Africa’s Unity in action: A global call for reparations

On May 25, 2025, Africa Day commemorates the 62nd anniversary of the founding of the Organization of African Unity, now the African Union, marking a moment to celebrate Africa’s enduring pursuit of unity, self-determination, and justice.

The 2025 theme, “Justice for Africans and People of African Descent Through Reparations,” adopted at the 38th African Union Summit
in February 2025, represents a resolute call to address the profound legacies of slavery, colonialism, apartheid, and systemic racism. Reparations, in this context, extend beyond financial compensation to encompass restitution, rehabilitation, formal apologies, and guarantees of non-repetition, aiming to heal historical wounds and foster equitable futures for Africans and their global diaspora.

This article explores the historical roots of these injustices, the moral and legal imperatives underpinning the reparations movement, the African Union’s leadership in fostering global solidarity through its designation of the diaspora as the “Sixth Region, ” contemporary initiatives such as artifact repatriation and land reform, the challenges and opportunities shaping the movement, and a strategic roadmap to achieve reparatory justice, underscoring the transformative potential of a unified global approach.

The demand for reparations is anchored in a history of systemic exploitation that has profoundly shaped global inequalities. Between the 16th and 19th centuries, the transatlantic slave trade forcibly displaced an estimated 25 million Africans, with millions perishing in the brutal Middle Passage.

Those who survived were stripped of their identities, families, and cultural heritage, their unpaid labor fueling the economic prosperity of Western nations. This stolen labor underpinned Europe’s industrial revolutions and the plantation economies of the Americas, leaving African societies impoverished. Colonialism further entrenched these harms, as European powers, through the 1884-1885 Berlin Conference, partitioned Africa, imposing arbitrary borders and extracting resources such as minerals, timber, and agricultural products.

These colonial systems disrupted African political, social, and economic structures, creating dependencies that continue to marginalize the continent in the global economy. In South Africa, apartheid from 1948 to 1994 institutionalized racial oppression, dispossessing Black South Africans of land and fundamental rights.

In the diaspora, systemic racism, manifested through policies such as Jim Crow laws, redlining, and discriminatory labor practices, entrenched disparities. For instance, in the United States, the average white family’s wealth is approximately ten times that of Black families, a direct legacy of slavery and exclusionary policies. These injustices have transgenerational impacts, including economic underdevelopment, cultural erasure, and psychological trauma, necessitating a comprehensive reparative response to restore dignity and opportunity.

The moral case for reparations is grounded in the principle of restorative justice, which demands acknowledgment and redress for those who have suffered harm. The African philosophy of Ubuntu, emphasizing communal harmony and interconnectedness, frames reparations as a collective healing process that restores dignity and rebuilds communities fractured by historical injustices.

The dehumanization inflicted by slavery, colonialism, and systemic racism stripped Africans and their descendants of agency and heritage, requiring more than symbolic gestures to affirm their humanity.

This moral imperative is complemented by a robust legal foundation. The 2001Durban Declaration and Programme of Action, adopted at the World Conference Against Racism, recognized the transatlantic slave trade as a crime against humanity and called for “just and adequate reparation” in Points 158 and 160, urging states to provide remedies for African descendants.

The United Nations General Assembly’s Resolution 60/147of 2005further affirms the right to remedy for gross human rights violations, explicitly stating that statutes of limitations do not apply to such crimes.

Precedents reinforce this framework: Jewish Holocaust survivors received reparations from Germany, and Japanese Americans interned during World War II were compensated by the United States government.

The Caribbean Community’s 2013Ten-Point Plan for Reparatory Justice, which demands debt cancellation, technology transfers, and cultural restitution, offers a practical model for African and diaspora claims, aligning with international human rights principles.

The African Union has emerged as a global leader in advancing the reparations agenda, leveraging its platform to foster unity and amplify demands for justice. Central to this leadership is its designation of the African diaspora as the “Sixth Region” of Africa, formalized in 2003, which recognizes the shared historical and contemporary struggles of Africans and their descendants worldwide.

This visionary step fosters global solidarity, uniting continental and diaspora voices in a collective pursuit of reparatory justice. The 2024 Global Africa People-to-People Forum exemplified this solidarity, bringing together representatives from Africa, the Caribbean, and
beyond to prioritize reparations as a key agenda item.

The African Union’s African Experts Group on Reparations, established in 2023, is developing a continental strategy, estimating economic losses from colonialism and slavery at over $5 trillion, according to a 2024 African Development Bank study.

This strategy emphasizes multidimensional reparations, including land restitution, educational reform, economic empowerment, and cultural restitution, particularly the return of looted artifacts held in Western museums. Recent commitments by France and Germany to
repatriate artifacts to Benin and Ghana, in accordance with UNESCO’ s 1970 Convention on cultural property, mark significant progress in cultural reparations. By coordinating with regional bodies such as the Economic Community of West African States, the African Union strengthens Africa’s position in global forums, presenting a unified front that enhances the moral and legal case for reparations.

The African diaspora, particularly in the Americas, Caribbean, and Europe, is a vital force in the reparations movement, leveraging the “Sixth Region” framework to forge global solidarity.

