not interested in reparations, but they would set up a €200 million education fund in lieu of that.
I thought I could tap into that education fund for my community of Senya Bereku because Fort Good Hope stands there as a relic up till today. I was disappointed when he said that actually, it was meant more for the colonies. So, I said, there was an origin and a destination. The destination is the colonies, but the origin is the African coast.
In the Central Region, there are over 17 or more fortes and castles and the evidence is there even towards Ahanta, the cruel story of Badu Bonsu II, and others. So, there is a long history of the Dutch involvement along our coasts. I am just using this as an example because it is a practical example for me.
I just realised that if I could tap into the education fund, that €200 million could do something.
Could there be some technology transfer, can I have a school built in my community by the Dutch, but I realised the discussion was not going to go far. At that point, I decided to advise myself.
Much as I thank the maker of this Statement, I personally managed my expectations, and I think that as Africans, we must also go in with expectation management because somebody may not be on the same metre band as we are and think in the same terms of what sort of reparations.
I do not think that we want handouts, but I am sure that some economic cooperation, and technology transfers would do, access to education funds that were set up—This is just the Dutch example that I have given you; there may be others along the way that have also done some kind of interventions, but I think that it should be more along those lines.
The reality is that as we sit in this House, that we all represent a constituency, the ripple effect of that would be felt in a constituency like mine, where I have a relic built by the Dutch reminding me of their presence every day. I think that that discussion should link with tourism and others and make sure that, at least, the people who are affected by the slave trade—I wonder whether there would ever be closure, but at least, there should be some discussions along those lines.
We are not there to beg, but I am sure that, at least, some cooperation or technology transfer as I said or something more practical, pragmatic and beneficial to us, as a people, is something that we would not mind tapping into.
I would like to translate all this into a benefit to my constituency, and I am sure all of us, who have such relics in our constituencies, may want to do the same.
Hon Jerry Ahmed Shaib
Weija-Gbawe
Mr Speaker, I commend the maker of this Statement. I have different views with reference to reparation in Africa and it has to do with the fact that—A friend once told me that if a ship were brought to the Tema Port and people were asked whether or not they would want to travel to America and that they would be charged before travelling to America, Mr Speaker, you and I know that a lot of people would jump onto the ship and travel to America.
Mr Speaker, the issues about reparation, whether or not we mean to deal with them, is a matter for us to think through carefully. What does reparatory justice for Africa entail? Does it entail we looking at a range of initiatives and how we intend to deal with these initiatives? Are we looking at historically acknowledging that we were once under the colonial spell and are we willing to be compensated for those?
Does it also entail we looking for financial reparation: some amount of money would be paid as compensation to Africans that have to go through whatever reparations we went through?
Does it also entail land restitutions? Those lands which were taken from us. Are we willing to accept those lands, take them, and walk away? Are we all thinking about this policy issues or reforms, including now departing from issues of social inequalities and discriminations? There are a host of issues we are dealing with as Africans.
I think that I take a cue from my friend, Mr Francis-Xavier Sosu, are we willing to emancipate ourselves from mental slavery? Are we willing to depart from the fact that we would not sit at one place applying for visa when we know that the sun is scorching and there is no proper arrangement for people who are applying and paying so much to travel to another country? Are we willing to depart from that?
Within our same Africa, are we not getting the kind of discrimination we see every now and then, that even when one goes to a place like Morocco or Algeria, they do not see themselves as Africans? Are we also willing to deal with the real issues of, for example, saying that, from today, whatever we are due as Africans, we would treat ourselves as Africans. Mr Patrick Yaw Boamah made the call that when one is even travelling within Africa and in cases where one is supposed to procure some visas before one can get to his or her destinations, even in Africa.
Even as regards the issue of transportation within African, one can best understand that sometimes when one is travelling to Ivory Coast and how one can land in Ivory Coast. What is happening to the African Union (AU) and the European Union (EU) within the shortest possible time? I think that as Africans, we must rise up to the occasion. We should stop doing just the theories and rhetorics and rise up to the call. Maybe that is also an occasion to say that Dr Kwame Nkrumah did one of the best things by pushing for Africanisation. But are we still willing to do it the way we want?
