President Akufo-Addo with members of the coalition during the summit in Accra
The Global Coalition of diplomats, scholars, activists, artists, and civil society organisations has indicated that the ‘Accra Declaration on Reparations and Racial Healing’ charts a path for reparation movement worldwide.
The Declaration is the outcome of an international convening focused on reparations and healing held earlier this month in Accra, Ghana, and keynoted by President of Ghana, His Excellency Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo. Scholars, activists, journalists, and human rights activists like Dr. Julius Garvey, Nikole Hannah-Jones, Dr. Hilary Beckles, and economist Darrick Hamilton were amongst attendees.
In a release to commemorate the 2022 International Day for People of African Descent yesterday, the coalition said the Accra Declaration highlights the legacies of the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade, colonialism, and ongoing harms and calls for the United Nations Permanent Forum on People of African Descent to convene a global summit of former colonial powers on the issue of reparations.
“The effects of the Slave trade have been devastating to the African continent and to the African diaspora, with the entire period of slavery stifling Africa’s economic, cultural and psychological progress,” the release quoted President Akuffo-Addo.
It further noted that building on The Abuja Proclamation of 1993 and the Durban Declaration and Program of Action of 2001, the Accra Declaration further calls for the development of prosperous economies through reformation of global systems and structures, and the return of stolen artifacts.
“It also calls for the United Nations to extend the United Nations Decade for People of African Descent, and for a process of acknowledgement and healing for the roles that both Europe and Africans played in the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade,” it said.
Chairman of the CARICOM Reparations Commission, Dr. Sir Hilary Beckles, said there is an unprecedented momentum at the moment in its work around the world, saying, “The fact that people came together from the Caribbean, Europe, South America, North America, and a sitting head of state is making such a bold statement about reparations shows the growing appeal and importance.”
Founder of The Community Healing Network, Dr. Enola Aird, also noted that the declaration will be critical to the relationships that are being forged and will help bolster our efforts to facilitate both accountability and healing worldwide.
“The reparations movement is only growing and we credit the work that has been done for so long,” said Dr. Ron Daniels, co-chair of the Global Circle for Reparations and Healing. “Our responsibility is to do as much as we can to move forward with this declaration as a guide for how our work moves forward.”
By Jamila Akweley Okertchiri