In the United States, the National African American Reparations Commission advocates for wealth redistribution, land grants, and policy reforms to address systemic racism, drawing inspiration from the Caribbean Community’s Ten-Point Plan. In the Caribbean, Barbados and Jamaica lead efforts to demand reparations from former colonial powers, with Barbados estimating billions owed by Britain for the economic toll of slavery. Jamaica’s reparations committee has similarly prioritized debt cancellation in negotiations with British authorities. In the United Kingdom, diaspora activism, including parliamentary advocacy through the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Afrikan
Reparations, established in 2024, underscores demands for accountability. Ghana’s “Year of Return” initiative in 2019 has fostered economic and cultural reconnection, encouraging diaspora investment and heritage restoration, which align with reparative goals.

This global solidarity ensures that reparations address both continental and diaspora experiences, creating a cohesive advocacy effort that amplifies the African Union’s agenda.

Contemporary initiatives highlight significant opportunities for progress in the reparations movement.

In Africa, Nigeria and Ghana have secured commitments for artifact repatriation, with Germany returning Benin Bronzes in 2024, a tangible step toward cultural restoration. South Africa’s land reform program, addressing apartheid-era dispossession, seeks to redistribute land, though progress remains slow, with 70% of arable land still held by white South Africans.

In the United States, California’s 2023 reparations task force recommended measures such as cash payments and educational reforms, while Evanston, Illinois, pioneered a 2021 housing grant program for Black residents affected by historical redlining.

In the Caribbean, Barbados and Jamaica’s reparations committees are pressing for economic reparations and debt cancellation from Britain.

Globally, the United Nations Permanent Forum on People of African Descent’s 2023 proposal for a global reparations fund, supported by the African Union and the Caribbean Community, seeks contributions from former colonial powers, signaling growing international legitimacy, though implementation remains pending. These initiatives, particularly artifact repatriation and land reform, demonstrate the potential for broader action, serving as models for addressing historical injustices.

Despite these opportunities, the reparations movement faces substantial challenges. Political resistance from former colonial powers, such as the United Kingdom’s assertion that it bears no legal responsibility for historical slavery, contradicts international law’s recognition of slavery as a crime against humanity. Domestic opposition in Western nations often frames reparations as economically burdensome or socially divisive. The economic scale of claims, such as Africa’s estimated $5 trillion loss from colonialism, poses significant hurdles, and quantifying non-economic harms, such as cultural loss or psychological trauma, adds further complexity.

Legal disputes over liability and jurisdiction persist, with some invoking statutes of limitations, though international law counters this for gross violations. Socially, public support varies: while Africa and the diaspora exhibit strong grassroots momentum, misconceptions in former colonial powers reduce reparations to mere financial transactions, fueling resistance. Internal divisions within African and diaspora communities, such as differing priorities between land restitution and financial compensation, can fragment advocacy efforts. Nevertheless, opportunities abound, with initiatives like artifact repatriation and land reform demonstrating tangible progress, and the African Union’s leadership, combined with diaspora activism, creating momentum for global action.

Astrategic roadmap for reparatory justice is essential to overcome these challenges and realize the movement’s transformative potential. First, former colonial powers must issue formal apologies, as Belgium did for its colonial rule in the Congo in 2019, accompanied by concrete commitments to action.

Comprehensive studies, supported by the African Union and United Nations, should quantify economic, cultural, and social losses to strengthen claims, building on estimates such as the $5 trillion colonial loss. Restitution, including land reform in South Africa and artifact
repatriation to African nations, is a priority, as evidenced by recent successes in Benin and Ghana.

Financial compensation, potentially through a global reparations fund, should address economic disparities, with contributions from states and corporations complicit in historical injustices.

Rehabilitation through investments in education, healthcare, and infrastructure, including debt cancellation for Caribbean nations, aligns with reparative goals and supports the African Union’s Agenda 2063. Guarantees of non-repetition require reforms to global economic systems and the promotion of anti-racism education to prevent future injustices.

The African Union, in coordination with the Caribbean Community and diaspora organizations, should lead unified efforts, potentially through a proposed 2026 global reparations summit, to maintain a cohesive advocacy front. Public engagement through educational campaigns, such as the African Union’s planned 2025 awareness initiative, can counter misconceptions and build global support, reframing reparations as a multifaceted process of healing and equity.

In conclusion, the 2025 Africa Day theme, “Justice for Africans and People of African Descent Through Reparations,” represents a transformative call to address centuries of exploitation, from the transatlantic slave trade to systemic racism. The African Union’s designation of the diaspora as the “Sixth Region” fosters global solidarity, uniting continental and diaspora voices in a shared
pursuit of justice. While challenges such as political resistance and economic hurdles persist, initiatives like artifact repatriation and land reform highlight the movement ’ s potential for meaningful progress. A strategic roadmap — encompassing formal apologies, comprehensive studies, restitution, financial compensation, and guarantees of non-repetition—offers a clear path forward. By embracing this vision, the global community can honor the resilience of African peoples, heal historical wounds, and build a world rooted in equity and reconciliation.

Writer’s email Gilbertattipoe90@gmail.com
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