Christina Duarte’s essay on Reparations

by Koroma Ibrahima (Sierra Leone)

Cristina Duarte’s article presents a compelling case that reparatory justice for Africa must go far beyond simple financial compensation for past wrongs like slavery and colonialism. She argues that true justice must address the ongoing structural inequalities that continue to disadvantage African nations. While acknowledging the historical crimes, Duarte focuses on how current global economic systems including unfair trade rules, the extraction of raw resources without local value addition, and the massive loss of capital through illicit financial flows continue to exploit the continent. Reparations, she insists, must be tied to structural transformation, not just symbolic gestures.

As a humanist from Sierra Leone, I find this argument both powerful and overdue. In my country, we have rich mineral resources, yet the majority of the wealth they generate benefits foreign companies. We export raw materials but lack the infrastructure and political leverage to process and profit from them ourselves. Duarte’s point that Africa remains locked in an extractive economic position speaks to our lived reality. Reparations must mean more than apology or aid; they must correct the imbalance by empowering African nations to retain and grow the value of their own resources.

I fully agree with Duarte’s emphasis on the need for systemic economic reform as a form of reparatory justice. This includes fairer trade agreements, debt relief, return of stolen cultural property, and stronger African representation in global financial institutions. However, I also believe this vision must be matched with real political will on the continent. African governments must prioritize transparency, strengthen institutions, and resist corruption to ensure that reparations benefit the people not just the elite. The fight for structural justice is not only external but also internal.

In conclusion, reparatory justice must be seen not only as a historical responsibility but as a forward-looking economic necessity. Africa cannot develop sustainably while trapped in global systems that extract more than they give back. Duarte’s article pushes the conversation in the right direction toward dignity, sovereignty, and self-determination for African nations. As a humanist, I believe justice must restore not just the memory of the past, but the future of our people. Reparations must repair, restructure, and rebuild.