Mr Speaker, thank you very much.
Hon Frank Annoh-Dompreh
Nsawam/Adoagyiri
Mr Speaker, I am exceedingly grateful for your indulgence.
This is not to sound repetitive,I think Colleagues have put matters in context. Not according to any order, I listened to the Deputy Minority Whip, Mr Jerry Ahmed Shaib, then Mr Francis-Xavier Sosu, my good Friend and Mr Patrick Yaw Boamah, and one thing comes to mind. Reparation, obviously, is not a beautiful thing to go for. It is not a lowhanging fruit that we can go for as a continent. Clearly, it casts some doubts in terms of shadow on us as an independent,
God-given people.
It is not something we should be proud of. Reparation is out of the question. Probably, we should forcefully go out there and make a call for the removal of trade tariffs and trade barriers. That would set the stage for equal exchanges in terms of trade between Africa and the other parts of the world.
Mr Speaker, it is strange that Africans are eager to trade with Europe in the face of the yawning gap. We have the Mediterranean Sea creating a problem for us, a yawning gap. Yet, we feel more comfortable to trade with our brothers in Europe while we can trade better with one another as Africans. We have been talking about the AU and the continent coming together, way ahead of the EU. Before the Europeans started talking about their Union, the EU, Africans had started talking about the unity of Africa and AU long ago.
What happened? Today, the EU is much stronger in terms of geopolitics and it is doing better in terms of seeking welfare, staging advocacy for trade, development and changing the paradigm of development of Europe. They are way ahead of us.
Mr Speaker, I dare say that even before the Marshall Plan, Africans were on the path of progress and unity. After Europe was zeroed down by Adolf Hitler, Americans and others came together to put out the Marshall Plan. Africans were already talking about unity. Our torchbearers have always been talking about this. It is sad we are where we are and today, reparations have become a subject matter of discussion. With the greatest respect to our Colleague, reparations should be pushed to the back burner; it cannot be. We cannot be satisfied with reparation. What we need is equal exchange in terms of trade.
Today, one can recall all the economic interventions in Africa; Programme of Action to Mitigate the Social Costs of Adjustment (PAMSCAD), the Economic Recovery Programme and others. All these interventions have not helped ultimately. So, our torchbearers could not have been far from right when they said that Africans must take our destiny in our hands.
I could not have agreed more with Mr Boamah when he said we are going there to talk about theories again. Here, I think individual African countries must rise up. In our context, we can send a message through our Minister for Foreign Affairs to send a strong message to the AU. If this is how we are going to be talking and swimming at the surf of the ocean, we are not helping the continent.
Let me also conclude that we cannot talk about too many things at the same time. No, it cannot be. We should have a defined line of action. Ten years from now, what is Africa seeking to achieve? Everybody is consistently talking about trade, transport and movement. Yes, they are all important. But can we, as a continent classify and say that in the next 10 years, this is the priority?
Ten years from now, Africa should have been able to achieve this and that and move ahead? We cannot mix everything up and say that we want to develop. That would be a problem. But the matter on reparation should not be a subject matter of consideration at all.
I equally agree with Mr James Agalga who spoke in context with what Mr Kojo Oppong Nkrumah said. If one looks at the role that people like John Mensah Sarbah and other icons of Africa played when colonial martyrs had wanted to take over our lands, they are things that we have to be proud of. So, a number of our icons have also stood toeto-toe to the Europeans.
It is entirely not true that Africans largely contributed in the Atlantic slave trade and facilitated the sale of our people to the Europeans. No, there were people, as history has recorded, who stood tall. One can name the Sagrenti War and the likes and all the people who stood tall to defend Africans and our forefathers. When we are recounting the history, we must do so properly.
Mr Speaker, it is a day we have to celebrate, but reparation should be out of context. At this stage and at this time in our life, we cannot continuously be talking about reparation.
Mr Speaker, in conclusion, let me speak on this US$100 million call that Africans have always been making to the European world and the developed world, in the context of the fact that these developed countries pollute more and should, therefore, send Africans some US$100 billion. This has remained a mirage. It is not happening.
Year in, year out, at the Conference of the Parties (COP), we make that strong advocacy, it only falls on deaf ears and we come home and lament. It cannot be a litany of lamentation without results. Let us go out there, take our destiny into our hands and demand for fair trade.
There is something we call EurepGAP standard, which is limiting Africans from penetrating the European world.
These are the calls we should make and I think if we are able to do this out of patriotism, we would be able to make a difference. Ten years from now, let us come and tick the boxes; which were the ones that we are able to achieve and which are the ones that are outstanding? Then, we can make meaningful progress towards the true emancipation of the continent.
Mr Speaker, I thank you for recognising me.
Hon George Kweku Ricketts-Hagan
Cape Coast South
Mr Speaker, thank you very much.
First of all, I also want to wish the African leaders well on the 38th Ordinary Session that is just about to happen. The issue of reparation is one that divides opinions, but I am of a strong view that it is not a subject that we Africans or black people should just sweep under the carpet. Yes, there are so many things that we have to do for ourselves. We have said that we do only about three per cent of trade among one another, that is intra-trade in Africa, and we need to do more. We need to do business with one another more than we do with others elsewhere. There are a lot of things. We are sitting on minerals that are still being exploited from us and there are so many things that we have to do. But that does not mean that we should forget about the subject of reparation.
Mr Speaker, injustice has not got a lifespan; it is like justice. When we talk about reparation, we always talk about money. Reparation is not only about money. There are other forms of assistance that we can get for what they have done to us. That does not necessarily mean that they have to hand over money to us. The Hon Minority Chief Whip talked about getting an equal trade. How do we get an equal trade? We can use reparation to get that equal trade. We have got to establish that wrong things were done and that somebody needs to compensate the other for such. Then we can sit down and look at the exact form of compensation that we need. Should that be a reduction of tariffs? Should it be other things that we take into the EU or to the Americans that need to be looked at?
We had an agreement with the Americans, the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) Agreement, which was signed 20 years ago. We have signed it again, I think on two occasions, and I think the last one is about to expire. But we have not taken advantage of it. These are some of the things we should be looking at.
Even if we get a reparation, what sort of advantage as Africans are we going to take to make sure that benefits us? We should not just have in our minds that any time we talk about reparation, we are asking for somebody to bring us money. We can do that in negotiating many different agreements, preferably in the area of trade, to make sure that Africa actually gets benefit. We talk about Africans participating in the slave trade, yes, when one comes to Cape Coast, one would see castles and others where this trade actually took place. Yes, one can establish that Africans took part. But as Mr Agalga said, they were induced to take part.
History tells us that wars in Africa went up as a result of slave trade because it became a lucrative business to fight one’s neighbour, capture them and sell them to somebody else to take them to the Americas just to make money. We were just used as middle people to help the Europeans do this slave trade or to cause this harm to us. Who benefitted from it? Which billionaires does anyone know who made so much money from slave trade in Africa? Europe and America are littered with old money that trace their sources to the slave trade and somebody needs to compensate the other for wrongdoing.
Mr Speaker, you would realise that a lot of artworks that were stolen from Africa are coming back. Quite recently, we got some for the Ashantis. How did we get that? Because we made a case that those arts should be returned to Africa because it belongs to us and they were stolen. If we had not made the case, those artworks would still be sitting in Europe. So, we should not just sit back and say that we were victims of what happened to us? No! Something went wrong that has not been addressed and it is still a fundamental thing for we black people, wherever we may find ourselves, whether in Europe, America or even here in Africa, something needs to happen.
Let us get it into our minds that when we talk about reparation, we are not only talking about payment of money by one person to the other. It can be done in so many other ways that would be beneficial. We are borrowing money at astronomical rates from the western world; we have appetite for borrowing money. Some of these rates that we are being charged are not actually reasonable but we do not seem to have the choice. These are some of the areas that we can actually negotiate so that some of these interest rates for borrowing, if we have to, are actually reduced as part of the reparation payment but not necessarily sitting down for some country to dole us cash.
I thank the maker of the Statement for a good job done.
AskParly